Research Scholarship hiring_HERMETIA_BI

Offer Description

CALL FOR APPLICATION FOR A RESEARCH SCHOLARSHIP

A call for tenders is now open for the attribution of one Research Scholarship within the scope of the Project "HERMETIA: Sustainable and circular organic waste management through black soldier fly (BSF)" financed by the FEDER through the Northern Regional Program -NORTE2030-FEDER-0148360, under the following conditions, set out below.

Scientific area: Biotechnology

Admission requirements:

General requirements:

Candidates for the Research grant must, at the date of application, be enrolled, or present a commitment to enroll in a study cycle conferring an (Ph
D) degree in Biotechnology or related areas. Candidates for the Research Scholarship, after being selected, must enroll in the doctoral program in Biotechnology at the Escola Superior de Biotecnologia to initiate the grant agreement. This enrollment should align with the theme and work plan of the grant to be carried out under the
- mentioned project. Accordingly, the doctoral program must be undertaken at the Escola Superior de Biotecnologia by the team designated to implement the work plan.

Candidates must have a master’s degree in Biotechnology, Food Science, or a related field.

Specific requirements:

• Higher academic qualifications in Biotechnology, Food Science and Technology, or related areas.
• Good command of the English language, both spoken and written.
• Strong interest in the scientific area and ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary and multicultural research environment, integrating academic and industrial perspectives.

Preferred Factors:

• Experience in the characterizing and valorizing
  - based or
  - food
  - products for the development of functional ingredients.
• Previous research experience in fermentation processes, biochemical analysis and ingredient formulations.
• Previous participation in applied research projects and/or experience in scientific communication and dissemination activities.

Work Plan:

The scholarship holder will carry out research duties within the scope of the HERMETIA project, which aim to develop methodologies for the sustainable processing of
- residue biomass under fungal fermentation processes, focused on the production and characterization of new substrates/diets rich in proteins and fibres for the development of high‑nutritious black soldier fly larvae.

Tasks will include:

• Preparation and physico‑chemical characterization of agri‑food by‑product substrates for fermentation.
• Development and optimization of fermentation processes with microfungi species.
• Characterization of the fermented biomass in terms of chemical composition, techno‑functional properties and bioactivity (e. g. , antioxidant, antimicrobial, enzymatic and gut‑health–related outputs).
• Black soldier fly feeding with fermented biomass and characterization.
• Analysis and interpretation of experimental data, preparation of technical reports and support to scientific dissemination outputs.

The work will be developed at the CBQF – Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Portugal, in Porto, under the scientific supervision of Prof. Doctor Manuela Pintado.

Duration of the scholarship:

The scholarship, which is expected to begin on January 15, 2026, will have a duration of 35. 5 months on an exclusive basis.

Selection methods:

The selection methods to be used will be: i) curriculum evaluation (40%); ii) previous experience (60%). If necessary, the three best positioned candidates may be interviewed, and in this situation, the weighting will be curricular evaluation (35%). ; ii) previous experience (50%) and selection interview (15%).

Only candidates with a final classification equal to or greater than 75 points, on a scale of 0 to 100, will be selected for this position.

Accepted deadline for application and submission:

Candidates submit their application from November 26, 2025 until December 14, 2025. (until 5 p. m. , Lisbon time).

Required documents:

• Cover letter, identifying the title and reference of the project, describing the motivation and professional objectives of the candidate.
• Detailed Curriculum Vitae (should contain all the elements to assess the admission requirements, including language knowledge and research experience).
• Copy of the certificate(s) of qualifications conferring academic degree, including final classifications.
• Registration of recognition of the academic degree awarded by a foreign higher education institution, preferably with the registration of the conversion of the respective final classification to the Portuguese classification scale to guarantee eligibility in this call.
• Proof of registration or letter with the commitment to register/enroll in a degree‑awarding study cycle under the terms already described in this notice.

Only applications received during the opening period of the above‑mentioned call shall be considered. Candidates who incorrectly formulate their application or who do not prove the requirements of this call are excluded. False statements made by applicants will be punished under the law.

Non‑discrimination and equal access policy:

Universidade Católica Portuguesa actively promotes a non‑discrimination and equal access policy, wherefore no candidate can be privileged, benefited, impaired or deprived of any rights whatsoever, or be exempt of any duties based on ancestry, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, economic conditions, instruction, social origin or condition, genetic heritage, reduced working capacity, disability, chronic illness, nationality, ethnic origin or race, territory of origin, language, religion, political or ideological convictions, and union membership.

[1] If the required academic degree has been conferred by a foreign higher education institution, it must comply with the Portuguese legislation on the recognition of foreign degrees, regulated by DL no. 66/2018 of 16 August.

[2] The contracting of the research scholarship requires the candidate to provide enrollment in the degree‑awarding course required in this notice. If the document is not presented within a maximum period of 30 days (in a row), counting from the date of communication of the selection to the candidate, the Jury Panel will have the power to disqualify the application due to failure to present the registration within the aforementioned period.