Job offer: Junior PhD Researcher

Role Reference : Phd_Junior/UIDP-4114-2020

Main research area: Social Sciences, Science Communication and/or Communication

1 – Object and Scope

Job description:

COFAC - Cooperativa de Formação e Animação Cultural crl./Universidade Lusófona, opens a call for the hiring of a junior PhD researcher, at salary level 33 of the Single Remuneration Table, in the area of Social Sciences and Humanities, Science Communication and/or Communication, with the financial support FCT/MCTES through national funds (PIDDAC), within the scope of the Programmatic Plan of the Research Unit Center for Interdisciplinary Studies in Education and Development – CeiED.

1.1 Main Functions:

The work to be carried out is to perform the following research functions:

1. to assess the science communication needs of CeiED;
2. develop and initiate the implementation of a strategic plan for science communication in accordance with the guidance of Decree-Law No. 63/2019, of 16 May, which determines that R&D institutions must contribute to Open Science. The project should be aligned with the scientific and structural areas for CeiED's research, namely, from the Research and Learning Communities (ReLeCos), the Op-Edu Observatory, the Public Science Forum and the CeiED editions (Lusophone Journal of Education and Sociomuseology Notebooks), and should include 4 dimensions: a) communication to peers (national and international researchers); b) communication to the community (diverse audiences); c) communication to the media; d) management of open access platforms. 

1.2 Contractual Terms:

1. The position of PhD researcher is made effective by means of an uncertain fixed-term employment contract, funded by FCT, for a period of 12 months, or upon the financial availability of the Centre.
2. The tasks to be performed in the fulfillment of this function are those considered within the scope of the Programmatic Plan of CeiED - Center for Interdisciplinary Studies in Education and Development, of the Lusófona University.
3. The contract to be signed is expected to start on 1 December 2023, and is expected to end on 30 November 2024, preserving the deadline regime established by the Labour Code.
4. The tasks included in the object of the employment contract take place at the premises of CeiED - Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Education and Development, Campo Grande 376, in Lisbon.
5. The basic gross monthly salary to be paid is 2228.11 Euros under the terms of paragraph 1 of article 2 of Regulatory Decree No. 11-A/2017, of 29 December, corresponding to remuneration level 33 of the Single Remuneration Table, with the update of 1% approved by Decree-Law No. 26-B/2023. 

2 – Eligibility and Applications

2.1 Vacancy to be filled and terms of the competition:

1. The call aims to hire a PhD researcher in the form of an uncertain fixed-term employment contract under private law, under the terms of article 6 of Decree-Law no. 57/2016, of 29 August
2. National, foreign or stateless PhD researchers may apply for the position.

2.2 Cumulatively, the candidate must have the following academic profile:

1. Holding a PhD degree in the area of Social Sciences, Science Communication or Communication, or related scientific areas;
2. PhD for less than 5 years and a course in one of the scientific areas of the previous paragraph;
3. Proven experience in the development, participation and/or coordination of research and/or action research projects in the field of science communication, and in their implementation and evaluation;
4. Collaboration with research teams within the scope of the fields of research and science communication worked in the aforementioned areas;
5. Demonstration of science communication initiatives, materials/content and activities;
6. Be fluent in Portuguese, written and spoken;
7. Be fluent in English. 

3. In the case of academic degrees awarded by foreign higher education institutions, under the terms of Decree-Law No. 66/2018, of 16 August, and in order to ensure the application of the principle of equal treatment to candidates holding foreign and national academic degrees, it is mandatory to obtain the recognition of these degrees and the conversion of the respective final score to the Portuguese classification scale. The recognition of foreign academic degrees and diplomas, as well as the conversion of the final score to the Portuguese classification scale, should be available within the deadline for the submission of applications. The recognition of foreign academic degrees and diplomas, as well as the conversion of the final score to the Portuguese classification scale, can be requested at any public higher education institution or at the Directorate General for Higher Education (DGES, only in the case of automatic recognition). Regarding this issue, candidates should consult the DGES portal at the following address: http://www.dges.gov.pt.

