JUNIOR RESEARCHER (M/F) field Biotechnology - 1 VACANCY 

Reference: CCMAR/IJ/12/2021

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 the research project PTDC/BAA-AGR/1391/2020 – “Exploring salt tolerant plants as sources of innovative food additives.”, funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P./MCTES through Portuguese national funds (PIDDAC). 

Job Summary and Duties 
This post is for a junior researcher in the field of Biotechnology.

Specifically the Junior Researcher will: 
1.    Prepare natural extracts from salt-tolerant plants, and evaluate their bioactivities, namely: antioxidant (by in vitro systems, including those using mammalian cell lines); tyrosinase inhibition; and cytotoxic potential (using models of mammalian cell lines, and Artemia salina;)
2.    Evaluate the chemical and nutritional profile of biomass/extracts of salt-tolerant plants, such as: proximal analysis, minerals, amino acids, vitamins, antinutrients, and polyphenolic compounds;
3.    Functionalize foodstuffs with biomass/extracts from salt tolerant plants;
4.    Supervise students in the areas/techniques indicated in points 1-3;
5.    Prepare scientific articles to be submitted to scientific journals;
6.    Prepare scientific reports of the project.

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 April 2022 and will last for the time necessary to complete the working plan.

Workplace
The workplace is CCMAR, Faro, Portugal.  

Working Schedule
35 hours per week. 

Monthly Remuneration
Gross monthly Remuneration is 2.153,94€, 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 Decree Law No 109-A/2021 of 7th December 2021.

Application Period
Between 10th February 2022 and 24th February 2022 at 23:59 (Lisbon time, Portugal). 

Required Profile
The candidate must have, cumulatively:
1. Doctorate in Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences, or related disciplines.
2. Experience in the last 5 years in:
a) Evaluation of biological activities in natural extracts of salt-tolerant plants
b) Analysis of the chemical and nutritional profile of salt-tolerant plants
Non-compliance with any of these requirements invalidates the application. Provision of false documentation will be punished by law. 

Preference will be given to applicants that have:
1.    Participated in projects involving the areas/techniques indicated in point 2 of the requirements;
2.    Experience in the preparation of natural extracts from salt-tolerant plants, and evaluation of their bioactivities, such as: evaluation of antioxidant activity (by in vitro systems, including those using mammalian cell lines); determination of tyrosinase inhibitory activity; determination of cytotoxic potential using models of mammalian cell lines, and Artemia salina;
3.    Experience in evaluating the chemical and nutritional profile of biomass of salt-tolerant plants, such as: proximal analysis, minerals, amino acids, vitamins, antinutrients, polyphenolic compounds;
4.    Experience in the supervision/co-supervision of students in the areas/techniques indicated in point 2 of the requirements, in the last 5 years;
5.    Scientific articles involving the areas/techniques indicated in point 2 of the requirements in the last 5 years, with the content of the scientific production being more relevant than the publication metrics, or the entity that published it. In the event of a tie between candidates during the selection process, this argument may be used to select the candidates.

Selection panel
In accordance with article 13º of RJEC the selection panel is composed of Researcher Luísa Custódio, group lider, project coordinator  and researcher at CCMAR (President), Professor Isabel Ratão, Professor at UALG (member) and Professor André Lopes, Professor at UALG (member).

Evaluation and Selection Process
The evaluation and selection of applications will consider the candidate’s scientific and curricular career path focusing on the relevance, quality, and timeliness of the criteria referred to in Article 5 (2) (a) to (d) of the RJEC, as follows (scored on a scale from 0-20):

The selection is made through the evaluation of: a motivation letter which will include relevant activities and career development plan; the curriculum vitae, which should be detailed and include 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 assessment criteria, and the candidate’s ability to perform the duties required, will be assessed as follows: 

CA) Scientific and technological production in the last five years, deemed most relevant by the candidate to perform the project tasks, in accordance with the value defined, the content of the scientific production is more relevant than the publication metrics, or the publisher entity. (30%); 
CB) Activities of applied research or based on practice, developed in the last five years, that the candidate considers with greater impact for the tasks to perform in the project, in accordance with the value defined (50%); 
CC) Activities of extension and dissemination of knowledge, namely in the promotion of the culture and the scientific practices and developed in the last five years, that the candidate considers more relevant and experience in orientation (10%); 
CD) Management activities of scientific projects and programmes of research, technology and innovation, or experience in observation, monitoring and evaluation of the scientific and technological system, or higher education, in Portugal or abroad. Included here are the activities of preparation and submission of applications for science, technology, and innovation projects (10%).

The CA criterion will be scored according to the scientific articles involving the areas/techniques indicated in point 2 of the requirements and profile in the last 5 years, with the content of the scientific production being more relevant than the publication metrics, or than the entity who published it (30%).

The CB criterion will be scored according to its relevance to the tasks to be performed in the project, namely:
• Participation in projects involving the areas/techniques indicated in point 2 of the requirements (15%);
• Experience in the preparation of natural extracts from salt-tolerant plants, and assessment of their bioactivities, namely: assessment of antioxidant activity (by in vitro systems, including those using mammalian cell lines); determination of tyrosinase inhibitory activity; determining the cytotoxic potential, using mammalian cell line models, and Artemia salina; (15%);
• Experience in evaluating the chemical and nutritional profile of biomass of salt-tolerant plants, namely: proximal analysis, minerals, amino acids, vitamins, antinutrients, phenolic compounds; (10%);
• Experience in the supervision/co-supervision of students in the areas/techniques indicated in point 2 of the requirements in the last 5 years (10%).

Functioning of the Selection Panel 
Evaluation (0-20 points) is performed through the documental assessment of the motivation letter in English (including a personal assessment of the relevance of the activities of the last five years for the present application), and the CV that will include the activities of the specific field and of the scientific and professional path of the applicant and of up to 5 scientific papers of the candidate’s choice.

The score of each candidate is obtained from the sums of the scores of each criterion multiplied by the weights according to the formula: 

C = CA*30%+ CB*50%+ CC*10%+ CD*10%

The final classification of each candidate is obtianed by the sum of the curricular assessment scores (C ) rounded to the tenth. 

The decision of non admission and the provisional classifications is sent to the applicants, by email under the right of prior hearing.

After determining the final score C of all candidates, each member of the selection panel will rank the candidates according to the final scores assigned to them from the highest to the lowest. Abstentions are not allowed. This is followed by the vote to the first place and for each successive place. A candidate is selected when they receive the majority of votes. If this does not happen in the first round of voting, the least ranked candidate is eliminated, and the procedure is repeated with the remaining candidates. In case of a draw the vote of the President of the selection panel is decisive. 

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 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, 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 12 months of the date of the present announcement.

Application submission process and mandatory documents
Applications must be completed and submitted through the CCMAR website 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) must include:

• A Motivation Letter (in English) including a personal assessment of the relevance of the activities of the last five years for the present application, and a career plan. 
• Detailed CV (in English)
• A copy of the Doctoral Degree Certificate.
• Up to a maximum of 5 scientific papers choosen by the candidate.
• Email contacts of up to 3 referees.
Non-compliance with these documents/information determines the immediate rejection of the application.

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
The decisions of non-admission, to exclude on absolute merit and the provisional classifications is communicated to the candidates by electronic mail for the purpose of hearing with interested parties. 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 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 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 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 January  20th 2022.