1 (one) Research Fellowship (BI) for PhD student or MSc enrolled in a non-degree course

1 Research Fellowship(s) (BI) is(are) open at the FCiências.ID – Associação para a Investigação e Desenvolvimento de Ciências, for the project/R&D institution “LandEX: Improving Landscape resilience by integrating measures to adapt and mitigate hydrological EXtremes”, “Water4All/0005/2022, “DOI: https://doi.org/10.54499/Water4All/0005/2022”, funded by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. through national funds under the Water4All JTC 2022, under the following conditions:

1. Scientific Area: Natural Sciences - Earth and Environmental Sciences 
    
2. Admission requirements: National or foreign candidates holding a Master's degree in Environmental Sciences, Biology, Ecology, Geography or related areas and who also meet the following requirements:
   a) Proven experience in carrying out work in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) (information to be provided on the CV and/or motivation letter);
   b) Experience in organizing and statistical processing of data, exploratory data analysis and interpretation of statistical results (information to be provided on the CV and/or motivation letter); 
   c) Experience in communicating and interacting with stakeholders (information to be provided on the CV and/or motivation letter); 
   d) Proficiency in the Portuguese language (B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, certified by the relevant diploma, or as a native language), ensuring formal or informal presentations related to the project in a fluent and confident manner, interactions with different Portuguese stakeholders and the ability to translate and adapt technical/academic content into Portuguese.
    
3. Additional optional skills and qualifications: Information to be provided in the CV and/or motivation letter:
   a) Experience in processing and processing spatial data (GIS);
   b) Knowledge and experience in statistical data processing and processing;
   c) Previous professional and/or academic experience in preparing technical/scientific reports;
   d) Experience in organizing or co-organizing events such as workshops, seminars, lectures, training courses, round tables or symposiums;
   e) Motivation and ability to moderate and conduct discussion sessions, in the context of meetings, workshops, congresses or symposiums;
   f) Ability to create, adapt and execute surveys/interviews with different stakeholders;
   g) Availability to travel to the study site (Tavira, Algarve), to carry out interviews/interactions with stakeholders, and/or field surveys;
   h) Skills for processing data from surveys or interviews, including systematization of information from interviews;
   i) Aptitude for preparing didactic content such as preparing materials, presentations and activities within the scope of dissemination and promotion of the project;
   j) Have a valid driving license (category B) and the ability to drive commercial vehicles;
   k) Proficiency in Portuguese and English (written and oral).
    
4. Contracting requirements: Presentation of the academic qualifications and/or diplomas. Enrolment in   a PhD or a non-degree course developed in association or cooperation between a High Education Institution and one or multiple research units. 
    
5. Work plan: LandEX aims to improve landscape resilience to hydro-climatic extremes—both floods and droughts—by spatially optimizing a set of adaptation measures in the landscape. The knowledge gaps addressed by LandEX include: (i) how different Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) can increase water retention in the landscape and thus mitigate both floods and droughts simultaneously; (ii) how the spatial location of these measures determines their effectiveness at the landscape level; and (iii) potential synergies to mitigate both floods and droughts through a network of different measures distributed across the landscape. The LandEX project uses the concept of hydrological connectivity to design spatially explicit adaptation scenarios in order to retain available water during wet periods and make it available during dry periods. To quantify the effectiveness of the scenarios at the regional level, LandEX will use hydrological modelling. The approach will be tested in five study areas from north to south across Europe (European project partners: Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden). The LandEX project, focusing on the Algarve's leeward side, aims to achieve the following specific objectives: WP1: Investigate critical locations for flood and drought occurrence, the effectiveness of existing NbS measures for flood and drought mitigation, and potential synergies of NbS to mitigate both floods and droughts. WP2: Co-create spatially viable and potentially effective adaptation scenarios for landscape measures, in close collaboration with local and regional stakeholders. WP3: Quantify the effectiveness of flood and drought adaptation scenarios using spatially explicit hydrological models. WP4: Support the development of a toolbox to optimize landscape resilience to hydro-climatic extremes and visualize scenario results through a mapping interface. WP5: Promote collaborative learning among the five European study areas, enabling experience exchange and defining different sets of innovative adaptation measures.
   The work plan for the fellow includes: 
   i) Collaboration with the project team in organizing and executing project tasks, including participation in bi-monthly project Consortium meetings; 
   ii) Analysis of flood and drought hotspots and existing measures in the study area (WP1); 
   iii) Development of maps with NbS scenarios, and evaluation of the synergy of NbS measures and their functioning in the landscape (WP1, WP3); 
   iv) Support and execution of surveys and interviews with stakeholders (WP1, WP3); 
   v) Data processing from surveys and interviews: summarizing and systematizing information (WP1, WP3, WP5); 
   vi) Collection of data (hydrometric, climate, NbS, etc.), processing (including spatial information) and parameterization to be included in the scenarios, modeling – connectivity of flood and drought risks – and in the toolbox (WP2, WP4); 
   vii) Organization of a workshop (regional – Algarve): ‘co-design of adaptation scenarios’. Identifying, motivating, and bringing together local stakeholders to co-create effective adaptation scenarios, considering their preferences regarding measures (identified in task WP3) and current flood and drought hotspots (developed in WP1 and WP4) (WP5).
   The work plan includes visits to the Algarve to carry out the work.
    
