1 (one) research fellowship for a master, PhD student, area Computer Science (ref.ª HIDROPON.IA_MSc6)

University of Beira Interior; Portugal; On-site; EUR 14,000 - 17,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Seguro de acidente pessoal

Opção de seguro social voluntário

Job summary

A University of Beira Interior está a oferecer uma bolsa de investigação para Masters/PhD no âmbito do projeto HIDROPON.IA, com duração de 12 meses, a começar em janeiro de 2027. O trabalho decorre no Departamento de Informática, em regime de dedicação exclusiva, com supervisão do Dr.

Sebastião Pais. A atividade envolve avaliação de impacto ambiental (LCA) e custo de ciclo de vida (LCC), desenvolvimento de ferramentas para recolha de dados de inventário e cálculo de indicadores.

Qualifications

• Mestrado na área de Ciência da Computação.
• Proficiência em inglês (bom) é obrigatória.
• Enquadramento dentro de um projeto de investigação financiado pela UE.
• Conhecimentos em avaliação de impacto ambiental e custos ao nível de produto.

Responsibilities

• Realizar avaliação de ciclo de vida (LCA) e custo de ciclo de vida (LCC) da plataforma modular.
• Desenvolver ferramentas para coletar dados de inventário e calcular indicadores ambientais e económicos.
• Acompanhar a implementação do funil de projeto e reportar progressos ao supervisor.

Skills

Inglês bom

Education

Mestrado em Ciência da Computação

Job description

Organisation/Company University of Beira Interior Department Informatics Research Field Computer science » Informatics Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions Master Positions Application Deadline 23 Nov 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/London) Country Portugal Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 35 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Reference Number HIDROPON.IA_MSc6 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

A call is open for the allocation of 1 (one)research fellowship for a master, PhD student, within the Research Project entitled "HIDROPON.IA" , operation code COMPETE2030-FEDER-01488700 (n.º 18490), funded by COMPETE 2030 Programme through the Portugal 2030 and the European Union, taking place at the Computer Science Department of the University of Beira Interior, under the following conditions:

Research Field: Computer Science

Objectives:

This activity aims to assess the environmental impact and the costs associated with implementing the HIDROPON.IA modular platform by conducting a Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) and a Life-Cycle Cost (LCC) analysis. It will develop the computational tools needed to collect inventory data (water, energy, fertiliser and material consumption) from the digital twin and the greenhouse monitoring systems, to systematically compute environmental and economic indicators, and to compare production scenarios with and without the support of the intelligent systems.

Work plan:

• Collection and structuring of inventory data and Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA): The task involves defining the system boundaries and the functional unit of the analysis and developing automated processes to extract, clean and aggregate, from the digital twin and the greenhouse sensors, the inventory data required for the LCA, such as water, electricity, fertiliser and substrate consumption, as well as the equipment and materials that make up the modular platform. Based on these data, environmental impact indicators (e.g. carbon footprint and water footprint) per unit of product will be computed for hydroponic tomato, pepper and/or vegetable crops, and operating scenarios with and without the support of the intelligent systems will be compared.
• Life-Cycle Cost (LCC) analysis of the modular platform: This task aims to model the costs associated with the life cycle of the modular platform, including acquisition and installation, operation and maintenance, and end-of-life costs, and to relate them to the efficiency gains achieved by the intelligent systems (lower consumption, higher productivity and reduced losses). A decision-support tool will be developed to simulate different farm-size and platform-configuration scenarios, estimate the payback period and identify the components with the greatest weight in the total cost. The LCA and LCC results will be combined into an overall sustainability assessment of the solution.

Applicable legislation and regulations:

Research Fellowship Holder Statute, approved by Law No. 40/2004, of 18 August, in its current wording (amended by Decree-Law No. 123/2019, of 28 August); Regulation for Research Studentships and Fellowships of the Foundation for Science and Technology (Regulation No. 950/2019) published in the Diário da República, 2nd series, No. 241, 16 December 2019; Regulation for Research Fellowships of the University of Beira Interior - RBIUBI (Regulation No. 100/2020) published in the Diário da República, 2nd series, n.º 27, 7 February 2020.

Work location:

The work will be developed at the HULTIG, Computer Science Departmentunder the scientific supervision of Doctor Sebastião Pais ( [e-mail] ).

