Post-Doctoral Fellowship Advertisement – 1 vacancy

Within the project - ExtremeAquaCrops
FA_05_2017_028
Ref. ª: CCMAR/BPD/0014/2019

The Centre for Marine Sciences (CCMAR) in the Algarve, Portugal, opens a position for a Post-Doctoral Fellowship (BPD) within the research project: Implementation and optimization of an integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) system for marine fish and hydroponic extremophile medicinal halophytes production, Reference FA_05_2017_028 funded by Fundo Azul under the following conditions:

Tasks to perform:
⦁    To germinate seeds and grow seedlings from selected halophyte plants, in a plant culture chamber in CCMAR.
⦁    To assist in setting up an IMTA system combining the production of marine fish, in outdoor production ponds, and selected halophytes, in greenhouse aquaponics.
⦁    To culture seedlings obtained by CCMAR in greenhouse aquaponics.
⦁    To optimize culture conditions (e.g. nutrients, substrate) for hydroponic production of selected halophytes.
⦁    To establish the nutritional profile, including antinutrients compounds content, of the produced biomass of selected halophytes.
⦁    To prepare water and hydroethanolic extracts from the produced biomass.
⦁    To evaluate the in vitro antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, antidiabetic, antimelanogenic, skin-sagging prevention and toxicity of the prepared extracts.
⦁    To supervise students and disseminate results.

Scientific orientation:
Dr. Luisa Custódio, Researcher at CCMAR.

Work place:
The workplace is CCMAR (Gambelas Campus of the Algarve University, Faro, Portugal) and in Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), Division of Aquaculture and Upgrading (DivAV, Olhão, EPPO).

Requirements:
1.    PhD in Biology, Biotechnology or related sciences.
2.    Good background in biotechnology, especially in bioprospection involving natural products from salt tolerant plants. 

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

Preferential Profile:
To be demonstrated in the applicant’s Curriculum Vitae:

1.    It is considered desirable that the applicants have experience in the following techniques:
a)    Cultivation of salt tolerant plants in greenhouse conditions.
b)    Determination of chemical profile, including nutritional characteristics, of salt tolerant plant's biomass.
c)    Preparation of natural extracts from salt tolerant plant's biomass.
d)    Evaluation of in vitro bioactivities in natural extracts from salt tolerant plants, by different assays, including cell-based models (e.g. antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, antidiabetic, antimelanogenic, skin-sagging prevention, toxicity in mammal cell lines).
2.     It is also desirable that the applicant hold experience in student’s supervision.
3.    Preference is given to candidates with small or no post-doc experience.

Evaluation criteria: 
1.    Experience in the cultivation of salt tolerant plants in greenhouse conditions (25%)
2.    Experience on the determination of the chemical profile, including nutritional characteristics, of salt tolerant plant's biomass (15%)
3.    Experience on the evaluation of in vitro bioactivities in natural extracts from salt tolerant plants, by different assays, including cell-based models (e.g. antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, antidiabetic, antimelanogenic, skin-sagging prevention, and toxicity in mammal cell lines) (25%)
4.    Experience in students supervision (10%)
5.    Publications concerning the biological activities, chemical profile and cultivation of salt-tolerant plants (25%)

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 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 12 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 1509.80€/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), a detailed Curriculum Vitae, copy of the candidates PhD certificate 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:  Dr. Luisa Custódio, researcher at CCMAR (President of the jury); Dr. Sofia Engrola researcher at CCMAR (Member) and Dr. Catarina Pereira researcher at 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, October the 10th 2019