068/BI/2026 - Fellowship for Masters

Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier ITQB NOVA; Portugal; On-site; EUR 12,000 - 17,000; Full time

Job summary

Institute ITQB NOVA in Portugal invites applications for a Master Fellowship under the INTelligent, ACTive MicroBIOme-based, biodegradable PACKaging project. The fellow will design, synthesize, and characterize materials with encapsulated microbes, contributing to project meetings and data interpretation.

A Master degree in bioengineering/biochemistry and related expertise are required. The work is in the Applied and Environmental Mycology Laboratory under Professor Cristina Silva Pereira,

Qualifications

• Master in Bioengineering, Biochemistry, or related field.
• Experience encapsulation using plant polyesters is mandatory.
• Experience with FTIR, SEM and related materials characterization.
• Co-authored 10+ publications in international journals (Q1) in the last five years.
• At least 12 months’ experience working abroad.
• Teaching experience at undergraduate level (lectures and practicals).
• High motivation for applied research, innovation and entrepreneurship.
• Immediate availability; PhD enrollment or non-academic degree per FCT regulations.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the preparation of different formulations and their functional characterization.
• Conduct advanced experiments, analyze data and summarize findings.
• Participate in project meetings and coordinate activities within the ITQB NOVA environment.

Skills

English proficiency

Technical writing

Multidisciplinary teamwork

Applied research motivation

Education

Master in Bioengineering or Biochemistry

Tools

FTIR

SEM

Thermomechanical analysis

Job description

Organisation/Company Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier ITQB NOVA Research Field Biological sciences » Other Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions Master Positions Application Deadline 13 Nov 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Lisbon) Country Portugal Type of Contract To be defined Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 35 Offer Starting Date 2 Nov 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Reference Number 068/BI/2026 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Applications are invited for a Master Fellowship in the scope of the project entitled INTelligent, ACTive MicroBIOme-based, biodegradable PACKaging for Mediterranean food, Ref. PRIMA/0001/2023, financed by the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Region (PRIMA) through the Foundation for Science and Technology (FC&T, I.P.) / Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education (MCTES).

Scientific Area: Bioengineering, Biochemistry or related field.

Academic degree: Master in Bioengineering, Biochemistry, or other related disciplines.

Other specific requisites:

• Practical experience in applying protocols involving the encapsulation using plant polyesters is mandatory;
• Demonstrated experience in materials characterization using FTIR, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and other physicochemical and materials characterization techniques (e.g., thermomechanical analysis) is required;
• Experience in fields related to biotechnology, with a focus on the development and characterisation of functional polymers;
• Co-author of more than 10 scientific publications in international peer-reviewed journals (Q1) in the past five years, in the field of physical chemistry applied to biology;
• At least 12 months’ experience working abroad;
• Participation in activities related to science and dissemination of knowledge, including oral presentations at scientific meetings and scientific cooperation activities;
• Experience in formal teaching at undergraduate level (1st cycle), including lectures and practical/technical training;
• High motivation for applied research, innovation and entrepreneurship, with proven completion of courses or training in these domains;
• Immediate availability;
• Being enrolled in a PhD, or in a non-academic degree course, in accordance with the Article 6th of “Regulamento de Bolsas de Investigação da Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. from FCT", law in force.

Other valuable competences:

• Proficiency in English, good communication skills in technical writing, documentation, and oral presentation.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to carefully follow complex protocols.
• Highly motivated to work within a multidisciplinary team.

Working Plan: INTACTBioPack project involves a multi-disciplinary consortium of 11 partners that aims to foster the adoption by the Mediterranean region, of novel, cost-competitive, biodegradable, and reusable food packaging solutions. The work plan will consist on the design/synthesis/characterization of materials coated with selected encapsulated microbes. The research fellow will contribute to the preparation of different formulations, followed by their functional characterization. Within the PRIMA project, the research fellow will participate in all the project meetings, and will be responsible to conduct advanced research experiments, to analyze data and summarize research findings.

Working Place: The work will be carried out in the Applied and Environmental Mycology Laboratory at ITQB NOVA, under supervision of Professor Cristina Silva Pereira.

Duration of the fellowship: The fellowship will have the duration of 7 months, eventually renewed, expected to start in December 2026, on a full-time basis, according to Fellowship Regulations of Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, I.P.

Selection procedure: The evaluation procedures will be based on the analysis of the candidates (1) Motivation Letter that should include a short statement describing your research experiences to date and your particular interests in, and your qualifications related to this position (no more than 1 page in length), (2) Curriculum vitae, and (3) feedback provided by the two references indicated (it is mandatory to provide the references’ email contacts). Short-listed candidates (top ranked) will be interviewed (in English). The curriculum evaluation (points 1-3) and the interview will weight 50% each.

Application documents: The application should be formalised in a cover letter indicating the corresponding fellowship reference together with the following documents: Motivation letter, Curriculum Vitae, Master Degree certificate, Statement of one peer reviewed authored publication (if applicable), and Contact for 2 references.

Notification of candidates: All the candidates will be informed of the final result by e-mail.

Deadlines and procedures for complaints and appeals: If the result is not favorable, the candidates have a period of 10 working days, after the disclosure of the results, to comment, if desired, in a prior hearing of interested parties, in the terms provided for in the Code of Administrative Procedure.

Application period: From 2 November to 13 November 2026.