Assistant Researcher in Soil and Water Management

Offer Description

Opening of an International External Recruitment Process for an Assistant Researcher Position in the Scientific Research Career within the Staff Framework of Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária (INIAV, I.P.), under the FCT-Tenure Programme – 1st Edition, reference 2023.12090.Tenure.31.

An international external recruitment process is open for the hiring of an Assistant Researcher for the scientific research career within the staff framework of the Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária (INIAV, I.P.), under the FCT-Tenure Programme – 1st Edition, with reference 2023.12090.Tenure.31.

The recruitment is intended for the scientific area of INIAV, I.P. Natural Resources and Environment, for the Innovation Hub of Oeiras, within the scope of the application to the FCT-Tenure Programme – 1st Edition, with reference 2023.12090.Tenure.31 – Assistant Researcher in Soil and Water Management.

The deadline for submitting applications is 30 working days, starting from the day following the publication of this Notice (excerpt) in the Diário da República.

The recruitment will be carried out under a Public Employment Contract of indefinite duration, in accordance with Decree-Law No. 124/99, of 20 April, in its current version, which approves the Scientific Research Career Statute (Estatuto da Carreira de Investigação Científica – ECIC), in conjunction with the provisions of Law No. 35/2014, of 20 June – General Law on Public Employment (LTFP). A trial period of three years may be established, in accordance with Article 38(2) of Decree-Law No. 124/99, of 20 April, in its current version.

This recruitment process is opened within the scope of the FCT-Tenure Programme – 1st Edition, as provided for in the Call for Applications (AAC) with reference PRR No. 02/C06-i06/2024, under the support measure set out in Article 137 of the State Budget Law for 2024. This initiative aims to promote the recruitment of PhD holders exclusively for permanent positions, through integration into the scientific research career, in accordance with the Programme Contract signed between INIAV, I.P. and the entity responsible for implementing the FCT-Tenure Programme, ensuring compliance with the strategic objectives defined for the consolidation of the scientific research career.

The recruitment will be conducted in accordance with the ECIC and will follow the principles of equality, merit, and transparency, ensuring full compliance with Articles 9, 10, 15, 19, and 20 of Decree-Law No. 124/99, of 20 April, in its current version, as well as other applicable regulations governing recruitment in public administration.

Pursuant to Joint Order No. 373/2000, of 31 March, issued by the Minister for State Reform and Public Administration and the Minister for Equality, it is mandatory to include the following statement in recruitment and promotion procedures: “In compliance with point (h) of Article 9 of the Constitution, the Public Administration, as an employer, actively promotes a policy of equal opportunities between men and women in access to employment and professional progression, ensuring strict adherence to the principle of non-discrimination in any form.”

In this regard, terms such as ‘candidate’, ‘researcher’, and similar references are used in a gender-neutral manner throughout this notice. Likewise, no applicant may be privileged, favoured, disadvantaged, or deprived of any rights, nor exempt from any obligations, on the basis of—among others—ancestry, age, sexual orientation, marital status, family situation, economic situation, education, social origin or status, genetic heritage, reduced work capacity, disability, chronic illness, nationality, ethnic or racial origin, place of birth, language, religion, political or ideological beliefs, or trade union affiliation.

In accordance with Articles 16, 17, 19, 20, and 24 to 26 of the ECIC, as well as all other applicable legislation, the following provisions shall be observed:

Authorisation orderThe launch of this recruitment process was authorised by the President of the Board of Directors of INIAV, I.P. in Deliberation (excerpt) No. 257/2025, published in the 2nd series of the Diário da República No. 36, on 20 February 2025.This decision was issued following a proposal from the Scientific Council of INIAV, I.P., after confirming the availability of appropriate budgetary funds and verifying that the position now open for recruitment is included in the staff framework of INIAV, I.P.. The position is designated for carrying out research activities, assigned to an Assistant Researcher in the scientific area mentioned above at INIAV, I.P.
Approval of the present call for applications This call for applications was approved in accordance with Article 4(1) of the ECIC by the selection committee during its meeting on the 25 March of 2025, as recorded in the minutes duly approved in draft form.
Scientific area
1. The scientific area of INIAV, I.P. for this recruitment process is Natural Resources and Environment – FCT scientific area of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries/Scientific sub-area: Soil Science.
2. This recruitment process is intended for the hiring of an Assistant Researcher by INIAV, I.P., under a Public Employment Contract of indefinite duration.
General and specific admission requirements
1. General Requirements – As defined in Article 17 of the LTFP, approved by Law No. 35/2014, of 20 June.
2. Specific Requirements – As defined in Article 10(1)(a) and (b) of the ECIC, namely:

Holding a PhD degree in the scientific area of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, or, if holding a PhD in a different field, having a relevant scientific curriculum in this area.
In either case, candidates must have a minimum of 5 years of professional experience in the field after obtaining their PhD.

