JUNIOR RESEARCHER (M/F) - 3 VACANCIES

Reference: CCMAR/IJ/14/2021

The Algarve Centre for Marine Sciences (CCMAR) opens a call for three Junior Researchers (M/F) positions of any nationality, including stateless candidates under programme contract UIDP/04326/2020 funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P.

Job Summary and Duties:

The junior Researchers will:

a) Make cutting edge scientific contributions framed in CCMAR’s thematic lines, including to at least one of United Nations 2030 Agenda Sustainable Development Goals.

b) Provide advice and supervision to students (MSc, PhD).

c) Further the development of the CCMAR strategy.

d) Obtain external funding for research and collaborate in collective initiatives of CCMAR.

Relevant Legislation:

• Decree-Law 57/2016 of 29th August, modified by Law 57/2017 of 19th July (RJEC).
• Law 7/2009 of 12th February (Labour code).
• Decree – Law 124/99 of 20^th April.
• Regulatory Decree 11-A / 2017 of 29th December.
• Decree – Law 29/2001 of 3^rd February.
• Decree – Law 4/2015 of 7th January (Administrative procedures code)

Start date and duration: The contract is expected to start February-March 2022 for a period no longer than the necessary for the execution of the work plan and with a maximum duration of six years.

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

Work schedule: 35 hours per week.

Monthly Remuneration: Gross monthly Remuneration is 2134.73€, in accordance with subsection a), section 1, article 15 from Law 57/2017 of 19th July, and with the remuneration position at initial level according to article 2 of Regulatory Decree 11-A/2017 of 29th December – level 33 of the Single Remuneration Table (Order no. 10-B/2020 of 20th March 2020).

Application Period:  Between 2nd December 2021 and 29th December 2021 at 23:59 (Lisbon time, Portugal).

Required Profile:

1. The successful candidates will have completed a PhD no more than 5 years before the application date, and be well-qualified, dynamic, and highly motivated to develop their scientific career in a stimulating international and interdisciplinary environment.
2. The candidate should have an excellent curriculum and research capacity demonstrated through publication in internationally recognized journals, invitations to speak at conferences, prizes, as well as the proven capacity to obtain funding in competitive calls.
3. A high proficiency in English (spoken and written).

About CCMAR: The Algarve Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR-Algarve, https://ccmar.ualg.pt/) - is one of the foremost marine science research centres in Portugal, classified Excellent in successive evaluations promoted by the Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P, gathering experts in the fields of marine biology, ecology, oceanography, environmental sciences, biotechnology, fisheries and aquaculture. With a multidisciplinary team, well-equipped facilities and laboratories, CCMAR-Algarve develops activities that fall into five different core areas: Research, Training, Business, Society and Collaboration.

Selection panel: in accordance with article 13º of RJEC the selection panel is composed of Adelino Canário, Professor at Algarve University and CCMAR’s President (President), Rui Orlando Pimenta Santos, Professor at Algarve University and researcher at CCMAR (Member), Karim Erzini, Professor at Algarve University and researcher at CCMAR (Member), Deborah Power Professor at Algarve University and researcher at CCMAR (Member) and Fátima Filomena Guedes Abrantes, researcher at CCMAR and IPMA (Member). The selection panel can request non-binding opinions to external experts to better evaluate the candidates’ curricular documents.

Application submission process and documents: Only applications submitted through the CCMAR website (https://www.ccmar.ualg.pt/list/job) will be considered. Applications are submitted in English and include: 1) a motivation Letter containing a personal assessment of the relevance of the activities carried out over the last five years for the present application, a list of up to 5 chosen representative scientific publications, and a career plan including plan of work and how it fits the job summary and duties (template provided); 2) a detailed curriculum vitae (prepared in accordance with the requirements and selection criteria of the application), digital copies (PDF) of up to 5 relevant publications; copy of the candidate’s Ph.D. certificate; the email and telephone contacts of up to 3 referees; other documents deemed as relevant for the application. Applications are correctly submitted only after the candidate has received a confirmation e-mail.

Evaluation and Selection Process

The evaluation will result in a final classification between 0 and 100 points.

Curricular assessment

The evaluation of all candidates is expected be completed within a period of two months after the applications are received. The selection of the candidates is made through the evaluation of the motivation letter which will include relevant activities and career development plan, and the curriculum vitae, which will 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 following assessment criteria, and the candidate’s ability to perform the duties required, will be considered:

CA) Scientific, technological production over the last five years, deemed most relevant by the candidate, indicating its specific role;

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;

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.

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.

If the selection panel considers necessary, some candidates may be interviewed, either face-to-face or through a videoconference. The interview will serve to clarify aspects related to their research, to support their curricular assessment and will take no longer than 60 minutes including a 15-minute presentation by the candidate. It.

The candidates who have obtained less than 70 points in the curricular assessment will be considered not approved in absolute merit. The decision to exclude on absolute merit is communicated to the candidates by electronic mail for the purpose of hearing of interested parties.

Functioning of the Selection Panel

Each member of the selection panel will assess all the candidates using the assessment criteria CA to CD, each scored between 0 and 100, and will provide written justification for the scores given.

The curricular assessment (C) of each candidate is obtained from the sums of the scores of each criterion multiplied by the weights according to the formulation, rounded to the decimal place.

C = CA*80 + CB*14 + CC*5 + CD*1

The final score (FS) of each candidate is obtained from the sum of the results of the curricular assessment (C) and of the interview (I), if applicable, according to the following formulation, rounded to the decimal place.

FS = C*90 + I*10

After determining the final score (FS) 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. This is followed by a vote for the first place and for each successive place. A candidate is selected when it receives 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 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.

If 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. If 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 ranked applicant.

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.

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 regard 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 30 November 2021.