Fellowship duration and conditions:

The fellowship is open for 12 months, expected to start in January 2027. The activity is in the regime of exclusive dedication in accordance with the RBIUBI. The scholarship contract may, if necessary, be renewed until the project is completed.

Selection Committee: Applications will be assessed by a panel as follows:

11. Documents for application: The candidates should present:

• Detailed Curriculum Vitae ;
• Certificate of completion of the previous degree;
• Other documents considered relevant;
• Declaration of honor from the candidate stating that he/she meets the conditions for being awarded the scholarship BI according to Article 6 of the RBIUBI.

13.Publication/notification of results:

The final results of the evaluation process will be published in a sorted list, by the final classification obtained, and posted in a visible and public place of the Faculty of Engineeringof the University of Beira Interior. The candidate(s) will be notified of the decision by e-mail.

Requirements

Research Field Computer science » Informatics Education Level Master Degree or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

• Hold a Master’s degree in the scientific field of Computer Science and meet the requirements to enrol in a study cycle leading to a doctoral degree.

If the required academic degree has been conferred by a foreign higher education institution, the requirements of Decree-Law 66/2018, of 16th August and Ministerial Order no. 33/2019, of 25th January, shall be obeyed. The presentation of the certificate(s) recognizing foreign academic degrees is mandatory for the signing of the fellowship contract. More information can be obtained at: https://www.dges.gov.pt/en/pagina/degree-anddiploma-recognition .

The proof of enrolment in the 3rd cycle of studies must be provided, without exception, before the scholarship contract is signed.

Languages ENGLISH Level Good

A monthly maintenance allowance will be granted in accordance with the Annex I of the RBIUBI, with the amount of 1.359,64 € according to the updated values that can be consulted at https://www.fct.pt/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Tabela-de-Valores-SMM-2026.pdf . The fellowship holder will have a personal accident insurance and can choose to be covered by the voluntary social insurance. These values will be added to the amount of monthly maintenance allowance.

Eligibility criteria

• Hold a Master’s degree in the scientific field of Computer Science and meet the requirements to enrol in a study cycle leading to a doctoral degree.

If the required academic degree has been conferred by a foreign higher education institution, the requirements of Decree-Law 66/2018, of 16th August and Ministerial Order no. 33/2019, of 25th January, shall be obeyed. The presentation of the certificate(s) recognizing foreign academic degrees is mandatory for the signing of the fellowship contract. More information can be obtained at: https://www.dges.gov.pt/en/pagina/degree-anddiploma-recognition .

The proof of enrolment in the 3rd cycle of studies must be provided, without exception, before the scholarship contract is signed.

Selection process

The selection process will comprise two assessment stages:

• 1ststage – Curriculum evaluation;
• 2nd stage – Interview, which may be conducted by videoconference

The 1st-stage assessment uses the following criteria: Curriculum Vitae/Academic record (45%); alignment of the candidate’s profile with the project based on relevant experience in the tasks described in the work plan (45%); fluency in spoken and written English (10%).

The three candidates with the highest scores after the 1st stage will advance to the 2nd stage.

In the final ranking, each stage will carry equal weight (50% ).

Additional comments

Applicable legislation and regulations:

Research Fellowship Holder Statute, approved by Law No. 40/2004, of 18 August, in its current wording (amended by Decree-Law No. 123/2019, of 28 August); Regulation for Research Studentships and Fellowships of the Foundation for Science and Technology (Regulation No. 950/2019) published in the Diário da República, 2nd series, No. 241, 16 December 2019; Regulation for Research Fellowships of the University of Beira Interior - RBIUBI (Regulation No. 100/2020) published in the Diário da República, 2nd series, n.º 27, 7 February 2020.

Complaint and Appeal Procedures:

After communication of the provisional lists of the results in the different phases of the selection process (Admission and Exclusion, Curricular Evaluation and Interview), the candidates have 10 working days topronounce their disagreement, under the terms of article 121 and the Código do Procedimento Administrativo . If any allegations are presented, the final decision will be issued after the analysis of the statements presented during the prior hearing of interested parties. After the statutory deadline of 10 working days, the proposal for the final classification and ranking of the candidates becomes definitive.