Salary and working conditions
1. The salary corresponds to the position on the single remuneration table equivalent to the salary corresponding to index 195 of the 1st step of the Assistant Researcher category, as stated in Annex I of the ECIC. In addition to the basic salary, the employee is entitled to holiday, Christmas, and meal allowances, as well as any other supplementary benefits to which they may be legally entitled.
2. The working conditions are those established in the ECIC, the legislation governing public employment contracts, and the regulatory provisions of INIAV, I.P. applicable to researchers employed by the institution.
Job descriptionThe job responsibilities for the position to be filled are those set out in Article 5 of the ECIC, in its current version.
Workplace, type of recruitment process, number of positions, and validity of the process
1. The workplace of the Assistant Researcher recruited through this process will be at the Innovation Hub of Oeiras/ UEIS SAFSV- Soil Laboratory, without prejudice to the possibility of carrying out activities in other Innovation Hubs of INIAV, I.P., as well as temporary assignments within the country or abroad.
2. This is an external and documentary-based recruitment process, which will involve the evaluation of the candidates’ curriculum vitae, scientific work, in accordance with point (a) of Article 9, Article 10(2), and Article 15 of the ECIC.
3. The number of positions available is one (1).
4. The validity of the recruitment process extends until the selected candidate has been formally hired by INIAV, I.P. under a public employment contract.
Selection Committee
1. The Selection Committee for this recruitment process will be chaired by Doctor Maria da Conceição Pinto Baptista Gonçalves, Sénior Researcher, Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, I. P.
2. The committee members will include:

Doctor Abel Martins Rodrigues, Sénior Researcher, Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, I. P.;
Doctor Luís Leopoldo de Sousa e Silva, Associate Professor with Habilitation, Universidade de Évora;
Doctor Maria do Rosário da Conceição Cameira, Associate Professor, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa;
Doctor Tiago Morais Delgado Domingos. Associate Professor, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa;
Doutor José Manuel Monteiro Gonçalves, Full Professor, Instituto Politécnico de Coimbra;
Doutora Alexandra Branco Ribeiro, Full Professor, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa (alternate member).

Notification of admitted and excluded candidates and final rankingThe list of admitted and excluded candidates, as well as the final ranking list, will be published on the INIAV website. Candidates will also be notified via email, as specified in point 11.5.
Application for admission to the recruitment process and submission procedure
1. The application form to this recruitment process, along with the required application documents, must be addressed to the President of the Board of Directors of INIAV, I.P., no later than the 30th working day following its publication in the Diário da República.
2. The application form and all required documents must be, delivered in person or sent by registered mail with acknowledgment of receipt to the Departamento de Recursos Humanos do Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária (INIAV, I.P.), on working days, between 9:30 AM and 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM, at the following address: Avenida da República, Quinta do Marquês, 2784-505 Oeiras. Applications must be submitted by the deadline specified in point 10.1. Alternatively, applications may be submitted via email to concursos.externos@iniav.pt, clearly indicating the reference of the notice published in the Diário da República.
3. The application form is available on the INIAV website under the “Procedimentos concursais” section: https://www.iniav.pt/procedimentos-concursais-e-de-mobilidade. Whether submitted electronically, in person, or by registered mail, the candidate must provide a valid email address in their application. Failure to provide a valid email address may result in exclusion from the process. All official communications and notifications regarding this recruitment will be sent via email with a read receipt confirmation, in accordance with the ECIC and this notice.
4. Candidates must submit a signed declaration regarding consent and confidentiality (Declaração de consentimento e de confidencialidade) in the processing of personal data related to the recruitment process. This declaration is available at: https://www.iniav.pt/procedimentos-concursais-e-de-mobilidade;
5. Declaration under oath, in accordance with the document attached (ANNEX) to this notice of the recruitment process
6. The application form must be accompanied by the following documents:
  1. PhD degree certificate in the scientific area indicated in item 4.2.
  2. Curriculum vitae in electronic format (PDF), including the candidate’s scientific work, as per Article 16(3) of the ECIC, detailing:

Research activities, professional experience and training, community service and technology transfer, scientific supervision, and management activities relevant to the position;
Identification of research activities in accordance with Article 5 of the ECIC, covering the evaluation criteria outlined in points 12.3 and 12.4 of this notice, particularly those relevant to the scientific area of the recruitment process, and also the preferred parameters indicated in point 12.5;
The curriculum vitae must be structured to allow a clear and quick identification of the candidate’s contributions in each of the subsections of point 12.4;
ResearcherID, and/or SCOPUS authors ID, and/or Science ID and/or ORCID, enabling identification of the list of publications, corresponding citation numbers, and h-index, according to the Clarivate Analytics Web of Science database.
1. Candidates must submit an electronic version (PDF) of the scientific articles published in international journals, as listed in their Curriculum Vitae, along with any other works they consider relevant for the evaluation of the selection committee, via pen drive or active link, the latter of which must remain accessible until the conclusion of the public competition.
  1. In the Curriculum Vitae, candidates must highlight up to five (5) works they consider most representative, particularly regarding their contribution to the scientific development and progress of the field related to the recruitment process. This selection must be accompanied by a brief justification, explaining the candidate’s contribution to each selected work.
  2. The Curriculum Vitae must include a summary section outlining the key results of the candidate’s scientific activity and previous professional experience, as well as their academic and professional background. The candidate must justify the relevance of these experiences to the scientific area of the recruitment process and taking into account the preferred parameters indicated in point 12.5.

With the exception of scientific articles, all application documents must be submitted in Portuguese or English.
Grounds for candidate exclusion
1. Candidates will be immediately excluded from the recruitment process if they fail to submit all required documents in point 10, by the deadline, in the manner and at the location specified in this call for applications. Candidates will also be excluded if the documents provided do not prove that they meet the general and specific requirements outlined in point 4.
2. Candidates who have been approved and ranked in a position that would allow them to fill the advertised role will also be excluded if they fail to provide the required legal documentation proving their eligibility for a permanent public employment contract with INIAV, I.P. within the specified deadline, without justification. Candidates will also be excluded if the submitted documents are found to be inadequate, false, or invalid.
3. If a candidate is excluded based on the reason mentioned above, the next-ranked candidate on the final ranking list will be invited to submit the required legal employment documents to establish a permanent public employment contract with INIAV, I.P.
4. Candidates will be excluded from the recruitment process if, their application is improperly submitted or they fail to meet the required qualifications specified in this call for applications:
  1. Training courses attended by candidates that do not specify the number of hours completed will not be considered.
  2. Candidates holding academic degrees awarded by foreign higher education institutions must have their PhD degree formally recognised in accordance with Decree-Law No. 66/2018, of 16 August, in its current version. This recognition must be obtained by the expiration date of the period granted for the conclusion of the contract.
5. Candidates of foreign nationality, except those from Portuguese-speaking countries, must demonstrate proficiency in spoken and written Portuguese at C1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), as defined by the Council of Europe. This language proficiency requirement must be officially certified by a Portuguese as a Foreign Language proficiency certificate, issued by the “Centro de Avaliação e Certificação de Português Língua Estrangeira (CAPLE)”.
6. The list of excluded and admitted candidates, as well as the final ranking list, will be published on the INIAV website. Candidates will also be notified via email.
7. Candidates who are excluded under the provisions of the previous sections have the right to a prior hearing. They will be granted a period of ten (10) days to submit their statements or objections.

The selection method and evaluation criteria

12.1. The Selection Committee will operate in accordance with the rules established in the ECIC, in its current version, that consists of the assessment of the Curriculum Vitae and the scientific work of the candidates, with the first being the Absolute Merit Approval, of an eliminatory nature, followed by the Relative Merit Assessment.

12.2. The candidates will be approved in absolute merit if holding a PhD in an area compatible with the scientific area of the competition and who demonstrate:

a) PhD degree in the scientific area indicated in item 4.2 and with a relevant scientific curriculum that meets the following specific requirements:

a.1 Quality of scientific and technical work, in the scientific area of Natural Resources and Environment/sub-area Soil Science, namely:

• Coordination or participation in at least 3 research and technological development projects;

• Have at least 3 publications, as first, second or last author, published in the last 5 years in a Q1 or Q2 journal with an impact factor in the areas of Clarivate Analytics Web of Science or SCOPUS regarding their contribution to the development and evolution of the scientific area for which the competition is open.

a.2 Professional experience after the PhD degree, at least 5 years in the scientific area of Natural Resources and Environment/sub-area Soil Science.

b) Holding a valid driver’s license for category B vehicles (light vehicles).

12.3. Once the candidates approved in absolute merit have been definitively identified, in accordance with the provisions of the previous point, the Selection Committee will proceed with the evaluation of their relative merit, following the procedures established in Article 16(3) of the ECIC, in its current version. For the ranking process, with a classification from 0 to 100 points, and the classification system, which will be based on the weighted score assigned to each candidate by each member of the panel, which will consider the parameters listed below, valuing the last 5 years with a weighting factor of 1.5 in relation to the previous path.

