CALL FOR A POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER (M/F) - CCMAR/ID/09/2018 | - CCMAR -

CALL FOR A POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER (M/F) - CCMAR/ID/09/2018

CALL FOR A POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER (M/F) HIRING UNDER ARTICLE 19 FROM DECREE-LAW NR 57/2016, OF 29th AUGUST, ALTERED BY LAW NR 57/2017, OF 19th JULY - 1 VACANCY

Reference: CCMAR/ID/09/2018


Job summary: The Algarve Centre for Marine Sciences (CCMAR) opens a call for a PostDoctoral Researcher (M/F), correspondent to the initial level, under an uncertain term employment contract, under Sistema de Apoio à Investigação Científica e Tecnológica (SAICT) – Call nr 02/SAICT/2017 - Projeto de Investigação Científica e Desenvolvimento Tecnológico (IC&DT), funded by Investment and Structural European Funds (FEEI) - Programa Operacional Regional do Algarve and National Funds (FCT-MEC) under the research project “METALCHEMBIO: Innovative combination of chemical and biological strategies for the recovery of metals from metals bearing wastewaters and leachates”,  ref. ALG-01-0145-FEDER - 029251”.

 

The accumulation of metals in the environment has several negative effects, which tend to be aggravated by their intensive demand and utilization. This situation is accompanied by the depletion of some primary resources. Hence, their recovery from secondary sources, namely wastes and wastewaters, using economically and environmentally sustainable techniques is a top priority. In this regard, the present project aims the recovery of strategic metals from two highly metals-contaminated effluents, and the recovery of PGMs from leachates from spent automotive catalysts. For that purpose, a pioneering approach that combines the potential of liquid-liquid extraction (or solvent extraction, SX) as separation technique, with the versatility of bio-recovery strategies based on the use of bacterial communities, solutions from their activity or plant extracts, will be used.

 

Working Plan:

Reporting to the project PI the candidate (PostDoctoral Researcher) will be responsible for:

  • Develop the planned activities under the research project:
    • Sampling of wastewaters, leaching of automotive catalysers and samples characterization
    • Liquid-liquid extraction for metals recovery
    • Biorecovery strategies based on the use of bacteria and plant extracts
    • Characterization of the bio-recovery precipitates
    • Pilot plant process

 

  • Co-supervision of students developing activities in the framework of the project.
  • Writing of reports, scientific papers and other documents of the project.

 

Regulation

  • Decree-Law nr 57/2016, from 29th August, altered by Law nr 57/2017, from 19th July, that approves a Doctoral Hiring regime to stimulate Scientific and Technological Employment in all knowledge areas (RJEC).
  • Portuguese Labor Law, approved by Law nr 7/2009, from 12th February in its current form. 
  • Regulatory Decree Nr 11-A / 2017, of 29th December.

 

Starting Date: The contract is expected to start on January 2019 and will remain only for the necessary execution period of the working plan.

Workplace: the activities will be developed at CCMAR installations (Gambelas Campus of the Algarve University, Portugal) and/or other necessary locations to their execution.

Working Schedule: 35 hours per week.

 

Monthly Remuneration: Gross monthly Remuneration is 2.128,34€, in accordance with subsection a), section 1, article 15 from Law nr 57/2017, 19th July, and with the remuneration position at initial level predicted in article 2 of Regulatory Decree nr 11-A/2017, of 29th December, correspondent to level 33 at Tabela Remuneratória Única, approved by Order nr 1553-C/2008, 31st December.

Application Period: between 31st of August and 17th of September 2018.  

 

Madatory Required Profile: Any National, foreign and stateless candidate(s) that hold the following requirements can apply:

  1. PhD in one of the following areas: Chemistry, Biology, Biotechnology, Biological or Chemical Engineering.
  2. The candidate should demonstrate experience in the last 5 years in:
    1. Processes of bioremediation /biorecovery of metals with bacteria and or plants in liquid-liquid extraction.
    2. Metal analysis by the following atomic spectroscopy techniques: Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and atomic emission spectroscopy by microwave plasma (MP-AES). 

