Offer Description
NOTICE FOR FOR A RESEARCH SCHOLARSHIP (2)
Resume:
A tender is open for the attribution of two Scholarships for Master´s holders who are enrolled in courses that do not lead to an academic degree, under the Project Euro_MED0200626, Clepsydra – “Groundwater monitoring and Decision Support System development to optimise decision making in sensitive and water-scarce agricultural environments in the Mediterranean context“, CC 7235, taking place at the R&D unit LEAF-Linking Landscape, Environment, Agriculture And Food, of the Instituto Superior de Agronomia, for the development of the tasks described in item 2, under the following conditions:
1. TYPE, DURATION OF THE SCHOLARSHIPS and EXPECTED BEGINNING PERIOD OF THE SCHOLARSHIP
The tender is for the attribution of two Scholarships. Scholarship 1 is expected to have a duration of five months, with a planned start date in May 2026; Scholarship 2 is expected to have a duration of six months, with a planned start date in March 2026.
2. WORK PLAN AND WORKPLACE:
Scholarship 1:
The tasks to be carried out in collaboration with the research team of the Clepsydra project include: (1) collection and processing of historical data related to climate, soil, cropping patterns, irrigation systems, satellite imagery, agricultural land parcels, official statistics, and interviews with farmers in the region covered by the Tejo Vulnerable Zone; (2) support in the installation and maintenance of monitoring equipment for groundwater and the unsaturated zone (soil moisture probes, tensiometers, porous cups, water level sensors, among others) in the study plots; (3) participation in project-related tasks such as reports, meetings, workshops, among others; and (4) participation in the writing of scientific papers. The experimental component of the work will be carried out at Quinta da Cholda (Golegã–Santarém). The work will be carried out on site at the Instituto Superior de Agronomia, under the scientific supervision of Professor Maria do Rosário Cameira, Professor Paula Paredes, and Professor João Rolim, with visits to the experimental site in Golegã.
Scholarship 2:
The tasks to be carried out in collaboration with the research team of the Clepsydra project include: (1) compilation of diverse information into a georeferenced database to support models and artificial intelligence algorithms; (2) trend analysis of time series of the variables under study and pattern detection using artificial intelligence techniques; (3) development of forecasting models based on artificial intelligence; (4) participation in project-related tasks such as reports, meetings, workshops, among others; and (5) participation in the writing of scientific papers. The work will be carried out on site at the Instituto Superior de Agronomia, under the scientific supervision of Professor Maria do Rosário Cameira, Professor Manuel Campagnolo, and Professor João Rolim.
3. SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS
Applications must be formalized, obligatorily, by sending an application letter, with the reference “Bolsa1-Refª-BL-02-2026” – “Bolsa2-Refª-BL-02-2026“, accompanied by the following documents: Curriculum Vitae, copy of certificate of qualifications, motivation letter in English and other supporting documents considered relevant.
Exceptionally, in duly justified situations, proof of enrolment in a cycle of studies or courses that do not lead to an academic degree may be delivered up to the date of the effective contracting;
If the selected candidate has a qualification awarded by a foreign higher education institution, this must be recognized by the Portuguese higher education institution by the Directorate-General for Higher Education (DGES, only in case of automatic recognition), under the terms of Decree-Law no. 341/2007, of 12 October, regulated by Notice no. 227/2017 , of July 25 and updated by Decree-Law No. 66/2018, published in the Diário da República, 1st series, No. 157, of August 16, 2018. For getting more information about this, we suggest consulting the DGES portal (http://www.dges.gov.pt). It may be waived to present it during the application phase for the support in question, with this condition being verified only during the grant contracting phase.
The applications must be sent to Professor Maria do Rosário Cameira via email: (roscameira@isa.ulisboa.pt)
The application period will run from January 28 to February 10, 2026.
4. SCHOLARSHIP RENEWAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Scholarships may be renewed for additional periods up to their maximum duration, provided that, at the renewal date, the conditions for their grant are verified, always depending on the request submitted, within 60 working days prior to the start date of the renewal, accompanied by the following documents: a) Detailed report of the work carried out, including the URL addresses of communications, publications and scientific creations resulting from the activity carried out, if any; b) Statement of the supervisor on the documents referred to in the preceding paragraph; c) Work plan for the renewal period. D) Document proving the renewal of enrollment in the cycle of studies required for granting the scholarship, in scholarships associated with cycles of studies or courses that do not confer an academic degree, except when this has already been concluded
5. SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
5.1 Required Education Level:
Scholarship 1: Master degree in Agronomic Engineering or a related field
Scholarship 2: Master degree in Data Science or a related field
Type of scholarships:
Scholarships are intended for Master´s holders who are enrolled in courses that do not lead to an academic degree
5.2 Skills/Qualifications / Specific Requirements:
Scholarship 1:
-Specific requirements: Master’s degree in Agronomic Engineering or a related field; knowledge of irrigation and water resources; experience in the installation of equipment in agricultural fields and data collection; good organisational skills and a good command of spoken and written English and Portuguese; valid driving licence.