12.3.1. Quality of scientific and technical work (QTC) in the area of the competition, with a weighting of 35%;

12.3.2. Professional experience (EP) in the area of the competition, with a weighting of 25%;

12.3.3. Professional training (FP) in the area of the competition, with a weighting of 10%;

12.3.4. Contributions to scientific guidance activities (CAOC), with a weighting of 10%;

12.3.5. Participation in management bodies (POG), with a weighting of 5%;

12.3.6. Provision of service to the community and transfer of Technology (PSCTT) in the competition area, with a weighting of 15%.

12.4. The parameters referred to in item 12.3. will be detailed in the following terms:

12.4.1. The assessment of the Quality of Scientific and Technical Work (QTC) in the area of the position, Natural Resources and Environment/sub-area Soil Science, will be based on the sum of the following items:

i) – Coordination of or participation in research and technological development projects:

International projects – up to 10 points/project;
National projects – up to 6 points/project.

These values will be multiplied by the weighting factor 1 if the role is coordination and by 0.5 if the role is participation and will consider, the duration of the project.

ii – Publications in the field of the position:

Authorship of books in an internationally recognized publisher in the scientific field with ISBN – up to 10 points each;
Editor/Co-editor of books with an ISBN from an internationally recognised publisher in the scientific field – up to 5 points each;
Book chapters with an ISBN from an internationally recognised publisher in the scientific field – up to 3 points each;
Articles in journals indexed in Clarivate Analytics Web of Science or SCOPUS – up to 5 points each;
Articles in non-indexed journals – up to 2 points each;
Publications in conference proceedings – up to 0.5 points each;
Other publications – up to 0.5 points each.

These values will be multiplied by a weighting factor of 1 in the case of first author, second author, last author or corresponding author, and by a factor of 0.5 in other cases.

iii – Creation and reinforcement of laboratory resources:

Parameter that considers the candidate’s participation in and coordination of initiatives that have resulted in the creation or reinforcement of laboratory infrastructures or research support methodologies – up to 5 points per action.

iv – Stimulating scientific activity and networks:

This parameter assesses the candidate’s ability to coordinate and lead research teams, as well as their participation in advanced training networks, in collaboration with national and international institutions; – up to 10 points per action.

v – Recognition by the international scientific community:

Parameter considered:

Awards from scientific societies – up to 2 points each;
Editorial activities in scientific journals – up to 2 points each;
Coordination and participation in programme committees for scientific events – up to 1 point each;
Organising guest lectures at scientific meetings or other events – up to 2 points each;
Participation as a member of scientific societies with competitive admission and other similar distinctions – up to 0.5 points each.

12.4.2. The Professional Experience parameter (EP) should assess the level and suitability of the candidate’s academic degrees and qualifications as well as their professional experience, up to 8 points per semester, taking into account the diversity, quality and innovation of the activities carried out as an Assistant Researcher in the scientific area of the position, namely in the parameters and/or themes considered preferential, as well as their relevance to the development of this scientific area at INIAV, I.P. These aspects must be clearly presented in the Curriculum Vitae.

12.4.3. The Professional Training parameter (FP) should consider the specialised/advanced training courses attended and the participation in and coordination of technological training courses aimed at companies and the public sector, considering their nature, technological intensity and the results achieved during the course, and will be scored up to 0.5 points/hour of training.

12.4.4. The Contributions to Scientific Guidance Activities (CAOC) parameter should consider the supervision and guidance of doctoral students, undergraduate master’s students, interns, research fellows and students, considering the number, quality, scope and scientific/technological impact of the resulting publications, theses, dissertations and final course work, especially distinguishing award-winning work and international recognition:

PhD supervision – up to 9 points;
Master’s degree/ Bologna integrated master’s supervision – up to 3 points;
Supervising undergraduate work – up to 2 points;
Other supervision – up to 1 point.

12.4.5. The Participation in Management Bodies parameter (POG) considers the activities carried out in scientific and technological management bodies and will be scored up to 1 point/month, namely:

Positions in bodies of educational or research institutions or in the corporate sphere: parameter that considers the nature and responsibility of the position;
Positions in units and coordination: a parameter that considers the position, the universe of activity and the results obtained by the candidate in the exercise of management functions in departments and research units;
Temporary positions and tasks: a parameter that considers the nature, scope and results obtained by the candidate when participating in the editorial activities of international journals, in the evaluation of scientific programmes, in academic exam juries, in competition juries and in temporary positions and tasks that have been assigned by the competent management bodies, among others;
Other positions: a parameter that considers the exercise of positions referred to in article 49 of the ECIC, as it currently stands, and positions in national and international scientific organisations.

