Research Fellowship (MSc.) Advertisement – 1 vacancy

Within the project – BiodivAMP
FA_06_2017_045 and Ester Serrão Own Revenues Funding

Ref. ª: CCMAR/BI/0018/2019

The Centre for Marine Sciences (CCMAR) in the Algarve, Portugal, opens a position for a Research Fellowship (MSc.) under Fundo Azul call Marine Environment Monitoring and Protection (Nr. 6 / 2017)  funded by National Funds (Ministério do Mar) within the research project “BiodivAMP - Desenvolvimento de Ferramentas para a Monitorização e Proteção de Biodiversidade em Áreas Marinhas Protegidas ao longo da Costa Portuguesa" - ref. FA_06_2017_045 and Ester Serrão - Own Revenues Funding (Ester Serrão - Receitas Próprias) under the following conditions:

Tasks to perform:
Use DNA barcoding and environmental DNA to assess species diversity in marine protected areas.

Scientific orientation:
Professor Ester Serrão, Researcher at CCMAR. 

Work place:
The workplace is CCMAR and other places if necessary for the development of the working plan. The work might be out of hours, on weekends or holidays pending on schedules and tides.   

Requirements:
1.    To hold a MSc. in Biology or related field.

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

Evaluation criteria: 
1.    Experience in laboratory molecular biology techniques – 50%
2.    Experience analysing data for eDNA, metabarcoding, genomics 20% 
3.    Applicant merit (scores of BSc and MSc and any other relevant merit information such as previous research outcomes). – 25%
4.    Experience in working at sea - 5%

The selection jury reserves the right to contact or interview applicants should they require further information or clarification about their application.

In the event that the funding conditions of this project have significantly changed since the announcement of this position, or that no applicant has the necessary profile, the jury reserves the right to close the call without any recruitment. 
If the applicant ranked first does not accept the position, or during the fellowship, in the event that the fellowship holder should resign, the jury reserves the right, upon convenience and opportunity, to assign the fellowship to the next applicant in accordance with the ranking position of the selection jury.

Grant conditions: The grant will have an initial duration of 06 months, starting in January 2020 and can eventually be renewed for additional periods up to the end of the project. The fellowship must be undertaken exclusively (full time) according to the Portuguese law 40/2004, of 18 of August (Scientific Research Fellowship holder statutes), Fellowship Regulation of the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology in force http://www.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/docs/RegulamentoBolsasFCT.pdf and the rules of CCMAR research grants https://goo.gl/gFOUUz.

Monthly maintenance allowance: A maintenance allowance of 989,70€/net (tax free) will be paid each month through inter-bank transfer in accordance with the grant amounts set by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology  https://goo.gl/XNZlTC .

Application period: from 28th of November to 12th of December 2019. 

Application submission process: 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 (in English) that must detail and document the specific experience to answer the 4 evaluation criteria described above. Applications should also include a detailed Curriculum Vitae, copy of the candidate's BSc and MSc. certificates showing the final grade and the email contacts of up to 3 referees.

Results and Preliminary Hearing: The judgement of the selection committee will be communicated in writing (by email) within 45 working days after the application deadline. After notification, candidates have 10 working days to contest the preliminary decision sending an email to the selection committee.

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.

Selection Committee: Professor Ester Serrão, Professor at Algarve University and researcher at CCMAR (President of the jury);  Dr. João Neiva, researcher at Algarve University and CCMAR (member) and Dr. Márcio Coelho, post-doctoral researcher at Algarve University and CCMAR (member).

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.  

Faro, November the 18th  2019