– IMPORTANT NOTE –
INL is actively working to mitigate the risk of CoVid-19 and is promoting protection measures within their community with impact in the regular activities. Ongoing and new R&S processes may have changes during this exceptional period. Please check the details in the job vacancy to keep track on any updates. Junior Fellow in sensors for harmful cyanobacterial blooms (cyanoHABs) monitoring Job Reference: Ref.11.21.47
Employer: International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL)
Location: Braga, Portugal
Group/Unit: Water Quality
Number of Vacancies: 1
Employment Type: Full time
Contract Duration: 24 months Open Date for Applications: November 26th, 2021
Closing Date for Applications: December 21st, 2021, 23h00m (Lisbon Time) Key words: #electrochemical sensors, #water quality monitoring, #harmful cyanobacterial blooms (HABs), #microfluidics, #molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) Overview
The Water Quality Research Group is working on overcoming some of the most challenging issues in water environment making responsible use of the great opportunities that
We are looking for a qualified researcher whose main responsibility will be to develop new sensors for the early detection of toxic harmful cyanobacterial blooms (cyanoHABs) in water bodies under the project AIHABs, with the code Aquatic/0005/2020 in the area of environmental monitoring and assessment.
The selected candidate will be working with an experienced group of researchers in (cyano)HABs, nanomaterials and new developed microfluidic devices and sensors. Project Specifications: This project is financed by ERA-NET Cofund Aquatic Pollutants through the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), by national funds (State Budget).
a) Name of the project: ‘AIHABs – AI-powered Forecast for Harmful Algal Blooms’
b) Reference number: Aquatic/0005/2020 and ID 411 of JPI-ERANET Aquatic Pollutants
c) Scientific Areas: Environmental Sciences
d) Description: AIHABs is a multidisciplinary innovative initiative aimed at developing an integrated evaluation system to forecast the risk derived from the presence of emerging cyanotoxins in inland and coastal ecosystems. The innovation of this proposal resides at merging tools as last generation Artificial Intelligence (AI), remote sensing, nanosensors, hydrodynamic modelling and massive genetic sequencing with the joint purpose of providing an early warning system to decision making authorities in terms of risk to the population. The predicting modelling effort will allow a timely action to minimize the risks of consuming surface waters or using them as recreational resources when the waterbodies are prone to produce toxic cyanobacterial blooms. Job Duties
The job duties will be the following:
Replicate and tailor previously developed portable sensors for microcystins (cyanotoxin);
Support the development of new portable sensor for saxitoxins (cyanotoxin) based on molecularly imprinted polymers;
Perform validation tests with contaminated waters;
Collaborate with international multidisciplinary team;
Produce several technical and scientific documentation and work planning.
Mandatory Qualifications Education
Master’s degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, nanotechnology or similar.
Technical Skills
– Experience in electrochemical sensors;
– Experience in Molecularly Imprinted Polymers;
– Experience in surface and analytical chemistry;
– Experience in analytical techniques: HPLC-DAD/FL, UV-Vis spectrophotometry, FTIR, fluorescence spectroscopy, ELISA;
– Good command of spoken and written English language. The call describes the requirements in terms of qualifications and professional experience deemed appropriate for the position. If a candidate has additional qualifications and professional experience, they can only be recruited at the job category and profile specified. Applications that not meet these conditions will not be considered. Preferred Qualifications
Experience in microfluidics;
Experience in detection of biotoxins;
Experience in nanomaterials characterization such as SEM, TEM, AFM, FTIR.
Personal Skills
‘Hands-on’ approach together with a high commitment in respecting working deadlines;
Problem Solving ability;
Ability to work independently and as team player;
Good communication skills.
Supervision: The work plan will be developed at the INL under the scientific guidance of Dr. Begoña Espiña. The successful candidate will be integrated in the Water Quality Group. Selection Committee:
The selection of candidates will be carried out by a Selection Committee consisting of the following persons:
1) Begoña Espiña – Scientific Supervisor
2) Raquel Queirós – Staff Researcher
3) Marilia Santos – Staff Researcher
4) Patrícia Oliveira – Human Resources Duration of the contract
The total duration of the employment contract shall be 24 months. The expected starting date is January 2022. General Eligibility conditions, required qualifications and expertise:
Candidates must comply with the following requirements:
Hold a MSc Degree within the field of the selected vacancy;
Be a Portuguese citizen, a European Union citizen, a non-European Union Citizen, or a stateless person with a scientific and professional curriculum that demonstrates an appropriate profile for the activity to be performed;
Fluency in English is required.
How to Apply
The application must be in English and include the following mandatory documents:
a) Cover letter;
b) Curriculum Vitae;
c) Academic and/or Professional diplomas;
d) At least one recommendation letter;
e) Recognition of academic degrees (only academic degrees awarded by non-Portuguese higher education institutions)*. * The selected candidate(s) with an academic degree granted by a non-Portuguese higher education institution must present, for hiring purposes, the certificate of recognition of that degree(s), issued by the Portuguese Directorate General for Higher Education or by a Portuguese Public Higher Education Institution.