12.4.6. The Community Service and Technology Transfer parameter (PSCTT), quantified up to 5 points/per service activity, considering;

Authorship and co-authorship of patents and/or models, considering their nature, territorial scope, technological level and the results obtained;
Legislation and technical standards: a parameter that considers participation in drafting legislation and standards, considering their nature, territorial scope and technological level;
Scientific and technological publications: this parameter considers articles in national magazines and conferences and other scientific and technological publications, considering their professional and social impact;
Provision of services and consultancy integrated into the institutional mission: a parameter that considers participation in activities involving the business environment and the public sector, considering the type of participation, size, diversity, technological intensity and innovation.

12.5. Preferred parameters

Research experience in topics related to Soil Physics, including competences in:

• characterization and modelling of the hydraulic and solute transport properties of national soils by direct and indirect methods;

• assessment of the variability of soil properties and their impacts on processes that influence soil water dynamics and solute transport;

• addressing issues of scale when transferring measurements from soil samples to studies at field, regional and river basin scales;

• assessing the impact of agricultural practices on soil and water resources at different scales through a combination of field measurements and numerical modelling.

Rules governing the selection committee
1. The Selection Committee, in its operation, will respect the operating rules established in the ECIC, in its current wording.
2. In its first meeting, the Selection Committee will approve this call for applications, as recorded in the minutes of the meeting.
3. In its second meeting, the Selection Committee will verify the admission requirements of the candidates and prepare the list of admitted and excluded candidates, ensuring that each exclusion is duly justified. Additionally, it will initiate the prior hearing process for excluded candidates.
4. In its third meeting, the Selection Committee will approve candidates based on absolute and in the evaluation of relative merit.
5. A negative vote on the approval of absolute merit must be justified based on one or more of the following circumstances:
If the relevance, quality, and currency of the candidate’s Curriculum Vitae, as well as their most significant and high-impact academic contributions, are deemed clearly insufficient for the minimally adequate performance of the Assistant Researcher role in the scientific area of the recruitment process, and/or:
If the list of five (5) works that the candidate considers most representative, as referenced in 10.6.3, particularly in relation to their contribution to the development and advancement of the scientific area of the recruitment process, fails to demonstrate that the candidate possesses the necessary capability for the minimally adequate performance of the Assistant Researcher role in the scientific area of the recruitment process, and/or:
If the candidate has not published at least five (5) Q1 or Q2 impact factor publications in the last five (5) years, within the Clarivate Analytics Web of Science domains relevant to the scientific area of the recruitment process.
1. The Final Result of the evaluation of each candidate by each member of the panel (RFj) is calculated using the weighting formula for the various parameters:

RFj = 0,35 * QTC + 0,25 * EP + 0,10 * FP + 0,10 * CAOC + 0,05 * POG + 0,15 * PSCTT

Voting Procedure for the Final Ranking of Candidates:
1. Pre-Voting Procedures: During the meeting, before voting begins, each Selection Committee member must present a written document detailing their ranking of the candidates, based on the approved parameters and criteria. This document will be attached to the meeting minutes.
  1. In all voting rounds, each Selection Committee member must adhere to the ranking presented in their written document. Abstentions are not allowed.
    1. The first voting round determines the candidate to be placed in first position.
    2. Majority rule: If a candidate receives more than half of the votes, they are placed in first position. If no candidate achieves a majority, a new voting round is conducted excluding the least-voted candidate from the previous round.
    3. If two or more candidates are tied for the least-voted position, while at least one other candidate is not in that position, a run-off vote is held among the tied candidates. If the tie persists, the Chair of the Selection Committee decides which candidate is eliminated.
    4. The voting process repeats until a candidate secures more than half of the votes for first place. Once the first-ranked candidate is determined, the process is repeated to determine the second place, and so forth, until a final ranked list of all candidates is established.
  2. The Selection Committee reserves the right to request additional supporting documents from candidates in case of doubt. This includes documents in a foreign language other than English or Portuguese, which must be translated into Portuguese or English and certified by the competent authorities.
This recruitment process has been prepared by the Selection Committee and will be available on INIAV website: https://www.iniav.pt/procedimentos-concursais-e-de-mobilidade, Public Employment Exchange (BEP): www.bep.gov.pt, and EURAXESS portal: https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/. This notice will be published on these platforms following its official publication in the Diário da República.