Assistant researcher in the scientific field of Water resources and Hydraulic Works Engineering

Offer Description

1 – Title

ASSISTANT RESEARCHER

2 – Offer description

In accordance with:

deliberation of the Board of Directors of LNEC, I.P., of 2025-12-12,
Order in Council 485-A/2025/2, 28 August,
Transitional Regime of the scientific research career set out in annex III to the Law 55/2025, 28 April,

an external call of international selection is launched for recruitment of an assistant researcher in the scientific field of Water resources and Hydraulic works engineering of the permanent staff of LNEC, within the scope of the integration of doctorate senior officers.

This notice has been prepared in compliance with article 14 (2) of article 14 of Law no. 55/2025.

3 – Nature of the competition

The competition consists of the assessment of the curriculum vitae and the scientific work of the candidate(s)

4 – Functional content

The assistant researcher shall be responsible for carrying out, on a regular basis, apart from the research and development activities established in articles 4 and 5 of Law no. 55/2025, other scientific and technical activities integrated in the competences of this National Laboratory, namely:

Participating in the design, development and execution of research and development projects and in other like scientific and technical activities;
Supervising the works developed in the scope of the projects under her/his responsibility;
Cooperating in the development of training actions within the framework of the research and development methodology;
Supervising the research works developed by grant holders, research fellows and by research assistants and participate in their training;
Supervising and participating in training programmes of the institution.

5 – Researcher Profiles

Assistant Researcher (R3)

6 – Scientific field

Water resources and Hydraulic works engineering

7 – Type of Contract / Job Status

Indefinite-duration employment contract in public functions.

8 – Application Deadline

30 working days after publication in Diário da República (Official Gazette).

9 – How to apply

1. Completion of the application form available in the Recrutamento page, on LNEC’s website, with clear indication of the reference of the competition/scientific field of application and enclosing the following documents:

Certificates supporting the academic and professional qualifications;

Candidates holding a doctoral degree awarded by foreign universities must present a supporting document recognizing that degree by a Portuguese university, in compliance with the provisions of Decree-Law no. 66/2018, and Order in Council no. 33/2019, amended and republished in annex to Order in Council no. 43/2020;

Curriculum Vitae of the candidate, indicating her/his scientific work including the research activities, experience and professional training, contributions to the science, scientific community and society, technology transfer, scientific supervision and management, which are considered as relevant for the purposes of this competition;
Documentary evidence of relevant scientific experience and production, in particular:
Professional experience of research in the scientific field of this competition;
Scientific production in the last 5 years of publications in scientific magazines with peer-review and impact factor relevant for the scientific field of this competition;
Participation in both national and international networks and partnerships, where applicable;
Scientific supervision of internships and graduate projects, Master’s dissertations and doctorate theses integrated in the corresponding expertise fields, where applicable;
Document indicating up to 5 most relevant works or activities developed in the scientific field mentioned in the present notice, within the set of elements of the curricular evaluation, with due justification for their choice;

2. The application must be submitted in Portuguese language, as per article 54 of CPA (Administrative Procedure Code), or in English language, without prejudice to the prevalence of the Portuguese version for all intents and purposes.

The candidate(s) from LNEC’s staff is/are exempted from producing the documents claimed to be and actually included in their personal file.

The applications can be submitted by:

Electronic mail to recrutamento@lnec.pt until the end of the stipulated time limit.
Registered letter, with acknowledgement of receipt, bearing the following information on the outside “Concurso para recrutamento de um investigador(a) auxiliar na área científica de Engenharia de Recursos Hídricos e Obras Hidráulicas, no âmbito da integração de técnicos superiores doutorados- Aviso DR nº xxxx)”, addressed to LNEC, I.P., Avenida do Brasil, n. º 101, 1700-066 Lisboa. The date of delivery considered for the purpose of compliance with the stipulated time limit shall be the date of registration.
Direct delivery to the Setor de Arquivo e ExpedienteGeral of LNEC, at the same address, from 09:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and between 02:00 p.m. and 05:30 p.m. on working days.

HIRING INFO & WORK PLACE

10 – Organization / Working location

LNEC – National Laboratory for Civil Engineering, I.P.

Avenida do Brasil, 101 – 1700-066 Lisboa

Country: Portugal

Website: https://www.lnec.pt

Email: recrutamento@lnec.pt

The research activities shall be carried out at the Hydraulics and Environment Department of LNEC, without prejudice to the possibility of carrying out activities in other units and performing temporary missions in Portugal or abroad.

REQUIREMENTS

11 – Main Research Field / Level

General requirements

Those provided for in article 17 of the Lei Geral do Trabalho em Funções Públicas (Labour Code in Public Functions).

