Master's Fellowship – 1 vacancy

 

Within the project – Photo-Plas

EXPL/CTA-AMB/1613/2021

 

Ref. ª: CCMAR/BM/30/2022

 

The Centre for Marine Sciences (CCMAR) opens one (01) Master's Fellowship (Bolsa de Mestrado), for applicants of any nationality, including stateless candidates, and holders of political refugee statute, in the scientific field of Environmental Sciences within the research project: EXPL/CTA-AMB/1613/2021, named as “Foto-libertação de poluentes e de microplásticos a superfície de plásticos” funded by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P./MCTES through national funding (PIDDAC) under the following conditions:

 

Host and Contracting Institution: CCMAR

This fellowship is intended for R&D activities, by a student with a bachelor degree enrolled in a Master's Degree in the field of Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Biochemistry at the beginning of the fellowship, with a view to consolidating his/her scientific training, through the development of research work leading to the achievement of a Master's degree.

 

Work Plan, Tasks to perform and objectives:

The Photo-Plas project will study the formation of particles and compounds photoreleased from plastics surfaces.

The selected fellowship holder will be involved in the following tasks and objectives:

 

1 – Perform the irradiation of pure and sand adsorbed polyethylene (PE) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) microplastic particles, in the absence and presence of oxygen, under lamp irradiation (xenon). Objective: promote the photoreaction of microplastics.

2 – Extract the compounds released from the irradiated materials. Objetive: isolate the products resulting from the degradation of microplastics.

3 – Analyse the released compounds by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Objetive: identify the formed compounds.

4 - Perform toxicity evaluation of extracted compounds using cell lines. Objective: evaluate the toxicity of compounds released from irradiated microplastics.

 

 

Scientific Supervisor:

Dr. José Paulo da Silva, Coordinator of the project at CCMAR and researcher at CCMAR.

 

Work place:

The workplace is CCMAR (Gambelas Campus of the Algarve University, Faro, Portugal).

 

Requirements for the application:

Applicants must meet all the conditions stated below:

 

1. To hold a Bachelor Degree (licenciatura) in Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Biochemistry or related fields.
2. This fellowship may only be granted to those who do not exceed, with the conclusion of the present fellowship contract, an accumulated period of two years in this type of fellowship, consecutive or otherwise, to be confirmed through the candidate’s CV.

 

 

Non-compliance justifies exclusion from the procedure.

 

 

It is considered as an advantage:

Demonstrated experience in a research laboratory. In the event of a tie between candidates during the selection process, this argument may be used to select the candidates.

 

Evaluation criteria:

Through the analysis of the application documents the evaluation criteria for the applications and their relative weight for ranking are as follows:

1. Proven general lab skills (45%).

2. Proven experience in chromatography or chemical analysis (35%).

3. Published scientific articles in international peer reviewed journals in the areas of Environmental Sciences, Chemistry, Biochemistry (20%).

 

The selection committee reserves the right to contact and interview candidates if additional information or clarification of any curricular aspect is necessary. In case it takes place, the interview aims to evaluate in more detail the curricular items used to grade the candidate according to the list above.

 

In the event that no applicant has the necessary profile, the selection committee reserves the right to close the call without any recruitment. In the event that the selected person does not take up the position because of failure to comply with documentary requirements or any other reason, or later during the contract if they resign, the jury reserves the right, upon convenience and opportunity, to assign the post to the next applicant in accordance with the ranking positions based on the selectable reservation list that can be used up to 6 months of the date of the present announcement.

 

Fellowship conditions: The fellowship will have an initially duration of 08 months, expected to start from October 2022 and eventually renewed for 04 months or until the end of the project and never exceeding a maximum of 24 months. The fellowship must be carried out under an exclusivity regimen, according to the FCT Fellowship Regulation (RBI) and of the  CCMAR fellowship regulations (see here) based on the Portuguese law 40/2004, of 18 of August (Scientific Research Fellowship holder statutes) amended by the Decree-Law 123/2019 of 28 of August. A maintenance allowance of 875.98€ will be paid monthly, through bank transfer, and will be updated as stipulated by the Foundation for Science and Technology (see here https://bit.ly/2ZcxUGJ).

 

 

Application period: from 22h of September 2022 to 7th of October 2022 at 23:59 (Lisbon time, Portugal).