Please consult the website of the Portuguese Directorate General for Higher Education: https://www.dges.gov.pt/en. At the application stage, the supporting document(s) mentioned in paragraph (d) [Recognition of academic degrees (only academic degrees awarded by non-Portuguese higher education institutions)], may be replaced by a Declaration of Honour (Template) from the candidate. In this case, the application of the candidate will be provisionally accepted provided that the following conditions shall be satisfied:
The Declaration of Honour should state facts only prior to the application. If the information on the Declaration of Honour differs from the certificate of recognition submitted at stage of preparing the contract, only this last one is considered;
The Certificate of Recognition issued by the competent Portuguese Authority is mandatory at the stage of preparing the contract;
The Certificate of Recognition must match the information considered in the evaluation stage.
Online application instructions:
The application is made online by clicking the ‘Apply’ button below;
The candidate must complete all required sections of the online application form;
The candidate must submit the mandatory documents mentioned above in pdf format by including them in the ‘Additional files’ section using the ‘Add portfolio’ button.
Important note:
Incomplete applications including the failure to provide mandatory documents or providing inaccurate information will result in the application not being considered. How the Selection Process works
A. Applications eligibility check
This stage will be carried out on the basis of the mandatory requirements, education, experience and technical skills defined for the job, as well as the validation of the mandatory documents. Only candidates who meet the eligibility criteria will move forward to the next stage.
B. CV Assessment
The Selection Committee will evaluate the eligible applications based on their CV and other submitted documents and the suitability for the position, and shall focus on the relevance, quality and up-to-date of the following items:
Scientific and Technological Production (‘STP’);
Applied and Practice-based Research Activities (‘RA’);
Activities related to the Dissemination of Knowledge (‘DK’);
Activities related to the Management of Science, Technology and Innovation programmes (‘MSTI’).
The research experience will be assessed according to the following criteria:
STP (65%): Academic Qualifications (AQ) – 25%; Scientific Profile (SP) – 25%; Research Quality (RQ) – 10%; RTI Funding (RF) – 5%;
RA (15%): Development, operation and maintenance of scientific facilities ‘instrumentation and/or equipment’ (DOM) – 2%; Conferences, symposia and scientific cooperation activities (CSS) – 3%; Professional activities (PA) – 5%; Mobility and Interdisciplinarity (MI) – 5%;
DK (5%): Transfer to other areas of society (TS) – 3%; Promotion of the public understanding of science (PPUS) – 2%;
MSTI (5%): Laboratory facilities, management of research groups (LFE) – 5%.
This criteria will have a total valuation of 90%. The minimum threshold for this stage is 60%. The top four ranked candidates will be shortlisted for interview, provided however that they pass the threshold mentioned above.
C. Interview(s)
The interview(s) may be done in different formats: video recording, online or onsite.
The question based interview will evaluate the match between the candidate’s profile and the requirements for the position, including the technical and personal skills. To better support this stage, the candidate may be requested to prepare a short presentation.
This criterion will have a total valuation of 10%. D.Assessment
The Selection Committee will draw up the minutes of the R&S process in which candidates will be ranked according to their evaluation scores. E. Nomination
The selected candidate will be nominated and formally offered the position, including the disclosure of the contractual conditions. Our Benefits
Competitive salary;
Tax benefits and other Diplomatic privileges;
Private health insurance;
Family allowances (according to family situation);
Free nursery service at INL premises (subject to availability);
Support for education fees of dependent children;
Relocation support;
30 working days of annual leave.
Financial Benefits
INL offers an attractive financial package appropriate to an international research organization. Due to INL special legal status as intergovernmental organization, financial benefits are exempt for national income tax. Apart from the salary, INL may offer, depending on the personal situation, additional allowances and benefits for families and non-residents. Additional Information Applicable legal and regulatory framework, taking into consideration the international status of the Organisation
The contract will be subject to the INL’s Staff Rules, as amended from time to time, as well as to all other relevant instructions issued by the Organisation. For this purpose, a copy of the Staff Rules shall be provided. The contract may also be supplemented by the terms and conditions of the Financing Contract between the Organisation and the FCT governing the implementation of the FCT Project.
Disputes between the Organisation and the Employed Member of the Personnel shall be settled in accordance with the INL´s Staff Rules. Notification of results
Each candidate notified via email of the result of their individual application. If the first candidate refuses the offer, the Human Resources will send an offer to the second candidate on the ranking, and so on until the vacancy is filled.
We highly value the interest shown from applicants wishing to become a part of the INL experience. It is important for us to maintain good communications with candidates. No matter the outcome of the application, we always send the applicant an answer. Equal Opportunity and Non-Discrimination Principle
INL follows a non-discrimination and equal access principle, wherefore no candidate can be privileged, benefited, impaired or deprived of any rights whatsoever, or be exempt of and duties based on any possible discriminatory issues. The advertisement deadline may be extended at any time without previous notice in order to improve the suitability and effectiveness of the recruitment process. About INL
The International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory – INL (http://www.inl.int), is the first and only Intergovernmental Organisation in the world entirely focused on Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.
It was founded under an international legal framework to perform interdisciplinary research, deploy and communicate nanotechnology for the benefit of society. INL aims to be a recognised leading global nanotechnology innovation hub.
https://www.nature.com/naturecareers/job/junior-fellow-in-sensors-for-harmful-cyanobacterial-blooms-cyanohabs-monitoring-international-iberian-nanotechnology-laboratory-inl-750324
