One Research Fellowship for a PhD student (Ref: IA2026-16-BI-D)

Unist; Porto; Hybrid; EUR 14,000 - 17,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Seguro de acidente pessoal

Job summary

O Centro de Astrofísica da Universidade do Porto (CAUP) seleciona um(a) bolseiro(a) de investigação com finalidades de formação em Astronomia e Astrofísica. O contrato é temporário, com duração de 12 meses, iniciando até outubro de 2027, e decorre no CAUP, Porto, sob supervisão de membros da equipa IA.

A bolsa mensal é de €1.359,64, isenta de impostos, paga por transferência bancária. Requisitos incluem licenciatura em Astronomia/Astrofísica e admissão em programa de PhD na UP, com mestrado

Qualifications

• Nível de inglês básico.
• Concluída licenciatura em Astronomia/Astrofísica ou área relacionada.
• Candidatos elegíveis devem estar matriculados num programa de PhD na universidade do Porto no momento de início.

Responsibilities

• O bolseiro integrará os programas de pesquisa das equipas IA.
• Desempenhar as atividades de acordo com um plano de trabalho alinhado com as prioridades científicas.

Skills

English (Basic)

Education

BSc in Astronomy/Astrophysics

Job description

Organisation/Company Centro de Astrofisica da Universidade do Porto Department Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço Research Field Astronomy Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Application Deadline 15 Jan 2027 - 23:59 (Europe/Lisbon) Country Portugal Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 35 Offer Starting Date 1 Oct 2027 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

The position is offered in the context of the Funding for R&D Units, funded by Portuguese funds through FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (reference UID/04434/2025).

.- Scientific area: Astronomy and Astrophysics.

.- Work plan: The choice of the work plan by the approved candidate will be made from a list of proposals aligned with the scientific priorities of the IA [ http://iastro.pt/research/index.html ]. Proposed work plans will be made available to successful candidates.

• Towards the detection and characterization of other Earths
• Towards a comprehensive study of stars
• The assembly history of galaxies resolved in space and time
• Unveiling the dynamics of the Universe
• Astronomical Instrumentation and Systems
• Science Communication

The fellow will be integrated into the research programs of the IA teams.

.- Place of work: The work will be carried out at CAUP (in the Porto node of the Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço), Rua das Estrelas, 4150-762, under the scientific supervision of one or more members of the IA research team.

.- Fellowship duration: The fellowship should start until October of 2027 and has a duration of 12 months.

.- Scientific area: Astronomy and Astrophysics.

.- Requirements for admission: The applicants must have completed a BSc degree in Astronomy/Astrophysics or a related discipline. They must also comply with the requirements to be enrolled in a PhD program at the University of Porto at the time of the start of the fellowship. Only applications from candidates having an adequate background in Astronomy, Physics, Mathematics, or other relevant domains, will be considered.

.- Additional skills and qualifications: Having a Master’s degree with a thesis in an area of Astronomy/Astrophysics will be valued.

Specific Requirements

.- Scientific area: Astronomy and Astrophysics.

.- Requirements for admission: The applicants must have completed a BSc degree in Astronomy/Astrophysics or a related discipline. They must also comply with the requirements to be enrolled in a PhD program at the University of Porto at the time of the start of the fellowship. Only applications from candidates having an adequate background in Astronomy, Physics, Mathematics, or other relevant domains, will be considered.

.- Additional skills and qualifications: Having a Master’s degree with a thesis in an area of Astronomy/Astrophysics will be valued.

Languages ENGLISH Level Basic

Research Field Astronomy Years of Research Experience None

Additional Information

.- Legislation framework: The fellowship contract will comply with:

• a) Law n.º 123/2019, of 28th August 2019 - 'Estatuto do Bolseiro de Investigação' (Research Grant Holder Statute) in force [ https://dre.pt/dre/legislacao-consolidada/lei/2004-58216179 ]
• b) Regulation n.º 950/2019, of 16th December 2019 - 'Regulamento de Bolsas e Investigação da Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia' (FCT Regulation for Research Fellowships) in force [ https://files.dre.pt/2s/2019/12/241000000/0009100105.pdf ]
• c) "CAUP's Fellowship Regulation" (available at www.astro.up.pt/documentos/CAUP-RegulamentoBolsas.pdf ).

The fellow’s functions are carried out under a scheme of exclusive dedication, in accordance with the terms established in the article 5 of Research Grant Holder Statute (Estatuto do Bolseiro de Investigação).

.- Monthly allowance: According to the FCT table values [ https://www.fct.pt/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Tabela_valores_SMM_2025.p… ], the monthly allowance will be €1.359,64 (tax free) and will be paid monthly by bank transfer.

