A competition is open for the attribution of 1 Research Grant in the framework of “SYMBIOMICS- Omics of marine symbioses: Metabarcoding and metagenomics characterization of host-microbe adaptation and novel biosynthetic gene clusters” (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029985), within the R&D Institution CIIMAR (Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research), supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through COMPETE2020 – Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalization (POCI) and national funds through FCT/MCTES, according to the following conditions:

 

1. Scientific area: Biological Sciences

 

2. Admission requirements

i) The candidate must hold a Master in the field of Biological Sciences or Environmental Sciences

ii) The candidates must have demonstrated experience in:

• Isolation of cyanobacteria from marine environment
• Knowledge of molecular biology techniques (primer design, PCR, cloning, DGGE)
• Experience in next-generation sequencing data analyses
• Prior knowledge of microbiome analyses and statistical tools in microbial ecology

iii) A valid driving licence and scuba diving experience

iv) Fluency in both English and Portuguese languages

 

3. Work plan:

The proposed project for 6 months duration involves the microbiome characterization among marine invertebrates, mainly sponges and several other species. The candidate should have previous knowledge and experience in the collection/identification of marine sponges and sponge-associated microbial communities

The selected candidate is expected to perform extensive sampling of marine invertebrates from both intertidal and sub-tidal regions. It also involves the sample processing for molecular analyses, microbial isolation and data analyses. In addition, the candidate is expected to participate in scientific data communication including the preparation of technical reports.

4. Legislation and official rules:

Law nº 40/2004, 18th August (Research Fellowship and Studentship Regulation) amended and republished by Decreto-Lei n.º 202/2012, 27th August; Regulations for Studentships and Fellowships of the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. and CIIMAR Grants Regulation.

 

5. Work place:

The work will be carried out at CIIMAR, Evolutionary Genomics and Bioinformatics (EGB) and Blue Biotechnology and Ecotoxicology research groups, under the supervision of Anoop Alex.

6. Duration of the grant:

Duration of 6 months, starting in September 2019, under the regime of exclusive dedication, eventually renewable for the same period of time according to legal terms, up to the legal maximum.

7. Monthly salary: 

Monthly stipend is € 989,70 according to the stipends established by FCT, I.P. in Portugal (http://alfa.fct.mctes.pt/apoios/bolsas/valores). Payment will be made by bank transfer on a monthly basis.

8. Selection methods:

Candidates will be initially screened and ranked accordingly, based on their Curriculum Vitae evaluation. The candidates’ CV score (CVS) will be the sum of the evaluation for the Academic Qualification (AQ) and the Professional Experience (PE), in accordance with the formula:

CVS = 0,4 AQ + 0,6 PE

Academic qualification (AQ) will be scored from 0 to 10 and the evaluation will take into account the University – level degrees of the candidate and their appropriateness to the position.

Professional experience (PE) evaluation will take into account i) the experience in the field of study (Isolation and culturing of Cyanobacteria from sponges, sponge taxonomy, molecular techniques, NGS data analyses and microbiota analyses tools) scored from 0 to 10 with a relative weight of 60%; ii) scientific publications in ISI journals in the area of preference (ecology), scored from 0 to 10 and with a relative weight of 20%; and iii) a global appreciation of the motivation of the candidate and interest in the field of research, taking into account the motivation letter, also scored from 0 to 10 and with a relative weight of 20%.

Moreover, evaluation will focus on candidates’ scientific capability, quality of the past research activities, and knowledge of the scientific skills applicable for the proposed project.

In  the  case  of  a  tie  between  the  scores  of  the  top  candidates, an interview will be performed  to these candidates  to allow for  the  selection  of  a  single  candidate.

The jury reserves the right to not assign the research grant if none of the candidates meets all requirements and matches the desired profile.

 

9. Composition of the jury selection:

Doutor Anoop Alex (CIIMAR, President), Doutor José Carlos Martins (CIIMAR, vowel), Doutor Agostinho Antunes (CIIMAR, vowel).

 

10. Form of advertising/notification of results:

The final results of the evaluation will be send through a list sorting the candidates according to their attributed mark, by e-mail and available in CIIMAR website; in case of disagreement, the candidates have a 10-working day term in which to contest the decision, if he/she so wishes, as provided for in the Código do Procedimento Administrativo in a preliminary hearing setting. The jury reserves the right to not assign the contract depending on the quality of the applications.

 

11.  Deadline for application and presentation of applications:

The competition is open from 1^st of August until 14^th of August. The applications must be formalized, compulsorily, by sending the following documents: cover letter, Curriculum vitae, copy of the eligibility certificates, and past research activities and its relevance to the current project (max 2 pages) by e-mail addressed to Anoop Alex (anoopthycaud@gmail.com) with Cc to: mgalvao@ciimar.up.pt with SYMBIOMICS/BI-MSc/2019-034 in the subject line. The applications that do not include all the elements previously indicated will not be considered.