(BI) under the project Adaptive Methods for Payment Recovery (Dunning).

Instituto Politécnico de Viseu; Portugal; On-site; EUR 11,000 - 13,000; Full time

Job summary

Instituto Politécnico de Viseu invites applications for a six-month Research Fellowship (BI) under the Adaptive Methods for Payment Recovery project. The role focuses on statistical decision-making for subscription revenue recovery using contextual bandits and short-term reinforcement learning.

Enrolment in a relevant master’s program is required, with work at the Viseu campus under Prof. Ana Raquel Ferreira de Almeida Sebastião.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of machine learning and Python is preferential.
• Fluency in Portuguese and English is advantageous.
• Admission requires enrolment in a master's or integrated master's program in the listed fields.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate on project tasks within Adaptive Methods for Payment Recovery.
• Support formalisation of problem and decision model including context, actions, rewards and constraints.
• Develop data simulator to create payment failure episodes and recovery scenarios.
• Implement decision-making strategies including contextual bandits and short-term reinforcement learning.
• Evaluate strategies via controlled experiments analyzing recovery rates, time, cost and compliance.
• Assist with documentation, orchestration blueprint, and provision of source code and datasets.
• Engage in communication and dissemination activities.

Skills

Machine learning

Python

Portuguese fluency

English fluency

Education

Integrated Master or Master’s degree in relevant field

Job description

Organisation/Company Instituto Politécnico de Viseu Department Escola Superior de Tecnologia de Viseu Research Field Engineering » Computer engineering Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions Bachelor Positions Application Deadline 2 Nov 2026 - 00:00 (Europe/Lisbon) Country Portugal Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 35 Offer Starting Date 20 Oct 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Reference Number under the project Adaptive Methods for Payment Recovery Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

A call is now open for applications for a Research Fellowship (BI) under the project Adaptive Methods for Payment Recovery (Dunning).

The Adaptive Methods for Payment Recovery project focuses on statistical decision-making for subscription revenue recovery, using contextual bandit algorithms and short-term reinforcement learning.

Funding Sources

Adaptive Methods for Payment Recovery (Dunning) Project.

Scientific Fields

Computer Engineering, Data Science, Other Engineering and Technology Sciences, or related fields.

Admission Requirements

Graduates enrolled in an integrated master's or master's degree programme in the scientific fields listed above, or graduates enrolled in non-degree programmes that are part of the educational project of a higher education institution and developed in association or cooperation with one or more R&D units.

Proof of enrolment must be provided by the time the contract is signed. Applicants may submit a declaration of honour confirming that they meet the admission requirements.

Where the degree has been awarded by a foreign higher education institution, it must comply with the provisions of Decree-Law No. 66/2018 of 16 August and Ordinance No. 33/2019 of 25 January. Any formalities required under these provisions must be completed by the date of hiring.

Preferential Requirements

Knowledge of machine learning and Python. Good communication skills and fluency in both spoken and written Portuguese and English.

Work Plan

Collaboration on various tasks within the project, namely:

1. Integration into the team and acquisition of the skills required for the project.

2. Supporting the formalisation of the problem and the definition of the decision model, including context, actions/playbooks, rewards, costs, and operational and economic constraints.

3. Developing the data simulator, which should enable the creation of payment failure episodes, model different recovery behaviours, and generate outcomes such as recovery, time to recovery, and cost.

4. Implementing decision-making strategies, including baseline/heuristic policies and at least one constrained contextual bandit algorithm, with the possibility of exploring short-term reinforcement learning.

5. Evaluating and comparing decision-making strategies through controlled experiments, comparing recovery rates, time, cost, efficiency, and compliance with constraints, including analysis across different contexts and scenarios.

6. Supporting the documentation of results and the conceptual definition of the integration blueprint, contributing to the provision of source code, datasets, and a reproducible benchmark, and assisting with the conceptual definition of the orchestrator, API, logging, monitoring, and audit/governance mechanisms.

7. Communication and dissemination activities.

Applicable Legislation and Regulations

Law No. 40/2004 of 18 August, approving the Statute of Research Fellows, as amended by Decree-Law No. 202/2012 of 27 August, Law No. 12/2013 of 29 January, Decree-Law No. 89/2013 of 9 July, and Decree-Law No. 123/2019 of 28 August; the FCT Research Fellowship Regulations, available at https://www.fct.pt ; and the Research Fellowship Regulations of the Polytechnic University of Viseu (UPV), published in Diário da República, 2nd Series, No. 112, of 9 June 2020.

Place of Work and Supervision

The work will be carried out at the premises of the Polytechnic University of Viseu or at other locations required for the implementation of the project activities, under the scientific supervision of Professor Ana Raquel Ferreira de Almeida Sebastião.

Duration of the Fellowship

The fellowship will have a duration of six months and may be renewed until the funding period ends.

Monthly Maintenance Allowance

The fellowship amount is €1,090.98 per month, in accordance with the current FCT fellowship rate table for this type of fellowship.

Payment will be made on the 23rd of each month or, if this is not a working day, on the immediately preceding working day, by bank transfer to the bank account (IBAN) provided by the fellowship holder during the contracting process.

Selection Methods

The selection and ranking methods to be used are as follows: Curriculum Evaluation (CE) and Selection Interview (SI).

The Final Score (FS), used to rank candidates, is expressed on a scale of 0 to 20 and is calculated according to the following formula:

The evaluation will consist of an assessment of the candidate’s profile, experience in conducting research in the relevant field, motivation, knowledge of the subject area, and demonstrated availability.

The three highest-ranked candidates based on the Curriculum Evaluation (CE) criterion will be selected for interview.

The selection panel reserves the right not to admit candidates to the interview stage if they do not achieve a minimum final score of 10 out of 20, as well as the right not to award the research fellowship under this call, depending on the results of the application assessment and the suitability of the applications in relation to the objectives of the Polytechnic University of Viseu (UPV).

Candidates holding degrees awarded by foreign higher education institutions may apply and will be assessed according to the same criteria as candidates holding degrees awarded by Portuguese institutions, provided that they submit, together with their application, proof of specific recognition of their academic degrees and conversion of their final grade to the Portuguese grading scale, in accordance with the legislation in force.

Candidates holding foreign degrees who do not provide proof of conversion of their final grade to the Portuguese grading scale will be assessed using the minimum grade. In all cases, fellowship agreements with candidates holding degrees awarded by foreign institutions will only be signed upon submission of proof of recognition of their academic degrees and conversion of their final grade, as specified above.

Contract and Final Report Templates

The contract template and the final report to be prepared by the fellowship holder and the supervisor are those provided in the annexes to the UPV Research Fellowship Regulations.