FCUP | One Research Grant – Master’s Degree - PremiumAlgae

Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto; Portugal; On-site; EUR 14,000 - 17,000; Full time

Job summary

The Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto will open a 12‑month research grant for a Master’s degree holder within the PREMIUMALGAE project. Beginning 01/02/2027 and potentially renewable to 30/09/2028, the grant supplies a monthly stipend of 1359.64€ and includes insurance coverage.

Required: Master’s in Biology/Biochemistry/Bioengineering or related fields; enrollment in a PhD program or non-degree courses. Preference for microalgae experience and strong English proficiency.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Biology, Biochemistry, Bioengineering or related fields.
• Enrolled in PhD programme or courses that do not confer an academic degree.
• Preference for microalgae/cyanobacteria experience and English proficiency.

Responsibilities

• Develop and validate processes for valorisation of microalgae biomass and extracellular vesicles.
• Collaborate with partner labs (Necton and FCUP) on tasks including biomolecule analysis.
• Assist in project activities and ensure compliance with grant regulations.

Skills

English proficiency

Interpersonal skills

Team collaboration

Education

Master’s degree in Biology or Biochemistry or Bioengineering or related areas

Job description

Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto

Organisation/Company Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto Department Biology Research Field Biological sciences Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions Master Positions Application Deadline 18 Nov 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Lisbon) Country Portugal Type of Contract Not Applicable Job Status Not Applicable Offer Starting Date 1 Feb 2027 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Reference Number PremiumAlgae Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Call open for applications for 1 research grant for a Master’s Degree holder, enrolled in a PhD programme / courses that do not confer an academic degree, within the framework of project PREMIUMALGAE - Premium Microalgae Ingredients for Cosmetics, Nutraceuticals & Aquaculture with the reference COMPETE2030-FEDER-02185500, financed by FEDER through Thematic Programme on Innovation and Digital Transition (COMPETE2030), under the following conditions:

Scientific Area: Natural Sciences / Biological Sciences.

Admission requirements:

• To have a Master’s degree in Biology, or Biochemistry, or Bioengineering, or related areas;
• To be enrolled in PhD programme, or courses that do not confer academic degree.

Although the recipients must be enrolled in a cycle of studies leading to the attribution of an academic degree or in a course not conferring an academic degree, at the time of application it is not necessary for the candidate to have made such an enrollment, and proof of enrollment must be presented until thefellowship is contractualized. Candidates are only required to meet the requirements to enroll in the training offer. If there are candidates already enrolled (including attending a course), they compete on an equal footing with those who are not enrolled.

Note: In the case of masters who are enrolled in courses that do not confer academic degree, the research grant can only be awarded to those who do not exceed, with the signing of the research grant contract in question, including possible renewals, an accumulated period of two years in this type of grant, consecutive or interpolated.

Preferences Requirements: Preference will be given to candidates with experience in microalgae and/or cyanobacteria culture, the isolation and analysis (quantitative and qualitative) of extracellular biomolecules (particularly extracellular vesicles), and molecular biology (specifically, cloning and genetic engineering of cyanobacteria). Proficiency in spoken and written English, as well as strong interpersonal skills within the context of a multidisciplinary research team, will be considered essential qualifications.

Hiring Requirements: If the qualification has been granted by a foreign higher education institution, it will have to be recognized by a Portuguese higher education institution, pursuant to article 25 of Decree-Law No. 66/2018, of 16 August, which approves the regime legal recognition of academic degrees and diplomas in Higher Education, arising from foreign higher education institutions, and paragraph e) of paragraph 2 of article 4 of Decree-Law No. 60/2018, of August 3, all of which the formalities must be fulfilled there until the contracting act.

Activity Outline: The main objective of the PremiumAlgae project is to develop sustainable biorefinery processes for the valorisation of microalgae biomass and reuse of supernatants, with the aim of creating high-value bioactive ingredients for the nutraceutical, cosmetic and aquaculture industries. The project also aims to validate the bioactivity, safety and commercial applicability of the products through scientific testing and prototypes. Thus, the activities to be developed at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto include: a) maximising the production of target functional compounds (namely extracellular vesicles); b) developing and implementing efficient processes for the valorisation of supernatants for the isolation of extracellular vesicles; c) and collaborating in the characterisation and validation of the bioactivity and safety of new products (including those containing extracellular vesicles). Visits and stays at our collaborators' laboratories, mainly at Necton - Companhia Portuguesa de Culturas Marinhas S.A. (the project proponent, based in the Algarve) and at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Porto, are expected for the execution of the proposed tasks.