 

Non-compliance with any of these requirements invalidates the application. Provision of false documentation will be punished by law.

 

Members of the Jury: in accordance with article 13º of RJEC the jury is composed of Professor Maria Clara Semedo da Silva Costa, researcher at CCMAR and  Assistant Professor at Algarve University; Professor Ana Paula Pereira Paiva, Assistant Professor at the Faculty  of Sciences  of the University of Lisbon; and Professor João Paulo Gil Lourenço, Assistant Professor at Algarve University.

Evaluation criteria: The admitted applications will be evaluated taking into account the merit, timeliness, quality and relevance of the scientific background (scientific production and research experience) and curriculum and their adequacy to the proposed work plan.

Applications will be scored on a scale of 0 to 100 points as follows:

Based on the Documents provided:

  1. Projects participation involving the fields/techniques listed in points 2.a and 2.b of the required profile. (25%).
  2. Experience in scale-up of chemical and or biological processes in the last 5 years.  (25%).
  3. Students co-orientation in the fields/techniques of points 2.a e 2.b of the required profile in the last 5 years.  (25%).
  4. Evaluation of the candidate selected publications (as specified below) involving the fields and techniques of 2.a and 2.b of the required profile in the last 5 years. The nature of the scientific production will be valued over the publication metrics or the publishing entity. (25%).

 

The period of five years referred in the evaluation criteria may be increased by the jury, at the request of the candidate, when justified on grounds of suspension of scientific activity for socially protected reasons, namely for reasons of parental leave, prolonged serious illness, and other situations of unavailability for work legally protected.

After evaluation of all admitted applications, the jury will write the meeting minutes with the description of the evaluation and selection process including an ordered list of approved candidates and their respective classification and final decision of the jury. The CCMAR Board of Directors shall validate the final decision of the jury.

The selection committee will exercise the right to contact and interview candidates should it require further information or clarification about their application. In the event that no applicant has the necessary profile, or the funding conditions have significantly changed since the announcement of this position, the selection committee reserves the right to close the call without any recruitment. In the event that the selected person does not accept the position or resigns during the contract, the jury reserves the right, upon convenience and opportunity, to assign the post to the next applicant in accordance with the ranking positions.

 

Application submission process and documents: Applications should be submitted via the CCMAR website (only applications submitted through the CCMAR website will be considered). You should consider your application as correctly submitted only after receiving a confirmation e-mail from CCMAR. Applications (in Portuguese or English) should include a Motivation Letter (with a personal assessment of the relevance of the activities of the last five years for the present competition, highlighting the chosen scientific publications), copy of your PhD Diploma, Detailed CV (in accordance with the requirements of the application), a pdf. digital copy of up to 3 top publications more relevant, other documents deemed as relevant for the application and the email contact of up to 3 references.

 

Results: Both admitted and excluded candidates list and final classification list shall be posted at CCMAR (Universidade do Algarve, edf. 7), at CCMAR website and all candidates will be notified by email. 

 

Preliminary Hearing and Final Decision Deadline: Pursuant to article 121 of the Portuguese Administrative Procedure Code, after notification, all candidates have 10 working days to respond. The final decisions will be announced within 90 days of the deadline.

 

Pursuant to Decree-Law nr 29/2001 of 3rd February, disabled candidates shall be preferred in a situation of equal classification, and said preference supersedes any legal preferences. Candidates must declare, on their honour, their respective disability degree, type of disability and communication / expression means to be used during selection period on their application form, under the regulations above.

CCMAR’s non-discrimination and equal access opportunities policy – No candidate can be privileged, benefited, jeopardised or be deprived of any right or exempt of any claim in regards to descendent, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, economic situation, origin, social economy, genetic heritage, disability, chronic disease, nationality, ethnicity, territory of origin, language, religion, politics, ideology or union membership. 

 

Faro, 24 th August 2018

 

Position 
Postdoc
Period 
31/08/2018 to 17/09/2018