Offer Description
Reference: RG_05_DEM_TEMA_2026_I-ReTiS Leaks
A tender is hereby opened for the award of one Research Grant(s) (RG) in the scope of R&D projects I-ReTiS Leaks – Intelligent operation and real-time integration for water leak detection, COMPETE2030-FEDER-00823400, for the Center for Mechanical Technology and Automation (TEMA) of the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University of
Aveiro (reference nº 16946) under the following conditions:
1. Scientific Area: Mechanical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mathematics and its applications, and related fields.
2.Funding Source Foundation for Science and Technology/MCTES, I.P., through national funds (PIDDAC), co-financed by
the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) of the European Union, through the COMPETE2030 of Portugal 2030
3. Admission Requirements:
3.1. 4. Masters enrolled in courses that do not confer academic degree integrated in the educational project of a higher
education institution.
3.2. 2. Master’s Degree in: Mechanical Engineering, Sustainable Energy Systems, Computer Engineering, Mathematics,
or related fields.
4. Other Requirements:
Minimum Master’s degree completion average of 12 points; advanced knowledge of English, advanced knowledge of
Portuguese and holders of a scientific and professional curriculum that reveals a profile suitable for the activity to be
developed.
The proof of enrolment must be made available until the contract is awarded, and the candidate may attach a declaration
of honor to confirm that they meet the requirements for enrolment in an integrated master’s degree, master’s or doctoral
program or in a course that does not confer an academic degree.
If the qualification has been conferred by a foreign higher education institution it must be recognized by a Portuguese
higher education institution, under the terms of the provisions of article 25 of Decree-Law no. 66/2018, of August 16th,
which approves the legal regime of recognition of academic degrees and diplomas of Higher Education, attributed by
foreign higher education institutions, and of paragraph e) of no. 2 of article 4 of Decree-Law no. 60/2018, of August 3rd,
and any formalities established therein must be fulfilled by the date of the hiring act
5. Eligibility: Applicants are eligible if they comply with paragraph a) of no.1 of article 2, of the Research Fellow Statute
as amended by Decree-Law no. 123/2019, of August 28th, as well as nos. 1 and 2 of article 6 of the Research Grant
Regulations of the Foundation for Science and Technology.
6. Work plan: The main objective of the project is to develop and implement a computational methodology capable of
automatically and efficiently managing a water distribution system (WDS), i.e., (i) finding the optimal operation of any
water distribution network, transforming it into a smart system, but also (ii) taking into account the energy supplied by
renewable energy sources (RES), dynamic tariffs (DP) from the electricity supplier and offers for the electricity market
regulation reserve (EMRR), minimising the operating costs of the WDS. In this project, cost efficiency comes from the
complete integration/combination of (i) efficient operational control of the WDS and (ii) the DP/RES energy market, i.e.,
the efficiency of the water-energy nexus.
The main objective of this grant is to develop methodologies that enable WDS to optimise its operational management,
considering the RES-DP energy bionomy, and contribute to a smart digital twin. This methodology can be found through:
(1) Machine learning models, which characterise the behaviour of the water distribution system, in particular models
based on reinforcement learning, and (2) Adaptive MPC controllers with a time horizon. This work plan requires basic
programming skills, in particular in the Python language, and knowledge of water supply systems.
7. Applicable legislation and regulations: Statute of Scientific Research Grant Holder, as amended by Decree-Law no.
123/2019, of August 28th; Regulation no. 950/2019, of November 29th, published in Diário da República, no. 241, Series
II, of December 16th (FCT, I.P. Research Grants Regulation); Decree-Law no. 66/2018, of August 16th (Legal regime for
recognition of academic degrees and diplomas of higher education awarded by foreign higher education institutions).
8. Workplace: The work will be carried out at Center for Mechanical Technology and Automation (TEMA) of the
Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Aveiro, under the scientific supervision of Professor/Doctor
António Gil Andrade Campos.
