Research Studentships PhD students - (BL151/2026-IST-ID)

Associação do Instituto Superior Técnico para a Investigação e Desenvolvimento _IST-ID; Portugal; On-site; EUR 12,000 - 19,000; Part time

Job summary

The PhD candidate will investigate ecological impacts of flexible hydropower operation on freshwater ecosystems by combining field monitoring, laboratory experiments, ecohydraulic analyses and predictive modelling. The research will focus on hydropeaking effects on fish populations and habitats, identifying environmental drivers and developing science-based monitoring strategies.

The position involves analysis of ecological datasets and modelling using R/Python, with international collaboration

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Environmental Engineering, Ecology, or a closely related field.
• Proficiency in data analysis and statistics (R, Python, or similar).
• Experience with hydraulic, hydrodynamic, habitat or GIS modelling tools is a plus.
• Good scientific writing skills and English proficiency.

Responsibilities

• Investigate ecological impacts of flexible hydropower operation on freshwater ecosystems.
• Analyse ecological and environmental datasets and perform modelling analyses.
• Disseminate results through peer-reviewed publications and international conferences.

Skills

Data analysis (R/Python)

Field work

English proficiency

Team collaboration

Education

Master's degree in Environmental Engineering

Master's degree in Ecology

Tools

Hydraulic modelling

GIS modelling tools

Hydrodynamic modelling

Job description

Organisation/Company Associação do Instituto Superior Técnico para a Investigação e Desenvolvimento _IST-ID Department DRH Research Field Engineering » Civil engineering Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions Master Positions Application Deadline 9 Nov 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Lisbon) Country Portugal Type of Contract Not Applicable Job Status Not Applicable Offer Starting Date 23 Oct 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Other EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Workplan:The PhD candidate will investigate the ecological impacts of flexible hydropower operation on freshwater ecosystems by combining field monitoring, laboratory experiments, ecohydraulic analyses and predictive modelling. The research will focus on understanding the effects of hydropeaking on fish populations and critical habitats, identifying the main environmental drivers of ecological impacts, and developing science-based strategies to monitor and support environmentally sustainable hydropower operation. The candidate will contribute to the analysis of ecological and environmental datasets, hydrodynamic and habitat modelling with the aim of improving the balance between renewable energy production and biodiversity conservation. Results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed scientific publications and international conferences.

Duration:The research fellowship will have the duration of 36 months, scheduled to start in November 2026, and may be eventually renewed up to the maximum of 12 months, including the duration of the initial contract.

Admission Requirements: Applicants must hold a Master's degree in Environmental Engineering, Ecology, or a closely related field and to be enrolled PhD.

The ideal candidate should have:

• Experience in field and/or laboratory work related to aquatic ecosystems.
• Knowledge of data analysis and statistical methods, preferably using R, Python, or similar software.
• Experience with hydraulic, hydrodynamic, habitat or GIS modelling tools will be considered an asset.
• Good scientific writing skills and proficiency in spoken and written English.
• Strong problem-solving abilities, with the capacity to work both independently and as part of an interdisciplinary and international research team.

Motivation to conduct high-quality research and disseminate results through peer-reviewed publications and international conferences.

Additional Information

Duration:The research fellowship will have the duration of 36 months, scheduled to start in November 2026, and may be eventually renewed up to the maximum of 12 months, including the duration of the initial contract.

Eligibility criteria

Admission Requirements: Applicants must hold a Master's degree in Environmental Engineering, Ecology, or a closely related field and to be enrolled PhD.

The ideal candidate should have:

• Experience in field and/or laboratory work related to aquatic ecosystems.
• Knowledge of data analysis and statistical methods, preferably using R, Python, or similar software.
• Experience with hydraulic, hydrodynamic, habitat or GIS modelling tools will be considered an asset.
• Good scientific writing skills and proficiency in spoken and written English.
• Strong problem-solving abilities, with the capacity to work both independently and as part of an interdisciplinary and international research team.

Motivation to conduct high-quality research and disseminate results through peer-reviewed publications and international conferences.

Selection process

Selection methods: The selection methods will be the following: Curriculum evaluation and individual interview, with the respective weights of 80 and 20%, respectively.

Announcement/ notification of the results: The final evaluation results will be communicated to all applicants by email.

Deadlines and procedures of complaint and appeal. After notification of the provisional list of evaluation results, candidates have a period of 10 working days to, if they wish, make a statement at a preliminary hearing of interested parties, in accordance with Articles 121 et seq. of the Code of Administrative Procedure. The final decision will be made after analyzing the statements presented at the preliminary hearing of interested parties. The final decision may be appealed to the competition jury or to the President of IST-ID within 15 working days of notification