Research Fellowship (BI) (Reference REQUIMTE 2026-69)

Unist; Porto; Hybrid; EUR 16,000 - 21,000; Full time

Job summary

REQUIMTE – Rede de Química e Tecnologia in Portugal seeks a Researcher Fellow (BI) for the ResiQWear project. The role focuses on extraction, purification, and characterization of phytochemicals, development of functional nanocapsules, and supporting student supervision and report writing.

The fellowship supports cutting-edge chemistry/biochemistry research at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, with a 6-month duration renewable up to 24 months, starting 1 January 2027.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry or related field and enrollment in a doctoral program.
• Experience with extraction, purification and characterization of phytochemicals.
• Experience in development and characterization of functional nanocapsules.

Responsibilities

• Extraction of phenolic compounds and bioactives from agro-industrial by-products using sustainable methods.
• Extraction and processing of polysaccharides and chitosan from shellfish waste.
• Structural and physicochemical characterization of compounds using analytical techniques.
• Development of functional (nano)capsules and stability studies.
• Supervision support for undergraduate researchers and writing reports.

Skills

Phytochemical extraction

Chromatography (HPLC)

Nanocapsule development

Education

Master's degree in Chemistry/Biochemistry

Tools

HPLC-DAD

HPLC-MS

NMR

FTIR

DLS

SEM

XRD

TGA

Job description

Organisation/Company REQUIMTE - Rede de Quimica e Tecnologia Research Field Chemistry » Biochemistry Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions Master Positions Application Deadline 20 Nov 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Lisbon) Country Portugal Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time 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 Research Fellowship (BI) (Reference REQUIMTE 2026-69) on the project ResiQWear - NORTE2030-FEDER-01985000, supported by FEDER funds (COMPETE 2030), is available at REQUIMTE.

Main research field: Chemistry

Secondary scientific area: Food Chemistry

Admission requirements: Master's degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, or related fields and enrollment in a doctoral program or enrollment/attendance of a non-degree course taught by a higher education institution in conjunction with an R&D unit in Natural Sciences areas. Previous experience in the extraction, purification, and characterization of phytochemicals using chromatographic techniques (HPLC-DAD and HPLC-MS), as well as the development and characterization of functional nanocapsules.

In case the Master degree was awarded by a foreign higher education institution, it must comply with the provisions of Decree-Law no. 66/2018 of 16th August, and all formalities established therein must be complied with at the signature of Fellowship contract.

Working plan:

a) Extraction of phenolic compounds (including anthocyanins) and other bioactive compounds from agro‑industrial by‑products using different sustainable extraction methodologies (subcritical water, ultrasound, microwaves, green solvents); optimization of extraction processes.

b) Extraction of polysaccharides; extraction of chitosan from shellfish waste using sustainable methodologies.

c) Quantification and structural and physicochemical characterization of the extracted compounds using different analytical techniques (HPLC‑DAD, LC‑MS, GC‑MS, GC‑FID, NMR, FTIR, UV‑Vis, SEM, XRD, TGA); determination of compound yield and purity; determination of physicochemical properties (pH, solubility, and thermal stability).

d) Development of functional (nano)capsules, with encapsulation of bioactive compounds in natural biopolymers (lignin, chitosan, pectins) using techniques such as ionic gelation, nanoprecipitation, and spray‑drying and/or chemical functionalization of biopolymers (grafting); characterization of the obtained nanocapsules, including particle size and zeta potential (DLS); structural characterization (SEM, FTIR, DSC, TGA), and stability studies (pH, temperature, UV/visible light).

e) Studies of interactions between biopolymers and phenolic compounds.

f) Support for the supervision of undergraduate students in a research context.

g) Writing of project reports and scientific articles.

Work Place: The work will be conducted at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, under the supervision of Iva Fernandes.

Duration: The fellowship will have a duration of 6 months, possibly renewable for equal periods for up to 24 months, starting on 1st January 2027.

Selection criteria: The selection methods will be:

The selection methods to be used will be as follows:

Selection will be based on the candidate’s scientific and academic background. The assessment will focus on the final Master’s degree grade (C1) and the experience and coherence of the Curriculum Vitae in the field of the call (C2).

The final score for the curricular evaluation and scientific track record (ACPS) will be obtained using the following formula:

If there are candidates whose scores differ by no more than 10% from the best-ranked candidate's score, the selection committee will interview the top-ranked candidate and the candidates in this situation. In this case, the interview will count for 20%.

The selection committee will not award the fellowship to candidates with a classification below 50%.

Jury composition:

Chair: Iva Luzia Reis Fernandes, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto;

1st Full Member: Ana Luísa Mosqueira Alves Pires Fernandes, Researcher at REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto;

2nd Full Member: Andreia Filipa Ribeiro de Oliveira Peixoto, Researcher at REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto;

1st Alternate Member: Joana Alexandra da Silva Oliveira Pinto da Silva, Researcher at REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto;

2nd Alternate Member: Clara Isabel Barbosa Rodrigues Pereira, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto.

Publicity and communication of results: The ranking of applications will be published in a visible and public area of REQUIMTE facilities, and all candidates will be informed by email about the result of their application.