6. Legislation framework: Research Fellowship Holder Statute, in accordance with Law 40/2004, of 18 August, in its current version and the FCT Regulation for Research Studentships and Fellowships, in its current version  (Reg. 950/2019 published in DR on 16th  December: https://dre.pt/application/file/a/127230968,  or at the FCT website: https://www.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/regulamento.phtml.pt), and FCiências.ID Fellowship Regulation, as approved on 12th May 2020 (available at Regulamento de Bolsas de Investigação Científica da FCiências.ID).
    
7. Place of work: The work will be developed at the CE3C – Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa under the scientific supervision of Professor Cristina Antunes.
    
8. Fellowship duration: This position is initially opened for 6 months due to start in March 2025. The fellowship contract may be potentially renewed for 18 months, in accordance with the provisions of Regulation of Research Fellowships from the Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P. 
    
9. Monthly allowance: The fellowship amounts to € 1 259,64, according to table values of the fellowships awarded directly by the FCT, IP. The fellowship holder will have a personal accident insurance and can ensure the right to social security through adherence to the voluntary social insurance scheme, if not covered by any other social protection scheme, pursuant to Código dos Regimes Contributivos do Sistema Previdencial de Segurança Social.
   The fellowship will be paid monthly by bank transfer. 
    
10. Evaluation and selection process: Candidates will be assessed by 
     (a) Proven experience in working with Geographical Information Systems (GIS) - 20%;
     (b) Proven experience in the organisation and statistical processing of data, exploratory data analysis and interpretation of statistical results - 20%; 
    (c) Experience in interacting with stakeholders, organising workshops and knowledge dissemination activities in the area of the competition - 20%; 
    (d) Ability to create, execute and analyse stakeholder surveys/interviews - 10%;
    (e) Proven experience in preparing technical/scientific reports - 15%; 
    (f) Assessment of the motivation letter - 15%.
    The jury may decide to interview the 3 (three) best ranked candidates in criteria a) to f) for clarifications and improved explanations of curricular elements. If there is an interview, the sum of the classification obtained in the evaluation criteria a) to f) will correspond to 90% of the final classification and the interview will correspond to 10%.
    Applicants whose application is scored with a final classification of less than 50 points are not eligible for granting a fellowship.
     
11. Selection Committee: President of the jury: Cristina Antunes (CE3C); 1st effective member: João Pedro Nunes (WUR); 2nd effective member: Luis Dias (CE3C); 1st alternate member: Sergio Chozas (CE3C); 2nd alternate member Pedro Pinho (CE3C).
     
12. Publication/notification of results: All the candidates will be notified by e-mail, sent by the call holder, with the selection meeting minutes enclosed.
     
13. Deadlines: This call for applications is open from 05/02/2025 to 18/02/2025 .
     
14. Application: Applications should be sent via e-mail to  cmaantunes@fc.ul.pt, by attaching the following documents: 
    a) Curriculum vitae;
    b) Certificate of completion of previous degree Note 1, 2;
    c) Motivation letter;
    d) Certificate of Portuguese Level (for non-native speakers only).
     
15. Processing of personal data: FCiências.ID – Associação para a Investigação e Desenvolvimento de Ciências, as the controller under the General Data Protection Regulation, collects and processes the personal data requested in the context indicated in paragraph 14., under the legitimate interests in ensuring the award of the research fellowship to candidates with the indicated profile.
    The personal data will be kept for the period necessary for the execution of the purposes for which they are intended, being ensured the processing and protection in an appropriate and diligent way, the confidentiality and integrity of these data, through appropriate technical and organizational measures.
    Personal data may be transmitted to third parties, namely the entity funding the research project, solely for the purposes specifically established. In this sense, whenever the transfer of personal data to countries outside the European Union and/or international organizations is necessary, compliance with the applicable legal provisions is ensured.
    You have the right to request access, rectification, elimination, limitation of processing, the right to object and also data portability (if technically feasible), through the e-mail address: dpo@fciencias-id.pt. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the National Data Protection Commission. 
    For more information, we recommend consulting the Internal Rules of Data Protection of FCiências.ID - Association for Research and Development of Sciences at https://fciencias-id.pt/.
     
16. Time limits for the appeal procedure: In case of negative decision, the candidates have 10 business days, after the date of announcement of the results of the candidates’ evaluation, to pronounce their disagreement in accordance with the Código do Procedimento Administrativo. Appeals against the final decision may be submitted to the Administration Board of FCiências.ID (fciencias.id@fciencias-id.pt) within 15 business days after the notification date.

Note 1: The documents that prove the entitlement of the academic qualifications and diplomas can be dismissed during the application period and replaced by a declaration on their honour from the applicant (Minuta PT, Minute EN). Their delivery is mandatory for the fellowship contractualization.

Note 2: Please note that - higher education degrees and diplomas awarded by foreign higher education institutions  need to be  recognized by a Portuguese higher education institution, pursuant to the Decree-Law nr. 66/2018 (August 16) and the Ministerial Order nr. 33/2019 (January 25). The presentation of the recognition certificate is mandatory for contract signature. More information can be obtained at: https://www.dges.gov.pt/en/pagina/degree-and-diploma-recognition.