Research Grant - BIPD_35_DEM_TEMA_2026_e-CO2FT

EuroSoHo; Aveiro; Hybrid; EUR 19,000 - 23,000; Full time

Job summary

O Universidade de Aveiro, através do TEMA – Centro de Tecnologia Mecânica e Automação, está a oferecer uma bolsa de pós-doutoramento na área de ciência e engenharia de materiais e química, no âmbito de projetos COMPETE2030. O candidato deverá possuir PhD em Química ou área relacionada e experiência comprovada em R&D de materiais cerâmicos funcionais e eletroquímica.

A posição envolve desenvolvimento de dispositivos eletroquímicos para reciclagem de CO₂, com duração de 12 meses e possibilidade de

Qualifications

• Doctor Degree in Chemistry or related area.
• Demonstrated prior experience in R&D (R&D) in functional oxide materials, electrochemistry, and ceramic materials processing.
• Specialisation in electrode and electrolyte materials for solid oxide fuel cells, electrocatalysis, and electrochemical characterisation, with hands-on experience in materials synthesis, ceramic cell fabrication, impedance spectroscopy, and microstructural characterisation.

Responsibilities

• Develop a disruptive electrochemical device for CO₂ hydrogenation.
• Test, validate, and simulate device performance and stability.
• Evaluate distribution of CO₂ Fischer–Tropsch products under the device concept.
• Collaborate with the project team and contribute to publication-ready results.

Skills

R&D in oxides

Electrochemistry

Ceramic materials

Materials synthesis

Education

PhD in Chemistry

Job description

Organisation/Company Aveiro University Department Mechanical Engineering Department Research Field Engineering » Materials engineering Chemistry Researcher Profile Established Researcher (R3) Positions Postdoc Positions Application Deadline 20 Nov 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Lisbon) Country Portugal Type of Contract Not Applicable Job Status Not Applicable Hours Per Week 40 Offer Starting Date 1 Jan 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

Reference:BIPD_35_DEM_TEMA_2026_e-CO2FT

A tender is hereby opened for the award of a Postdoctoral Fellowship(s) (PDF) in the scope of R&D projects "Fischer–Tropsch Electrochemical Reactor for the Direct Conversion of Water Vapour and CO₂ into C₂–C₅+ Hydrocarbons" (COMPETE2030-FEDER-00770000) for TEMA – Centre for Mechanical Technology and Automation, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Aveiro under the following conditions:

1. Scientific Area:Science and Engineering of Materials/Chemistry.

2. Funding Source: Foundation for Science and Technology/MCTES, I.P., through national funds (PIDDAC), co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) of the European Union, through COMPETE 2030, COMPETE2030-FEDER-00770000, (Projeto FCT nº 16527) of Portugal 2030.

3. Admission Requirements: Doctor Degree in Chemistry or related area.

If the qualification was awarded by a foreign higher education institution, it must be recognised by a Portuguese higher education institution, in accordance with Article 25 of Decree-Law No. 66/2018 of 16 August, which establishes the legal framework for the recognition of academic degrees and higher education diplomas awarded by foreign higher education institutions, and Article 4(2)(e) of Decree-Law No. 60/2018 of 3 August. All formalities established under these provisions must be completed by the date of the employment contract's signing.

4. Other Requirements:Demonstrated prior experience in research and development (R&D) in the fields of functional oxide materials, electrochemistry, and ceramic materials processing. Specialisation in electrode and electrolyte materials for solid oxide fuel cells, electrocatalysis, and electrochemical characterisation, with hands‑on experience in materials synthesis, ceramic cell fabrication, impedance spectroscopy, and microstructural characterisation.

5. Eligibility: Applicants are eligible if they comply with paragraph b) of nos.1 and 2 of article 2, of the Research Fellow Statute as amended by Decree‑Law no. 123/2019, of August 28th, as well as in article 7 of the Research Grant Regulations of the Foundation for Science and Technology. PDFs can only be granted provided the following requirements are met cumulatively:

• The doctorate has been obtained within the three years prior to the date of submission of the application for the grant;
• The postdoctoral research is carried out in a host entity different from the entity where the research work leading to the doctoral degree was carried out;
• The research activities do not require postdoctoral experience;
• The research activities have a time frame for development and implementation of three years or less;
• The fellow does not exceed, with the conclusion of the grant contract in question, including possible renewals, an accumulated period of three years in that type of grant, consecutive or interpolated.

6.Work plan: To introduce a new concept for the production of synthetic chemicals and fuels through the sustainable recycling of CO₂. The objective is to construct, test, and simulate a disruptive electrochemical device for CO₂ hydrogenation that simultaneously enables in situ steam electrolysis. The candidate will evaluate the device’s performance, stability, and changes in the distribution of CO₂ Fischer–Tropsch (CO₂-FT) products through the concept of H₂ pumping..

7. Applicable legislation and regulations: Statute of Scientific Research Grant Holder, as amended by Decree‑Law no. 123/2019, of August 28th; Regulation no. 950/2019, of November 29th, published in Diário da República, no. 241, Series II, of December 16th (FCT, I.P. Research Grants Regulation); Decree‑Law no. 66/2018, of August 16th (Legal regime for recognition of academic degrees and diplomas of higher education awarded by foreign higher education institutions).

