NOTICE OF OPENING OF COMPETITION FOR THE AWARD OF ONE (1) RESEARCH GRANT WITHIN THE SCOPE OF FU[...]

Instituto de Geografia e Ordenamento do Território da Universidade de Lisboa; Portugal; Presencial; EUR 30 000 - 40 000; Tempo integral

Resumo da oferta

A renowned university institute in Portugal is offering a Research Grant for graduate students enrolled in Master's programmes in Geography or related fields. The successful applicant will develop automated workflows for georeferencing historical maps and manage geospatial data integration, requiring strong skills in Portuguese and English. The duration is six months, starting in November 2025, and applications must be submitted via email by October 31, 2025.

Qualificações

• Graduated in Geography or related areas.
• Enrolled in a Master's programme in Geography or related fields.
• Proficiency in Portuguese and English.

Responsabilidades

• Develop automated workflow for georeferencing historical maps.
• Implement algorithms for cartographic elements extraction.
• Create structured geospatial databases.

Conhecimentos

Fluency in Portuguese

Fluency in English

Proficiency in Geographic Information Science

Knowledge of R

Knowledge of Python

Formação académica

Bachelor's Degree in Geography or related fields

Descrição da oferta de emprego

Organisation/Company Instituto de Geografia e Ordenamento do Território da Universidade de Lisboa Research Field Geography » Other Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions Bachelor Positions Country Portugal Application Deadline 31 Oct 2025 - 23:59 (Europe/Lisbon) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 35 Offer Starting Date 20 Oct 2025 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

A competition is open for the award of a Research Grant for a graduate student enrolled in a Master's degree, within the scope of funding from the Center for Geographical Studies (UID/295/2025).

Reference: Geomod_2025
Generic Scientific Area: Geography
Specific Scientific Area: Geographic Information Science

Where to apply

E-mail [e-mail]

Requirements

Research Field Geography » Other Education Level Bachelor Degree or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

Admission requirements graduates in Geography or related areas who are enrolled in Master's programmes at higher education institutions are eligible to apply for this competition. The successful candidate must meet the following requirements:

• Degree in Geography or related fields;
• Enrolment in a Master's programme at a higher education institution in Geography or related fields;
• Proficiency in Portuguese and English (fluency and accuracy in oral and written expression).

Eligibility of candidates Candidates must meet the eligibility requirements set out in Article 9 of the FCT I.P Research Grant Regulations (Regulation No. 950/2019, published in the Official Gazette, 2nd series, No. 241 on 16 December).

Specific Requirements

Project Summary Historical maps are fundamental sources for understanding territorial, environmental, and social transformations. However, most are only available in analogue format which makes them difficult to use for spatial analysis. At the same time, these sources often have limitations, such as temporal lags, methodological heterogeneity, and scale restrictions. With the growing availability of Earth Observation data (e.g., Sentinel-2, Landsat, PlanetScope) and recent advances in deep learning techniques, a unique opportunity has arisen to automate and accelerate the production of detailed, consistent, and reproducible vector maps. In this context, the development of automated solutions for georeferencing and vectorisation could enhance the integration of historical documents into geospatial databases, promoting preservation and scientific and heritage reuse.

Work plan The work plan for the scholarship holder to be hired is as follows:

1. Develop an automated workflow for the georeferencing of historical maps, allowing for periodic reprocessing and extension to different regions;
2. Implement algorithms for the extraction and vectorisation of cartographic elements (e.g., administrative boundaries, transport networks, land use);
3. Validate thematic and geometric quality (e.g., F1 per class, overall accuracy);
4. Create a structured geospatial database from analogue cartographic sources, prepared for integration into GIS and web services;
5. Collaborate in the management of Geomodlab.

Languages PORTUGUESE Level Excellent

Languages ENGLISH Level Excellent

Additional Information

Duration of the scholarship The scholarship will last for six (6) months, with the possibility of renewal. The scholarship is scheduled to begin in November 2025, on an exclusive basis.

Selection methods The selection method will be based on the evaluation of candidates' CVs. Evaluation parameters: Curriculum evaluation comprises the following parameters:
- Curriculum Vitae (40%);
- Degree classification (30%);
- Knowledge of Geographic Information Science and Programming, namely in R and Python (15%);
- Candidate's motivation for the task (15%). The jury may, if it deems necessary, invite the candidates ranked in the top 3 positions for an interview. In this case, the interview will account for 30% of the final score, to be added to the score obtained in the first selection phase, which will account for 70%. The jury may decide not to award any scholarships if the candidates do not match the desired profile.

Composition of the Selection Panel The selection panel for this scholarship is composed of the following members:
Chair of the Panel: Dr. José Luís Zêzere, Full Professor, IGOT-ULisboa;
1st Permanent Member: Dr. Cláudia Viana, Assistant Professor, IGOT-ULisboa;
2nd Permanent Member: Dr. Jorge Rocha, Associate Professor, IGOT-ULisboa;
1st Alternate Member: Dr. Paulo Morgado, Associate Professor, IGOT-ULisboa;
2nd Alternate Member: Dr. Eduardo Gomes, Assistant Professor, IGOT-ULisboa.

Selection process

Form of publication/notification of results The final results of the evaluation will be communicated to candidates via notification sent to the email address provided for this purpose. If the result is unfavourable to the granting of the requested scholarship, candidates have a period of 10 working days to respond, if they so wish, at a preliminary hearing for the interested parties, under the terms of Articles 121 and 122 of the Administrative Procedure Code (Decree-Law No. 4/2015 of 7 January and its amendments). The selected candidate must express their intention to accept the scholarship in writing. In case of non-acceptance, the scholarship will be awarded to the candidate in order of final ranking.

Application deadline and submission of applications The competition is open from 20 to 31 October 2025. Applications must be sent by email to [e-mail], accompanied by the following documents:
a) Letter of motivation;
b) Curriculum Vitae;
c) Degree certificates. With regard to qualification certificates, if the degrees were obtained from a foreign institution, they must be recognised by a Portuguese institution in accordance with Decree-Law No. 66/2018 of 16 August and Ordinance No. 33/2019 of 25 January, in the wording in force on the date of application);
d) In the case of foreign nationals, a document proving residence in Portugal, namely a residence permit or other legally equivalent document;
e) Proof of enrolment in a Master's programme;
f) Other supporting documents considered relevant;
g) Declaration of prior consent for communication by electronic means.

The reference to the Geomod_2025 competition must be indicated in the subject line of the application email.

Additional comments

Applicable legislation and regulations Research Fellow Statute; Research Grant Regulations of the Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P. – in force and the Research Grant Regulations of the University of Lisbon – in force.

Place of work The work will be carried out at the Centre for Geographical Studies of the Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning of the University of Lisbon (IGOT-ULisboa), under the scientific supervision of Dr Cláudia Morais Viana, Assistant Professor at IGOT-ULisboa, and Dr Fernando Jorge Pedro da Silva Pinto da Rocha, Associate Professor at IGOT-ULisboa.