Technician with Master Science Degree position (Reference REQUIMTE 2026-70)

REQUIMTE - Rede de Quimica e Tecnologia; Portugal; On-site; EUR 14,000 - 17,000; Full time

Job summary

REQUIMTE - Rede de Química e Tecnologia invites applications for a Master-level Biochemist to join the BeTASTy project at the University of Porto. You will develop cell culture models to mimic the oral environment and study interactions of taste-active polyphenols with oral tissues.

Responsibilities include analytical work with HPLC/UHPLC and electrophoresis, extraction and analysis of polyphenols, and designing sensory panels to evaluate astringency. Starting date: 2027-01-01.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Biochemistry or related field with at least 18 points final classification.
• Proficiency in HPLC analysis and colorimetric assays for quantification in complex matrices.
• Knowledge of cell and molecular biology, molecular experiments, and electrophoresis techniques (SDS-PAGE).
• Experience in data processing and statistical analysis of multi-factor data sets.
• Experience designing training protocols and conducting sensory panels, especially for astringency evaluation.

Responsibilities

• Develop innovative cell culture models for in vitro simulation of the oral environment.
• Study interactions between taste-active compounds and oral cavity components.
• Characterize interactions using techniques including HPLC/UHPLC and SDS-PAGE.
• Extract and analyze polyphenols and astringent compounds from tongue scrapings.

Skills

Master’s degree Biochemistry

HPLC analysis

Colorimetric assays

Cell and molecular biology

Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE)

Data processing & statistics

Sensory panels design

Education

Master’s degree Biochemistry

Biological Sciences/Biomedical Engineering background

Tools

HPLC

UHPLC

SDS-PAGE

Electrophoresis

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? Horizon Europe - ERC Reference Number Grant Agreement 101040462 ERC-2021-STG Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

A Technician with Master Science Degree position (Reference REQUIMTE 2026-70) is available at REQUIMTE, at the project BeTASTy –“New Molecular and Cell-based Approaches to assess Food Astringency and Bitterness”Grant Agreement 101040462 ERC-2021-STG, supported by European funds by European Research Council.

Type of contract: work contract for a non-fixed term

Starting date: January 1, 2027

Scientific area: Biochemistry

Monthly salary: Level 14 of the Single Salary Table (TRU) 1.393,88 Euros

Applicable Legislation: Portuguese Labour Code, approved by Law 7/2009 of February 12, in its actual form.

The selected candidate will carry out experimental work within the scope of the following tasks:

• Development of innovative cell culture models for the in vitro simulation of the oral environment.
• Study of the interactions between taste-active compounds (e.g., polyphenols), particularly those contributing to the sensation of astringency, and the components of the oral cavity.
• Characterization of these interactions by using complementary techniques, including liquid chromatographic (HPLC, UHPLC) and electrophoresis SDS-PAGE.
• Extraction and analysis of polyphenols and other astringent compounds retained on the oral epithelium, using tongue scrapings collected from human assessors.

Admission requirements:

• Master’s degree Biochemistry, Biological Sciences, Biomedical Engineering or similar, with a final classification equal to or greater than 18 points.
• Proficient in HPLC analysis and colorimetric assays for the quantification of polyphenols and other analytes in complex matrices.
• Knowledge of cell and molecular biology, molecular experiments, and electrophoresis techniques (SDS-PAGE) is required. Experience in dataprocessing and statistical analysis of multi-factor data sets will be considered an advantage.
• Experience on designing training protocols and conducting sensory panels, especially for astringency evaluation.

If the master's degree was awarded by a foreign higher education institution, it must comply with the provisions of Decree-Law no. 66/2018, of August 16, and any formalities established therein must be completed by the date of signature of the contract.

Work place

The work will be carried out in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto, under the scientific guidance of Susana Soares (Assistant Professor), Joana Guedes (PhD) and Elsa Brandão (PhD).

Selection criteria

1. Final average for Master's or Integrated Master's (20%);

2. Relevant experience in the scientific area of research and experience in the techniques required for the execution of the work (e.g., chromatographic techniques, methods for extraction and characterization of bioactive compounds, molecular biology techniques, human cell culture, sensory analysis and statistical tools for data science) (50%);

3. Consistency of the curriculum vitae, specifically regarding scientific indicators in the specific areas of the call, including articles published in international peer-reviewed journals, oral presentations, and participation in research projects (30%).

The jury will not award the current position to candidates with a final classification lower than 16 points.

Jury composition

Joana Guedes (1st Vogal)

Results announcement

Candidates will be directly informed by email about the result of their application. The ranking of the candidates will be published at a visible and public area of REQUIMTE facilities.