 

 

Application process and mandatory documents:

Complete applications must be submitted online at https://www.ccmar.ualg.pt/list/job and must include at risk of exclusion, the following documents:

1. a motivation letter (in English);
2. a detailed Curriculum Vitae (in English);
3. the email contact of up to 3 referees.
4. a copy of the Bachelor degree Certificate (if awarded by a Portuguese Higher Education Institution) or a copy of the certificate of recognition of the Bachelor degree by a Portuguese Public Higher Education Institution or by DGES – Directorate General for Higher Education (if the degree was awarded by a foreign University).

or

5. the complete declaration of honour available from the application platform, if they are unable at the time of application, to provide a copy of the Bachelor degree certificate (if awarded by a Portuguese Higher Education Institution) or a copy of the certificate of recognition of the Bachelor degree (if the degree was awarded by a foreign University), as indicated above;

 

Non-compliance with these documents/information determines the immediate rejection of the application.

 

Results and Preliminary Hearing: The admission and evaluation results will be communicated by email within 90 working days after the application deadline. After notification, candidates have 10 working days to contest the preliminary decision.

 

 

Candidates holding degrees awarded by a foreign university should have their degree recognized in Portugal no later than the date indicated in the communication of selection for the position. Non-compliance justifies exclusion from the procedure. Information about the recognition procedures can be obtained at any Portuguese public higher education institution or by Directorate General for Higher Education – DGES (here https://bit.ly/3afyQQU). CCMAR Board of Directors reserves the right to extend the aforementioned period, at the request of the candidate and if it does not negatively impact the fulfillment of the work plan.

 

 

Selection Committee: Professor Deborah Power, Full Professor at Algarve University and group leader at CCMAR (president of the jury), Dr. João Cardoso, researcher at CCMAR (member) and Dr. Joana Cruz, researcher at CCMAR (member).

 

 

Notes:

Hiring Documents

After the candidate is selected and for the hiring purpose the following documentation/information will be requested:

- proof of the enrolment (Certidão de inscrição/matricula) from the Academic Services in Master Degree as mentioned above.

-  If applicable, copy of the bachelor degree (if awarded by a Portuguese Higher Education Institution).

- If applicable, certificate of recognition of the bachelor degree by a Portuguese Public Higher Education Institution or by DGES – Directorate General for Higher Education (if the degree was awarded by a foreign University).

- Declaration of commitment stating the exclusivity regime.

- Civil, fiscal and social security Identification (if applicable).

- Account Number – IBAN

- Ciência ID: https://www.ciencia-id.pt/CienciaID/HomePage.aspx

- If applicable, a statement from the candidate saying that does not exceed, with the conclusion of the present fellowship contract, an accumulated period of two years in this type of fellowship, consecutive or otherwise.

- Proof of country of residence, residence authorization, or other document legally equivalent, if applicable, in force at the time of fellowship start date.

 

 

Fellowship Agreement model

After the candidate selection and all information is received, it will be signed a fellowship agreement in accordance with the model  here

 

 

Fellowship holder Assessment

At the end of each period of duration of the fellowship contract, the activity developed by the fellowship holder will be evaluated by the supervisor, by applying the following criteria, in accordance with the model below.

 

Criteria 1 – Use the liquid chromatography system independently (70%)

Criteria 2 – Use the LC-MS system (30%)

 

Supervisor report model here

 

 

Fellowship holder report

By the end of each fellowship period the fellowship holder must present a report. You can find the fellowship holder final report model here

 

 

The board of Directors reserves the right, due to a change in circumstances at the date of the present announcement, to cancel the present call without any recruitment.

 

 

Disabled candidates shall be preferred in a situation of equal ranking, and said preference supersedes any legal preferences. Candidates must declare, on their honour, their respective disability degree, type of disability and communication / expression means to be used during selection period on their application form, under the regulations above.

 

CCMAR’s non-discrimination and equal access opportunities policy – No candidate can be privileged, benefited, jeopardised or be deprived of any right or exempt of any claim in regards to descendent, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, economic situation, origin, social economy, genetic heritage, disability, chronic disease, nationality, ethnicity, territory of origin, language, religion, politics, ideology or union membership. 

Faro, September 16th   2022