JUNIOR RESEARCHER (M/F) IN BIOTECHNOLOGY - 1 VACANCY

Reference: CCMAR/ID/04/2019

The Algarve Centre for Marine Sciences (CCMAR) opens a call for a Junior Researcher (M/F) of any nationality, including stateless candidates under an uncertain term employment contract, within Sistema de Apoio à Investigação Científica e Tecnológica (SAICT) – Call nr 02/SAICT/2017 - Projeto de Investigação Científica e Desenvolvimento Tecnológico (IC&DT), funded by Investment and Structural European Funds (FEEI) - Programa Operacional Regional do Algarve and National Funds (FCT-MEC) under the research project “GreenTreat: An Integrated, Sustainable Process for the Tertiary Treatment of Urban Wastewater using Microalgae in the Algarve region”, ref. ALG-01-0145-FEDER-031567”.

Job Summary and Duties: 
The Junior Researcher will join the team of researchers for the implementation of the GreenTreat project objectives’. The tasks involved are:
a)    Deployment of pilot microalgal photobiorreactors e biomass settlers;
b)    Innoculation of the bioreactors and follow-up of microalgal culture growth;
c)    Chemical analysis of wastewater;
d)    Chemical characterization of the produced biomass / sludge;
e)    Evaluation of the sludge / biomass potential for biofuels (biodiesel and biogas);
f)    Follow the microbial population dynamics in the photobioreactors during a one-year cycle;
g)    Chemical characterization of the treated wastewater and assessment of water reuse scenarios;
h)    Economical analysis and life-cycle assessment of the wastewater treatment process proposed by the project;
i)    Supervision of MSc and PhD students in subjects within the project’s objectives;
j)    Writing of scientific papers and contribute to the preparation of project progress reports.

Relevant Legislation:
⦁    Decree-Law nr 57/2016, from 29th August, altered by Law nr 57/2017, from 19th July, (RJEC).
⦁    Portuguese Labour Law, approved by Law nr 7/2009, from 12th February in its current form.  
⦁    Decree – Law nr 124/99, from 20th  April  in its current form.
⦁    Regulatory Decree nr 11-A / 2017, of 29th December.
⦁    Decree – Law nr 29/2001 of 3rd February.
⦁    Portuguese Administrative Procedure Code

Starting Date: The contract is expected to start in May 2019 and will only last  for the necessary execution of the working plan.
Workplace: The workplace is CCMAR (Gambelas Campus of the Algarve University, Faro, Portugal) and the Wastewater Treatment Plant of Quinta do Lago, Almancil, Portugal.
Working Schedule: 35 hours per week.

Monthly Remuneration: Gross monthly Remuneration is 2.128,34€, in accordance with subsection a), section 1, article 15 from Law nr 57/2017, 19th July, and with the remuneration position at initial level predicted in article 2 of Regulatory Decree nr 11-A/2017, of 29th December, correspondent to level 33 at Tabela Remuneratória Única, approved by Order nr 1553-C/2008, 31st December.
Application Period:  Between April 1st and April 16th 2019. 

Required Profile: 
1.    PhD preferably in the field of  Biotechnology, Biological Engineering, Environmental Engineering or related areas and with a reduced experience of post doctoral research or without scientific curriculum after PhD in the application field.

Non-compliance with any of these requirements invalidates the application. Provision of false documentation will be punished by law.

Selection panel: in accordance with article 13º of RJEC the selection panel is composed of Luisa Barreira, Professor at Algarve University and researcher at CCMAR (President), Margarida Ribau Teixeira, Professor at Algarve University (Member), and João Varela, Professor at Algarve University and researcher at CCMAR (Member). 

Evaluation and Selection Process:
The evaluation will result in a final classification between 0 and 20 points.

First phase: Curricular assessment
The selection will be made through the evaluation of the motivation letter and CV, which will include the activity and career development plan within the subject area, and of the candidate’s scientific and professional career path focusing on the relevance, quality, and timeliness of the criteria referred to in Article 5 (2) (a) to (d) of the RJEC. The following assessment criteria, and the candidate’s ability to perform the duties required, will be considered:

CA) Scientific, technological production in the last five years, deemed most relevant by the candidate;
CB) Activities of applied research or based on practice, developed in the last five years, that the candidate considers with greater impact;
CC) Activities of extension and dissemination of knowledge, namely in the promotion of the culture and the scientific practices, developed in the last five years, that the candidate considers more relevant, including experience in students supervision;
CD) Project management activities and programmes of science, technology and innovation, or experience in observation, monitoring and evaluation of the scientific and technological system or higher education in Portugal or abroad developed in the last five years. Included here are the activities of preparation and submission of applications for science, technology and innovation projects.

