Doctoral Fellowship Advertisement – 1 vacancy

Within the project - PT-IL/0003/2019
SaltyCrops

Ref. ª: CCMAR/BD/0003/2020

The Centre for Marine Sciences (CCMAR) opens a position for a Doctoral fellowship (BD - Bolsa de Doutoramento) within the research project: SaltyCrops: exploring Sarcocornia as a halophyte biofilter for mariculture effluents and a source for lucrative foods and specialty biochemicals, reference PT-IL/0003/2019 funded by Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), through the Portuguese-Israeli Research Program on Marine Sciences - Call for Joint Exploratory Projects 2018, under the following conditions:

Work Plan and Tasks to perform:
This fellowship (BD) is intended for research and development activities, carried out by students enrolled in a doctoral programme in biotechnological sciences, with the purpose to consolidate their scientific training through the development of research work leading to the award of a doctoral degree. Specifically:

The SaltyCrops project will establish and optimize an IMTA production system combining the production of fish (seabass, seabream and meagre) and Sarcocornia species, at IPMA/EPPO (Olhão). Sarcocornia will be produced in greenhouse aquaponics.

The fellowship holder will be involved in the following tasks:

1) Germination of seeds and grow of seedlings from Sarcocornia species, in a plant culture chamber in CCMAR.
2) Set up an IMTA system for the production of sea bream, sea bass and meagre, in outdoor production ponds, and Sarcocornia species, in greenhouse aquaponics.
3) Culture of the seedlings obtained by CCMAR in greenhouse aquaponics. 
4) Optimization of the culture conditions (e.g. nutrients, substrate) for hydroponic production of Sarcocornia species.
5) Establishment of the nutritional profile, including antinutrients compounds content, of the produced biomass.
6) Preparation of water, acetone and ethanol extracts from the produced biomass.
7) Evaluation of the in vitro antioxidant and cytotoxic properties of the prepared extracts.

The candidate will also be involved in student’s supervision, presentation of results and in the preparation of scientific papers and reports.

Supervisor:
Dr. Luisa Custódio, Researcher at CCMAR.

Work place:
The workplace is CCMAR (Gambelas Campus of the Algarve University, Faro, Portugal) and IPMA/EPPO (Olhão).

Requirements for the application:
1.    A Master Degree in the field of Biology, Biotechnology, Chemistry, or related field.
2.    Strong training in biotechnology, specifically in bioprospection of natural products from halophyte plants.
3.    To be enrolled in a doctoral programme in the field of biotechnological sciences. 

It is desirable that the applicants have experience in the following techniques (as demonstrated in their Curriculum Vitae): 
a)    Culture of halophytes in greenhouse conditions; 
b)    Determination of the chemical profile, including nutritional components, of biomass from halophyte species;
c)    Preparation of natural extracts from halophyte´s biomass;
d)    Evaluation of the in vitro antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of natural extracts from halophytes, including cell based models

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: 
Through analysis of the candidate’s Curriculum Vitae and motivation letter the evaluation criteria are as follows:
1) Experience in the cultivation of halophytes in greenhouse conditions (25%).
2) Experience in the determination of the chemical profile, including nutritional components, of biomass from halophyte species (25%).
3) Experience on the evaluation of the in vitro antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of natural extracts from halophytes, including cell based models (40%).
4) Publication of papers in journals with scientific arbitrage, related with biological activities, chemical profile and cultivation of halophytes (10%). 

The Selection Committee reserves the right to contact or interview applicants, if further information or clarification about their application is required.

In the event that no applicant has the necessary profile the Selection Committee reserves the right to close the call without recruitment. If the applicant ranked first does not accept the position, or if the fellowship holder should resign, the Selection Committee reserves the right, upon convenience and opportunity, to select applicants from the same call following the position in the ranked list.  

Fellowship conditions: The fellowship will have an initial duration of 12 months, starting in September 2020 and is, eventually, renewable as a result of positive assessment, up to a total of 21 months, or pending approval from the funding agency, up to the end of the project, and never exceeding a maximum of 48 months. The fellowship must be carried out under an exclusivity regimen, according to the rules of CCMAR fellowships https://www.dropbox.com/s/rrbuxs2xtcah0vk/Regulamento_Bolsas_CCMAR_2020_... 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.

Fellowship monthly maintenance allowance: A maintenance allowance of 1064€/net (tax free) will be paid each month through inter-bank transfer in accordance with the fellowship amounts set by the CCMAR fellowship regulation https://www.dropbox.com/s/rrbuxs2xtcah0vk/Regulamento_Bolsas_CCMAR_2020_....

Application period: from 30th of June to 15th of July 2020.

Application submission process: Applications (in English) should include a motivation letter (in English), a detailed Curriculum Vitae, copy of the MSc. Diploma, the declaration of honour available in the application platform, copy of the enrolment in a PhD programme in the field of biotechnological sciences and the email contact of up to 3 referees. 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.

Results and Preliminary Hearing: The judgement of the selection committee will be communicated in writing (by email) within 90 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: Dr. Luisa Custódio, researcher at CCMAR (President); Dr. Catarina Pereira, researcher at CCMAR (Member) and Dr. Maria João Rodrigues, researcher at CCMAR (Member). 

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.  
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Faro, June the 15th 2020