Special requirements

Favourable opinion delivered by the Independent Commission and for the purposes defined in Order in Council 485-A/2025/2.

ADDITIONAL INFO

12 – Benefits

The base remuneration, if not entitled to a higher one, corresponds to levels 53 and 54 of TRU (€ 3,501.28 or € 2,334.19, respectively), depending on whether the functions are carried out under exclusive dedication or on a full-time basis.

The working conditions and the social benefits are the ones generally in force for Public Servants working under an indefinite-duration contract in public functions.

13 – Eligibility criteria

As per the provisions of article 8 (2) of Order in Council no. 427-B/2025/1, the jury is entitled to require the candidate to produce documentary evidence of the items referred to in her/his Curriculum Vitae which may be relevant for the appraisal of merit and which have been insufficiently proven.

14 – Members of the jury

President:

Principal Researcher Laura Maria Mello Saraiva Caldeira, President of the Board of Directors of LNEC

Members:

Full Professor José Almir Cirilo, Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil;
Associate Professor Maria Teresa Condesso de Melo, IST;
Associate Professor António Alberto Chambel Gonçalves Pedro, University of Évora;
Principal Researcher Coordenadora Maria Teresa Fontelas dos Santos Viseu, LNEC.

15 – Selection process and criteria

In accordance with article 9 (4) of Law no. 55/2025, the competition consists of the assessment of the candidate’s scientific capacity and merit in the different aspects that integrate the set of functions to be carried out. As such, the following aspects are taken into account:

The scientific and professional path, in particular the professional experience of research in the scientific field or fields of this competition;
Quality and relevance of the scientific production;
The contributions to science, the scientific community and society.

The approval of the candidates on absolute merit shall depend on the verification of the requirements mentioned and on the appraisal by the Jury of the curricular information submitted. In the following dimensions of evaluation, emphasis shall be put on the curricular aspects related with the scientific field established in the present notice.

Approved on absolute merit is the candidate who is approved by an absolute majority of the voting jury members. The vote must be favorable whenever the jury member has attributed a score equal to or higher than 10 (ten), according to the methodology described. The candidate who has obtained an absolute merit score less than 10(ten) will be excluded from the competition.

1. Assessment of absolute merit:

The evaluation of the candidates is focused on the following dimensions: scientific merit, studies, reports and expert assessments, valorization and transfer of the scientific and technical knowledge, and management of the scientific activity.

The dimension Scientific Merit (VMC) focus on:

Capturing funds, coordination of or participation in competitive scientific programs and projects, both national and international, creation or strengthening of scientific infrastructures, within the scope of the strategic instruments of the scientific activity of LNEC.
Scientific supervision of internships and graduate projects, Master’s dissertation and doctoral theses, as well as scientific coordination of post-doctoral studies integrated in the corresponding fields of expertise, on subjects compatible with the scientific fields of LNEC.
Quality and relevance of scientific production.
Delivery of lectures and presentation of papers to congresses and scientific symposia.
The social, cultural and economic impact of the scientific activity, namely in terms of awards or distinctions
Development of products, systems, patents or industrial prototypes.

The dimension Studies and Opinions (VEP) focus on:

Conducting studies, reports, and expert assessment.
Certification and evaluation studies of products and systems.
Expert technical activities within the scope of judicial and extrajudicial processes.
Preparation of reports and technical notes.

The dimension Valorization and Transfer of the Scientific and Technical Knowledge (VTCCT) focus on:

Preparation of specifications and proposals for legislation and technical standards; collaboration in standardization and technical approval committees.
Preparation of scientific and technological dissemination publications.
Coordination or participation in the organization of scientific and technological dissemination initiatives.
Publishing of scientific and technical periodical and non-periodical publications, addressed to the scientific and technical community.
Participation in juries of doctorate and master’s examinations and other academic examinations or similar.
Review of articles submitted to scientific publications.
Coordination or participation in professional training actions.
Coordination or participation in incubation and establishment of technological companies.
Professional experiences outside of LNEC, which are scientifically relevant and beneficial for LNEC, such as teaching, scientific advisory and consultancy actions.
Provision of services to the community.

The dimension Management of the Scientific Activity (VGAC) focus on:

Management of science and technology units.
Participation in units for the coordination and management of the scientific activity (ex.: Scientific Council).
Evaluation of research programmes and projects.
Preparation and submission of applications to research projects and study proposals.
Participation in committees and work groups within the scope of the scientific management activity.
Participation in competition juries.