9. Duration of the grant(s): The grant duration will be 6 months, starting in March of 2026, and may be renewed for
additional periods of 6 months up to the maximum limit of approved funding. Under no circumstances shall it exceed the
limits defined in nos. 3, 4 and 5 of article 6, of Regulation no. 950/2019, of November 29th, published in Diário da
República, no. 241, Series II, of December 16th (Research Grants Regulation of FCT, I.P.).
10. Amount of monthly maintenance allowance: The amount of the grant corresponds to €1.309,64 , according to the
table of monthly maintenance allowance amounts set out in Annex I of Regulation no. 950/2019, subject to any updates
that may be applicable, under the terms of no. 2 of article 18 of Regulation no. 950/2019, of November 29th, published
in Diário da República, no. 241, Series II, of December 16th (Research Grants Regulation of FCT, I.P.). The fellow may also
be reimbursed for the amount corresponding to the Voluntary Social Security, in case of adherence to this plan.
11. Selection methods: The selection methods to be used will be the following: Curriculum assessment, where the
following knowledge will be evaluated: (1) Basic academic qualifications and respective final grade point average (40%);
(2) Proven knowledge in the areas of hydraulic water supply systems, software development for engineering and
optimisation applications, and machine learning methods, for one of the scholarships (30%); (3) Experience in research
activities within the scientific area of the application (30%), with the respective value of 40%, 30% and 30%, respectively.
If necessary, interviews will be conducted to assess the merits of the candidates. Candidates with grades below 12 and
without any knowledge in the scientific area of the application will be excluded from the competition.
12. Composition of the Selection Jury: The selection panel will be composed of the Chair, Dr António Gil d’Orey de
Andrade-Campos, Full Professor; Members: Dr Ana Luísa Oliveira Reis, Researcher; Dr Pedro André Dias Prates, Assistant
Professor; and Alternate Members: Dr João Alexandre Dias de Oliveira, Assistant Professor; and Dr Robertt Angelo Fontes
Valente, Associate Professor.
13. Deadline for applications (not be less than 10 working days) and how to submit applications: The call is open from 26-01-2026 to 06-02-2026, and only applications submitted within the deadline will be admitted.
Applications must be formalized by sending a letter of application accompanied by the following documentos: Curriculum Vitae, certificate of qualifications, declaration of honor and other supporting documents deemed relevant). They shall
also indicate the e-mail address to which by such indication they accept to be notified for all purposes within this procedure.
Applications should be sent by e-mail to dem.bolsas@ua.pt, until the end of the established deadline, indicating the
reference “RG_05_DEM_TEMA_2026_I-ReTiS Leaks” in the subject. Additionally, candidates are requested to send the
scanned documents to the President of the Jury, Profesor Doctor António Gil Andrade Campos, email address gilac@ua.pt.
14. Form of publication/notification of results: The final results of the evaluation will be published through an ordered list (alphabetically, by final mark obtained or other) posted on the University’s website, within 90 working days after the
final date of submission of the application, and the successful candidate will be notified by email. For the purposes of
prior hearing of interested parties, the deadline of 10 working days is set, as provided for in the Code of Administrative
Procedure. At the end of the period for hearing the interested parties, and in the absence of any response from them,
the list of candidates will become final. Candidates may lodge a complaint against the final decision within 15 working
days, or appeal to the maximum executive body of the funding entity within 30 working days after notification of the final
decision, in accordance with the provisions of article 12 of the Research Grants Regulation of the Foundation for Science and Technology.
15. Tender duration: The final ranking list of candidates will be valid until 30-06-2026 for the purpose of constituting a reserve list for selection.
The models of the grant contract and of the final report to be prepared by the grant holder and the supervisor are available at Research fellows – sgrh – Universidade de Aveiro (ua.pt).
Where to apply
E-mail: dem.bolsas@ua.pt
Additional Information
Website for additional job details: http://uaonline.ua.pt/detail.asp?c=94447