8. Workplace: The work will be carried out at TEMA – Centre for Mechanical Technology and Automation, Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Aveiro, under the scientific supervision of Professor Doctor António Carlos Mendes de Sousa e Doctor Duncan Paul Fagg.

9. Duration of the grant(s): The grant duration will be 12 months, starting in January of 2027, and may be renewed up to the maximum funding approved, and may under no circumstances exceed the limits defined in the Regulations for the type of grant in question, in accordance with Article 7 of Regulation No. 950/2019, of November 29th, published in the Diário da República, No. 241, Series II, of December 16th (FCT, I.P. Research Grants Regulation).

10.Amount of monthly maintenance allowance: The amount of the grant corresponds to €1901.00 according to the table of monthly maintenance allowance amounts set out in Annex I of Regulation no. 950/2019, subject to any updates that may be applicable, under the terms of no. 2 of article 18 of Regulation no. 950/2019, of November 29th, published in Diário da República, no. 241, Series II, of December 16th (Research Grants Regulation of FCT, I.P.). The fellow may also be reimbursed for the amount corresponding to the Voluntary Social Security, in case of adherence to this plan.

11. Selection methods:The selection methods to be used will be the following: curriculum vitae assessment, with the respective value of 100%.

The selection committee shall decide on admission based on absolute merit, taking into account the overall merit of the candidates’ curricula vitae in the scientific field of the competition, as well as compliance with the following requirement:

- To be the author or co-author of at least five articles published in international journals in the relevant scientific field.

Following the absolute merit assessment stage, the selection committee shall proceed with the evaluation of applications in accordance with the criteria established in this announcement.

The curriculum evaluation criteria are as follows:

1. Evaluation of Scientific Performance over the Last Two Years (12 points)

The scientific achievements considered most relevant by the candidate, assessed according to:

a) Scientific output: The quality and quantity of scientific output in the field of the competition (books, journal articles, and conference presentations), assessed on the basis of the number and type of publications and the recognition received from the scientific community, as reflected in the quality of the publication venues and citations by other authors.

b) Awards and prizes.

2. Evaluation of Knowledge Transfer and Dissemination Activities over the Last Five Years (1 point)

Activities undertaken over the last five years, particularly those related to the promotion of engineering and scientific practices, considered most relevant by the candidate.

3. Previous Research and Development (R&D) Experience (7 points)

Previous R&D experience in the fields of functional oxide materials, electrochemistry, and ceramic materials processing. Specialisation in electrode and electrolyte materials for solid oxide fuel cells, electrocatalysis, and electrochemical characterisation, with hands‑on experience in materials synthesis, ceramic cell fabrication, impedance spectroscopy, and microstructural characterisation.

Scoring and Selection Procedure

The score obtained through the curriculum evaluation method shall be expressed on a numerical scale from 0 to 20, calculated to two decimal places.

The selection committee shall make its decisions through a reasoned roll‑call vote, in accordance with the evaluation criteria. Abstentions shall not be permitted.

The selection committee reserves the right not to select any candidate if it considers that none of the candidates meets the required quality standards established by the evaluation criteria.

12. Composition of the Selection Jury: Chair: Dr Duncan Paul Fagg, Principal Researcher at the University of Aveiro. Full Members: Professor António Carlos Mendes de Sousa, Retired Full Professor at the University of Aveiro, Professor Margarida Isabel Cabrita Marques Coelho, Full Professor at the University of Aveiro. Alternate Members: Dr Paula Alexandrina de Aguiar Pereira Marques, Principal Researcher at the University of Aveiro, Professor Victor Fernando Santos Neto, Associate Professor at the University of Aveiro with Habilitation.

13. Deadline for applications and how to submit applications: The call is open from November 09 to 20, 2026 and only applications submitted within the deadline will be admitted.

14. Form of publication/notification of results: The final results of the evaluation will be published through an ordered list by final mark obtained posted on the University's website, within 90 working days after the final date of submission of the application, and the successful candidate will be notified by email. For the purposes of prior hearing of interested parties, the deadline of 10 working days is set, as provided for in the Code of Administrative Procedure. At the end of the period for hearing the interested parties, and in the absence of any response from them, the list of candidates will become final. Candidates may lodge a complaint against the final decision within 15 working days, or appeal to the maximum executive body of the funding entity within 30 working days after notification of the final decision, in accordance with the provisions of article 12 of the Research Grants Regulation of the Foundation for Science and Technology.

15. Tender duration: The final ranking list of candidates will be valid until March 31, 2027 for the purpose of constituting a reserve list for selection.

The models of the grant contract and of the final report to be prepared by the grant holder and the supervisor are available atResearch Fellows-sgrh -Universidadede Aveiro(ua.pt).

Requirements

Research Field Engineering » Maritime engineering Education Level PhD or equivalent

Research Field Chemistry Education Level PhD or equivalent

Languages PORTUGUESE Level Excellent

Languages ENGLISH Level Excellent

Research Field Engineering » Materials engineeringChemistry Years of Research Experience More than 10

Number of offers available 1 Company/Institute TEMA-Depart. of Mechanical Engineering - University of Aveiro Country Portugal State/Province Aveiro City Aveiro Postal Code 3810 - 193 Street CAMPUS UNIVERSITÁRIO DE SANTIAGO Geofield