FEUP - Research Fellowship - Project REFARMING - BM2-REFARMING- BOLS-FEUP-26-60

FEUP; Portugal; On-site; EUR 14,000 - 17,000; Full time

Job summary

FEUP’s SYSTEC Research Center invites applications for a 6-month Research Fellowship as part of the REFARMING project. The fellow will work within the Energy Optimization and Digital Twin activities for vertical horticulture, under supervision at the C2SR lab of FCUP. The role includes case-study development, simulations, and knowledge dissemination.

The selection emphasizes master's or PhD-level training in data science, AI, or related engineering fields. Renewal is possible up to project end.

Qualifications

• Enrolled in a PhD program in relevant areas or enrolled in a non-degree course within an educational project.
• Master’s degree in Data Science and Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Engineering and Informatics, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Vision, Computer Science, Data Science, or Mathematical Engineering.

Responsibilities

• Define and specify case studies for REFARMING project.
• Develop energy optimization approaches applied to vertical horticulture.
• Conduct simulations and implement a digital twin for this context.
• Contribute to project management and dissemination of scientific knowledge.

Education

PhD program enrollment in Data Science and Engineering; Electrical and Computer Engineering; Computer Engineering and Informatics; Artificial Intelligence; Computer Vision; Computer Science; Data Science; Mathematical Engineering

Master's degree in Data Science and Engineering; Electrical and Computer Engineering; Computer Engineering and Informatics; Artificial Intelligence; Computer Vision; Computer Science; Data Science; Mathematical Engineering

Job description

Organisation/Company FEUP Department Human Resources Division Research Field Engineering » Computer engineering Engineering » Computer engineering Computer science » Other Engineering » Other Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions Master Positions Application Deadline 3 Nov 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Lisbon) 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 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

1 Research Fellowships (M/F)

A call is open for the award of oneResearch Fellowship within the project “REFARMING – Renewable Energy Solutions for Sustainable Tech-Enabled Greenhouses and Vertical Farming Systems”, with operation code, at the Funds Platform (Balcão dos Fundos), NORTE2030-FEDER-02719900, co-financed by the European Union through the NORTE 2030 Regional Program, of Portugal 2030, , under the following conditions:

Scientific Area:

Data Science and Engineering; Electrical and Computer Engineering; Computer Science and Engineering; Artificial Intelligence; Computer Vision; Computer Science; Data Science; or Mathematical Engineering.

Admission requirements: Candidates must cumulatively meet the following requirements:

Requirement 1:

• Be enrolled in a PhD program in Data Science and Engineering; Electrical and Computer Engineering; Computer Engineering and Informatics; Artificial Intelligence; Computer Vision; Computer Science; Data Science; Mathematical Engineering; or related areas, to be duly proven at the time of hiring.

or

• Hold an academic degree and be enrolled in a non-degree course integrated into the educational project of a higher education institution, developed in association or cooperation with one or more R&D units, to be duly proven at the time of hiring.

Note: In the case of masters who are enrolled in non-academic degree courses, the scholarship can only be awarded to those who do not exceed, with this scholarship contract, including possible renewals, an accumulated period of two years in that typology of the scholarship, followed or interpolated.

Requirement 2:

• Hold a Master’s degree in Data Science and Engineering; Electrical and Computer Engineering; Computer Engineering and Informatics; Artificial Intelligence; Computer Vision; Computer Science; Data Science; Mathematical Engineering; or related areas.

In the case of degrees awarded by foreign higher education institutions, they must comply with the provisions of Decree-Law no. 66/2018, of 16 August, and all formalities must be completed before the time of contracting.

Work plan:

The project REFARMING is led by the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto (FCUP) and involves the research units CMUP - Centro de Matemática da Universidade do Porto, SYSTEC - Centro de Investigação em Sistemas e Tecnologias, GreenUPorto - Centro de Investigação em Produção Agroalimentar, and ICT – Instituto de Ciências da Terra. The project aims to develop sustainable solutions for technological greenhouses and vertical horticulture systems, including biotechnologies and clean energy sources. Using innovative technologies, it seeks to optimize energy consumption, reduce environmental impact, and improve the efficiency and quality of horticultural production, promoting the convergence of technology, ecological practices, and sustainable energy solutions.

The fellow will be integrated into the SYSTEC research team and will participate in scientific activities within the project. Tasks include defining and specifying case studies, developing energy optimization approaches applied to vertical horticulture, and conducting simulations and implementing a digital twin for this context.