– Preferred requirements: Knowledge of GIS software, remote sensing and bibliographic research platforms; ability to work autonomously and independently in carrying out the required activities; immediate availability to start the scholarship.
Scholarship 2:
– Specific requirements: Master’s degree in Data Science or a related field; Knowledge of GIS tools/software; database management and data acquisition; programming skills (Python and/or R); spatial data analysis; good organisational skills and a good command of spoken and written English and Portuguese.
– Preferred requirements: Knowledge of irrigation; ability to work autonomously and independently in carrying out the required activities; immediate availability to start the scholarship.
6. FUNDING AND SCHOLARSHIP COMPONENTS
The grants will be financed within the scope of the project (Euro_MED0200626, Clepsydra – Groundwater monitoring and Decision Support System development to optimise decision making in sensitive and water-scarce agricultural environments in the Mediterranean context.
The amount of the monthly allowance is 1 309,64 € plus the reimbursement of voluntary social insurance (applicable to scholarships lasting six months or more), according to the table of values of monthly allowances, set out in Annex I of Regulation No. 950/2019 (https://www.fct.pt/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Tabela_valores_SMM_2025.p…).
The payment will be made via bank transfer.
7. EVALUATION CRITERIA
Selection Procedure
The evaluation will be based on a 0–20 scale for the following components:
- 1st stage: Curriculum vitae and motivation letter assessment
Essential requirements: 75%
Preferred requirements: 20%
Motivation letter: 5%
- 2nd stage: Interview
An interview will be conducted in English with the three highest-ranked candidates from the previous stage who have obtained a score equal to or higher than 10.
For the final classification, each component will have a weighting of 0.5.
The evaluation panel may decide not to award the research grant if none of the candidates meets the required profile.
8. EVALUATION
Composition of the Assessment Committee:
Doutora Maria do Rosário Cameira, presidente do Júri; Doutor João Rolim (vogal efetivo); Doutor Manuel Campagnolo (vogal efetivo). Vogais suplentes: Doutora Paula Paredes, Doutora Cláudia Marques dos Santos.
9. DISCLOSURE OF RESULTS
Form of advertising/notification of results: The final results of the evaluation will be publicized, through a list ordered, alphabetically, by final grade, posted in a visible and public place of the Instituto Superior de Agronomia, with the candidate being approved notified via email.
10. TERMS AND PROCEDURES FOR PRIOR HEARING, CLAIM AND APPEAL
After communicating the provisional list of the evaluation results, the candidates with a project of decision unfavorable to the granting of the scholarship, have a period of 10 working days to, if they wish, do their statements in the preliminary hearing of interested parties, pursuant to articles 121 and following of the Code of Administrative Procedure. The final decision will be rendered after the analysis of the statements presented during a prior hearing of interested parties.
In the event that a scholarship holder terminates his scholarship in advance, the evaluation of the contest in question may be used to contract a new scholarship with the candidate who was in the position immediately after. The recruitment reserve is valid for a period of 18 months from the date of approval of the final ranking list, pursuant to article 25 of Ordinance 233/2022, of 9 September.
11. SCHOLARSHIP AGREEMENT MODEL AND FINAL REPORTS
11.1 – The scholarship contract must include:
a) The identification of the scholarship holder and the scientific advisor or coordinator;
b) The identification of the host and financial entities;
c) The applicable legislation, Regulation No. 950/2019;
d) The plan of activities to be developed by the scholarship holder;
e) Indication of the duration and start date of the grant.
11. 2 – The scholarship contract will be made in writing and a copy will be sent to the Foundation for Science and Technology, IP for inclusion in the national register of scholarship holders.
11. 3 – The Scholarship Holder Status is automatically granted with the signing of the contract, always referring to the start date of the scholarship.
11.4 – The scholarship holder must submit to ISA, within 60 working days after the end of the scholarship, in electronic format, a final report of their activities containing the activities developed and results obtained, including communications, publications and scientific creations resulting from the developed activity, and respective URL addresses, accompanied by the opinion of the supervisors.
12. NON-DISCRIMINATION AND EQUAL ACCESS POLICY
No candidate may be privileged, benefited, harmed or deprived of any right or exempt from any duty due, in particular, to ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, family situation, economic situation, education, origin or social condition, genetic heritage, reduced work capacity, disability, chronic illness, nationality, ethnic origin or race, territory of origin, language, religion, political or ideological convictions and union membership.
13. APPLICABLE LEGISLATION AND REGULATIONS:
Statute of the Scientific Research Fellow, approved by Law no. 40/2004, published in Diário da República no. 194/2004, Series I-A, 2004‐08‐18, in the wording given by Decree-Law no. 123/2019, of August 28 and FCT Scholarship Regulation – Regulation No. 950/2019, of December 16, 2019 (https://www.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/regulamentos.phtml.pt).
Authorized on January 23, 2026 by President of the Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Professor António Guerreiro de Brito.
Where to apply
E-mail: roscameira@isa.ulisboa.pt