The fellow will have a personal accident insurance. They can also exercise the right to social security by joining the voluntary social insurance scheme, if not covered by any other social protection scheme, under the terms of the Código dos Regimes Contributivos do Sistema Previdencial de Segurança Social, as stipulated in article 10 of the Research Grant Holder Statute (Estatuto do Bolseiro de Investigação).

.- Place of work: The work will be carried out at CAUP (in the Porto node of the Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço), Rua das Estrelas, 4150-762, under the scientific supervision of one or more members of the IA research team.

.- Fellowship duration: The fellowship should start until October of 2027 and has a duration of 12 months.

Eligibility criteria

.- Scientific area: Astronomy and Astrophysics.

.- Requirements for admission: The applicants must have completed a BSc degree in Astronomy/Astrophysics or a related discipline. They must also comply with the requirements to be enrolled in a PhD program at the University of Porto at the time of the start of the fellowship. Only applications from candidates having an adequate background in Astronomy, Physics, Mathematics, or other relevant domains, will be considered.

.- Additional skills and qualifications: Having a Master’s degree with a thesis in an area of Astronomy/Astrophysics will be valued.

Selection process

.- Application: The application, to be submitted through the web form indicated below, should include the following information:

• a) Cover letter with a brief description of the candidate's experience and motivation; and indicating in which areas you are interested in conducting your research.
• b) Detailed Curriculum Vitae describing the academic path and research experience (up to 4 pages with at least 10pt font size).
• c) List of completed curricular units with the respective grades.
• d) BSc and MSc (if applicable) degree diploma or certificate (*).
• e) Name and contact details (position, email, address) of up to two reference contacts, who will be available to provide information about the candidate (these will be contacted at the Selection Committee's discretion).

(*) The documents that prove the entitlement of the academic qualifications or diplomas can be dismissed during the application period and replaced by a signed declaration of honour. If not provided during the application process, these documents must nevertheless be submitted when signing the contract.

In the event that the degree was awarded by a higher education institution outside of Portugal, that degree must comply with the provisions of Decree-Law n.º 66/2018 of 16th August 2018 (approves the legal regime for the recognition of foreign higher academic degrees) and Ministerial Order n.º 43/2020 of 14th February which changes the Ministerial Order n.º 33/2019 of 25th January, and all formalities established therein must be complied with up to the date of signing the contract.

Applicants are advised to check the website of the Directorate-General for Higher Education (DGES) for further information: https://www.dges.gov.pt/en/pagina/degree-and-diploma-recognition . They can also check information on the website of the University of Porto: https://sigarra.up.pt/up/en/WEB_BASE.GERA_PAGINA?p_pagina=1005819 .

.- Deadline: This call for applications will remain open from the 09 of November 2026 until the 15 of January 2027.

.- Selection criteria and evaluation: The evaluation of the applications will be performed based on:

• (i) - Curricular evaluation:
• a) (15%) Cover letter with a brief description of the candidate's experience and motivation.
• b) (60%) CV, considering the degree and previous academic training, including grades of completed curricular units and the relevance of that training to the topic of the call.
• c) (25%) Relevance of previous research experience.
• An ordered list of candidates will be defined by the Selection Committee based on the information presented in the submitted documents and the criteria mentioned above. If deemed necessary, the designated referees referred to in paragraph e) of point 10 may be asked to provide reference letters, which will be taken into account in the evaluation of points b.) and c.) of the selection criteria.
• The Selection Committee will interview the admitted candidates with a classification equal or above 85% and a maximum for the first 3 places of the remaining selection criteria.
• (ii) - Interview: The interview will be used to obtain clarifications concerning aspects related to the CV and research experience presented in the application, as well as to evaluate the candidate's profile in face of the aspects referred in points 2, 3, and 5; and also to validate the candidate's communication skills and social interaction, as well as their command of the English language.
• The final evaluation grade will be a weighted average between the two components, where the curricular evaluation weighs 80% and the interview 20%. After the interview, only candidates with a grade above or equal to 85% will be considered for the final selection.

.- Selection Committee:

• Sérgio Sousa (Chair)
• Manuel Abreu
• Teresa Barata
• Mário João Monteiro (alternate 1)
• Alexandre Cabral (alternate 2)
• Daniel Folha (alternate 3)

.- Awarding of the contract: Following the evaluation process, the fellowship will be offered according to the ordered list proposed by the selection committee. The position will only be filled if applicants meeting the required conditions are identified. Only candidates with a minimum grade of 85% will be accepted. All the candidates will be notified by e-mail, sent by the call holder, with the final classifications and the selection meeting minutes and/or evaluation grids enclosed.

.- Time limits for the appeal procedure: Candidates have 10 working days, after the date of announcement of the results, to pronounce on the decision through e-mail to jobs @ iastro.pt and to the Chair of the Selection Committee [sergio.sousa @ astro.up.pt]. Appeals against the final decision may be submitted to the Executive Board of CAUP [direcao @ astro.up.pt] within 15 working days after the notification date.