The period of five years referred in the evaluation criteria may be increased by the selection panel, at the request of the candidate, when justified on grounds of suspension of scientific activity for socially protected reasons, namely for reasons of parental leave, prolonged serious illness, and other situations of unavailability for work legally protected. 
The evaluation of all candidates in the first phase must be completed within a period of no more than one calendar month after the applications are received.
The candidates who have obtained less than an average of 10 points in the   curricular assessments of the members of the jury will be considered not approved in absolute merit.

Second phase: Interview

If the selection panel considers it necessary for the evaluation, the top two candidates with the highest scores of the curricular assessments that were approved in absolute merit might be interviewed. The applicants that do not qualify for interview will score 0 in the interview. Interviews will be conducted up to 10 days after the decision taken by the evaluation panel and will serve the sole purpose of clarifying aspects related to the results of scientific research of the candidates. 

Functioning of the Selection Panel
Each member of the selection panel will assess all the candidates in all the factors from CA to CD scoring between 0 and 20, and must present the reasons for the scores attributed. Abstention is not allowed. A similar procedure will be followed regarding the candidates that are called for the interview. The candidates that are not called for an interview will have 0 points in the second phase.
The curricular assessment (C) of each candidate is obtained according to the average of the criteria that is evaluated by the weights of the following formulation, expressed to the first decimal.
C = CA*40 + CB*40 + CC*10 + CD*10
CA and CB will be graded based on their relevance for the tasks to perform in the project, namely: Experience in microalgae cultivation (40%); Experience in analytical (bio)chemistry (20%);  Experience in biodiesel production and in anaerobical digestion of microalgal biomass (20%); Experience in molecular biology (20%).
The final scores of the Curricular Assessment (0-20) will be obtained from the average of the scores given, independently and in writing, by each jury member, abstentions are not allowed.
The final score (FS) of each candidate will be obtained according to the average of the final results of the curricular assessment and of the interview (I) weighted as follows:

FS = C*90 + I*10
After completing the application of the selection criteria, each member of the selection panel will rank the candidates according to the final scores assigned to them. A candidate is selected when they receive the majority of votes. 

The final score of the candidates that are selected for an interview will be the weighted average of the scores in the curricular assessment and of the interview in the proportion of 90% and 10%. In case of a draw the vote of the President of the selection panel decides.

The selection panel will write minutes of the meetings with a description of the evaluation and selection process including an ordered list of candidates, their classification, and the final decision. The CCMAR Board of Directors shall validate the final decision of the selection panel.
In the event that no applicant has the necessary profile, or the funding conditions have significantly changed since the announcement of this position, the selection committee reserves the right to close the call without any recruitment. In the event that the selected person does not accept the position or resigns during the contract, the jury reserves the right, upon convenience and opportunity, to assign the post to the next applicant in accordance with the ranking positions.

Application submission process and documents: Only applications submitted through the CCMAR website will be considered: https://www.ccmar.ualg.pt/list/job. Applications are considered to be correctly submitted only after the candidate has received a confirmation e-mail from CCMAR. Applications (in English) should include a Motivation Letter (including a personal assessment of the relevance of the activities of the last five years for the present competition, highlighting the chosen scientific publications), copy of the candidate’s Ph.D. certificate, a detailed CV (in accordance with the requirements and selection criteria of the application), digital copies (e.g PDFs) of up to 3 relevant publications, other documents deemed as relevant for the application, and the email contacts of up to 3 referees.

Results: The lists of admitted and excluded candidates, and the final classification list, shall be posted on the CCMAR website at https://www.ccmar.ualg.pt/list/job-closed and all candidates will be notified by email.  

Preliminary Hearing and Final Decision Deadline: After notification, candidates have 10 working days to contest the preliminary decision. The final decisions will be announced within 90 days of the application deadline.

Candidates holding degrees awarded by a foreign university should have their degree recognized in Portugal no later than 10 days after receiving the communication of selection for a position. Non-compliance justifies exclusion from the procedure. Information about the recognition procedures can be obtained at any Portuguese university or here. The board of directors reserves the right, upon request from the candidate, to extend the compliance period provided it does not impact negatively in the programmed activities.

Disabled candidates shall be preferred in a situation of equal classification, 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.  

The members of the jury approved this announcement on March 26th 2019.