Each member of the jury evaluates the candidates by assigning a score to each dimension, on a scale of 0 (zero) to 20 (twenty) points, taking into account the approved criteria for each dimension, by considering the valuation to the thousandths.

1. Final score of the evaluation of absolute merit:

The Score (S) given to each candidate by each member of the jury is calculated using the following Formula, which reflects the weights associated to each dimension:

S = 0,45 VMC + 0,30 VEP + 0,20 VTCCT + 0,05 VGAC

The Final Score (FS) given to each candidate is calculated using the following weighting formula for the various curricular dimensions, considering the average value, rounded to the thousandths, of the scores attributed by each member of the jury to each dimension:

FS = 0,45 + 0,30 + 0,20 + 0,05

2. Evaluation of the relative merit:

The ranking according to relative merit shall be sorted in descending order of the final score resulting from the evaluation of absolute merit on a scale of 0 (zero) to 20 (twenty) points, by considering the valuation to the thousandths.

3. Interview for appraisal of competencies

In accordance with the provisions of article 10 (2) of the Order in Council 427-B/2025, the evaluation process may include an interview for appraisal of competencies (IAC), with a view to obtain information about professional performances directly related with the competencies that are required to carry out the functions, by taking account of the objectives that preside over the launching of this competition. The evaluation process will comprise the five components below:

MAI – motivation and readiness to carry out the predicted research activities;

CIEP – capacity of integration in a multidisciplinary team;

IAC – interest for science and technology activities within the scope of this competition;

CEO – ability to communicate orally ideas and concepts.

In face of the candidates’ answers to the questions, the following rating shall be attributed to each of the components above:

• 19 to 20 – Excellent;

• 17 to 18 – Very good;

• 14 to 16 – Good;

• 10 to 13 – Satisfactory;

0 to 9 – Unsatisfactory

where:

Unsatisfactory – situation in which the candidate is unable to convey any idea about the considered factor;

Satisfactory – Situation in which the candidate is able to convey concrete and fairly organized ideas about the indicated factor;

Good – Situation in which the candidate is able to convey clear and well correlated ideas;

Very Good – Situation in which the candidate is able to convey clear, creative and very well correlated ideas, demonstrating a significant level of information and communication;

Excellent – Situation in which the candidate, not only clearly conveys his/her ideas, according to the above terms, shows also an excellent level of thinking, systematization, internalization and causality.

The formula to be applied to the score of the interview for appraisal of competencies will be as follows:

SI = 0.2 x (MAI + CIEP + CLI + IAC + CEO)

In the event of an interview for appraisal of competencies and if the candidate is approved on absolute merit, the value of the final score (FS) will be obtained from the following expression:

FS = 0,90 (0,45 ¯VMC + 0,30 ¯VEP+ 0,20 ¯VTCCT + 0,05 ¯VGAC) + 0,10 EAC

4. Where the selection method of Interview for Appraisal of Competencies is applied, the non-attendance will result in the disqualification of the candidate concerned.

5. In the case of equal score, the following criteria shall be applied consecutively in the ranking by relative merit when the candidates have the same final score:

a) in descending order of the result of the evaluation obtained in the dimension Scientific Merit;

b) in descending order of the result of the evaluation obtained in the dimension Studies and Opinions;

c) in ascending order of the time elapsed after the awarding of the doctoral degree.

The list of admitted and excluded candidates as well as the final score of the competition, after approval, shall be notified and published on LNEC’s website in the Recrutamento page.

16 – Additional comments

Applicable Law

The present competition is subject to the following provisions

Order in Council 485-A/2025/2
Law no. 55/2025
Order in Council no. 427-B/2025/1
Lei Geral do Trabalho em Funções Públicas (Labour Code in Public Functions) approved by Law no. 35/2014, in its current version.

Equal opportunities policy

In compliance with article 9 (h) of the Portuguese Constitution, the Portuguese Public Administration actively promotes a policy of equal opportunities to both men and women in the access to work and career advancement, scrupulously ensuring that any form of discrimination is avoided.

Disabled candidate(s)

In accordance with article 3 (3) of Decree-Law no. 29/2001, when with equal score, disabled candidates have preference right, which prevails over any other legal preference.

The candidate(s) must declare on oath, in the application form, the respective degree and type of disability, and shall also mention the means of communication/expression to be used in the selection process.

Publicising

This public notice has been prepared by the jury of the competition as per the provisions of article 7 of Order in Council 485-A/2025/2. It has been sent for publication in Diário da República, and publicised in Bolsa de Emprego Público (www.bep.gov.pt), on LNEC’s website and on the internet portal EURAXESS, in English language.