More specifically, the fellow will contribute to the execution of the following activities:

• A5 – Energy Optimization in Vertical Horticulture
• A6 – Simulation and Implementation of the Vertical Horticulture Digital Twin
• A7 – Project management and dissemination of scientific and technological knowledge

Applicable legislation and regulations: Law no. 40/2004 of 18 August, in its current wording (Statute of the Scientific Research Fellow), Regulation of Research Grants of Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, in force and the University of Porto Research Fellowships Regulation, in force.

Workplace:The work will be carried out at the Laboratory of Cyber-Physical Control Systems and Robotics (C2SR), SYSTEC Research Center, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, under the scientific supervision of Professor António Pedro Rodrigues de Aguiar.

Duration and Activity Regime:The fellowships will last for 6 months, starting in November 2026, on an exclusive basis, eventually renewable but never exceeding the end of the project. If the 6-month duration cannot be guaranteed, it will be adjusted to the project’s end date, provided that the minimum duration of three consecutive months is respected, as established in article 10(2) of the University of Porto Research Fellowships Regulation.

Any renewal will be carried out in accordance with article 10 of the University of Porto Research Fellowships Regulation.

Monthly maintenance allowance:The monthly allowance is €1,359.64, according to the FCT table of fellowship amounts. Payment will be made via bank transfer.

Selection methods: Candidates will be ranked on a scale from 1 to 5 points. The evaluation will be based on a curricular assessment (60%) and an interview (40%).

Curricular Assessment (AC) = (35% * AC1) + (35% * AC2) + (30% * AC3)

• AC1 – Academic training
• Master’s degree in one of the following areas: Data Science and Engineering; Electrical and Computer Engineering; Computer Engineering and Informatics; Artificial Intelligence; Computer Vision; Computer Science; Data Science; or Mathematical Engineering — 5 points.
• Master’s in related areas – 3 points
• Other areas – 0 points
• AC2 – Master’s final grade average

In accordance with Article 16(4) of Regulation No. 184/2021 (University of Porto Research Grant Regulations), amended and republished by Regulation No 582/2026 of 19 May, if the submitted documents do not indicate the final degree classification and its conversion to the Portuguese grading scale, the Selection Committee will consider the minimum classification required for obtaining the degree in Portugal.

• AC3 – Research and/or laboratory experience in areas relevant to the project, namely: needs diagnosis and assessment; development of artificial intelligence-based forecasting models; and development of optimal control models.
• Relevant experience directly in the project’s area – 5 points
• Experience in related areas – 3 points
• Experience in unrelated areas – 0 points

After reviewing the submitted documentation, the selection committee will interview the 4 top-ranked candidates in the curricular evaluation. Candidates scoring below 4 points will not be admitted to the interview stage.

During the interview (40%), topics related to the work plan, prior experience, motivation, and the candidate’s CV will be discussed, and the following will be assessed:

Interview (E) = (60% * E1) + (20% * E2) + (20% * E3)

E-C1 – Knowledge and motivation for performing the role:

• Excellent knowledge and motivation – [≥ 4 and ≤ 5] points;
• Good knowledge and motivation – [≥ 1 and < 4] points;
• Lack of knowledge or motivation – [≥ 0 and < 1] points.

E-C2 – Attitude (assesses the candidate’s behaviour in terms of teamwork ability, conflict management skills, persuasion capacity, presentation and confidence):

E-C3 – Communication and verbal fluency in Portuguese and/or English (coherence and clarity of speech, vocabulary range, ability to understand and interpret questions):

• Very good ability in expression, communication or interpretation – [≥ 4 and ≤ 5] points;
• Good ability in expression, communication or interpretation – [≥ 1 and < 4] points;
• Difficulty in expression, communication or interpretation – [≥ 0 and < 1] points.

The final ranking of the interviewed candidates will result from the sum of the scores obtained in the Curriculum Evaluation (CE) and the Interview (I), with each factor weighted at 60% and 40%, respectively:

The right of non-recruitment is reserved in the event that the candidate with the highest final score does not achieve a score equal to or higher than 4 points.

Selection Committee Composition:

• 2nd member: Prof.Roman Chertovskikh
• 1st substitute member: Dr. Nathalie Khalil

Publication/Notification of results: Results will be sent by email to the address indicated in the application.

Declaration of Honour

I, (name of fellow), holder of Citizen Card / Visa / Residence Permit nr. , valid until , hereby declare under honour that I meet the conditions set forth in paragraph 5 of Article 6 of the Research Grant Regulations of FCT, I.P. – Regulation No. 950/2019, of 16 December.