Legislation and regulations: Law no. 40/2004, updated by Decree-Law no. 123/2019, of 28 August (Statute of Scientific Research Grant Holder); Regulation no. 950/2019 of 16 December (Regulation of Research Grants of the Foundation for Science and Technology); Regulation No. 582/2026, of 19 May, amending and republishing Regulation no. 184/2021, of 3 March (Regulation of Research Grants of the University of Porto) and Decree-Law no. 66/2018 of 16 August (Legal Regime of Recognition of academic degrees and diplomas of Higher Education awarded by Foreign Higher Education Institutions).

Work place: The work will be developed in the Department of Biology , Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto (FCUP), under the guidance of Professor Paulo Miguel Nunes de Oliveira .

Grant duration:Initial duration of 12 months, with beginning on 01/02/2027 , eventually renewable up, but not exceeding the end date of the project (30/09/2028).

Maintenance allowance amount: The grant stipend amounts to1359,64€ according to the table of values of the grants awarded directly by FCT, I.P. in the Country ( https://www.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/valores ). The payment will be made by bank transfer.

Voluntary Social Insurance:As long as the grant lasts 6 months or more, and in compliance with the provisions of the current version of the Grant Holder Statute, the grant holder will be entitled to have FCUP support the costs resulting from the contributions that fall into the first of the tax brackets. The grant holder will be responsible for contributions beyond the first tax bracket, should the grant holder opt for a higher coverage.

Personal Accident Insurance:During the grant period, the grant holder will be covered by a personal accident insurance policy.

Selection procedure:The selection methods to be used are as follows:

Candidates will be ranked based on an evaluation of their CV according to the following criteria:

• QA (65%): Academic qualifications relevant to the scientific field and their classification
• EA (35%): Experience in the field in which the project is situated

The candidate classification (CF) will be obtained using the following formula:

CF=AC=(QA*65%) +(EA*35%)

The candidate who has a foreign academic degree or diploma whose final classification is expressed on a different classification scale from the Portuguese one or does not have a classification, for evaluation purposes, must present a document proving the recognition of the foreign degree or diploma and the conversion of the classification for the Portuguese classification scale until the closing date of applications for the competition.

If the documents attesting the degree submitted by the candidates do not present the final classification of the degree required in this notice with the respective grade converted to the Portuguese classification scale, the jury will consider, for evaluation purposes, that the candidate has the minimum classification (10 points) of a maximum of 20 points) required to obtain a degree in Portugal.

Candidates whose application has been assessed with a final classification less than 14 points are not eligible to sign the contract of the fellowship.

• President –Paulo Miguel Nunes de Oliveira, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology , Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto (FCUP);

Advertisement of final decision: The final results of the evaluation will be published through a list ordered by final classification, sent to candidates by email. It is further informed that, pursuant to the provisions of articles 121 et seq. of the Code of Administrative Procedure, it has a legal period of 10 working days from the day immediately following the notification, to make a decision, if it so wishes. A complaint may be filed against this decision within 15 working days or, alternatively, an appeal may be filed within 30 working days, addressed to the Director of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto, pursuant to article 191 et seq. of the Code of Administrative Procedure.The host entity may use the final ranking list to replace the selected grantee in case he/she gives up the position, up to one year.

Commitment

In compliance with paragraph h) of Article 9 of the Constitution, the University of Porto, as an employer, actively promotes a policy of equal opportunities between men and women in access to employment and professional advancement, scrupulously avoiding any form of discrimination. In this spirit, terms such as “candidate,” “author,” or “teacher,” among others that refer to the people who apply for this recruitment tender are used as gender neutral.

In addition, no candidate may be privileged, benefited, impaired or deprived of any right or exempt from any duty on grounds of ancestry, age, sexual orientation, marital status, family situation, economic situation, education, origin or social status, genetic heritage, reduced working capacity, disability, chronic illness, nationality, ethnic origin or race, territory of origin, language, religion, political or ideological convictions and trade union membership.

The call is open from 05/11/2026 to 18/11/2026.

Number of offers available 1 Company/Institute Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto Country Portugal City Porto Geofield