Jurisdiction and opening of insolvency proceedings

1. COFAC - Cooperativa de Formação e Animação Cultural, crl., the founding entity of the Lusófona University, author of the opening of this competition.
2. The publication of the procedure complies with the provisions of article 11 of Decree-Law no. 57/2016, of 29 August, as amended by Law no. 57/2017, of 19 July. 

5 – Deadline

Applications are open from 10 October 2023 to 12 November 2023 at 17:00 (Lisbon time).

6 – Submission of applications

6.1 Applicants for this call (announcement) should send their application by email, in PDF format, to the following email address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject: Phd_Junior/UIDP-4114-2020, together with the following documents:

1. Proposal of the program for the evaluation and development of a strategic plan in science communication that intends to be developed in CeiED during the course of the contract, with reference to the following points: a) activities and methodologies to be used in the assessment of the communication needs of the center; b) objectives, justification and framework of the programme of the strategic communication plan to be developed; and c) indication of the potential contribution of the activities to be developed to communication and dissemination. (max. 1500 words);
2. Curriculum vitae referring to professional experience, accompanied by a list of scientific publications and experience in science communication activities;
3. PhD Certificate, in the areas of Social Sciences, Science Communication and/or Communication;
4. Letters of recommendation, personal details and contact information with the respective e-mail addresses - from at least two renowned academics who can attest to the submitted CV and recommend the candidate;
5. Motivation letter written in English, mentioning the motivations that justified the application;
6. 1 Copy of each of the outputsthat demonstrate science communication initiatives and activities;
7. 1 PDF copy of each publication indicated in the CV, in the areas of PhD mentioned;
8. Other documents considered relevant by the candidate that are relevant to attest and evaluate the scientific and professional history.

6.2 Excluding the elements mentioned in point h), failure to comply with any of the requirements listed in the previous paragraph will result in the immediate rejection of the application.

6.3 False statements made by applicants will be punished in accordance with the law. 

7 – Composition of the Jury

The Jury has three members appointed by the Board of Directors of COFAC, crl. In accordance with article 13 of Decree-Law no. 57/2016, of 29 August, as amended by Law no. 57/2017, of 19 July, the following members were appointed:

(i) President - António Teodoro (Director and Scientific Coordinator of CeiED);

(ii) Inês Vieira (Integrated Researcher and Director of the Public Science Forum of CeiED);

(iii) José Brás (Integrated Researcher at CeiED)

Alternates:

(iv) Cristina Sin (Integrated Researcher at CeiED)

(v) Elsa Estrela (Integrated Researcher at CeiED)

8 - Competencies

8.1 The jury will evaluate the applications.

8.2 Minutes of each meeting of the jury will be drawn up, including the issues discussed and the votes of each of the members, as well as the reasons for the decisions taken.

9 - Selection method

9.1 Applications admitted to the call will be evaluated taking into account the quality, compliance with deadlines, relevance of the scientific curriculum (scientific production and experience in science communication activities) and adequacy of the evaluation program and development of a strategic plan in science communication proposed for CeiED.

9.2 In the selection process, the jury will evaluate the set of elements listed below on a scale of 0 to 20:

1. The candidate's professional experience, carried out in areas related to the work plan being applied for (up to 45% of the assessment for this stage);
2. Motivation letter (15% of the assessment), to assess the candidate's motivation and interest in the activities to be carried out and their connection with the objectives of the vacancy;
3. Letters of recommendation (10% of the assessment);
4. Proposal for the evaluation program and development of the strategic plan in science communication that you intend to develop at CeiED (30% of the evaluation)
5. If the jury chooses to interview the candidates, which is intended exclusively to clarify aspects related to the results of their research (corresponding to a maximum of 10% of the total evaluation), up to 5 candidates will be considered from those who obtained the highest classification - in any case, only evaluations higher than 60% will be considered.
6. If deemed necessary, the jury may request the testimony of the leading academics mentioned in article 6, point 1, d).

9.3 In the event of a tie, the final decision will be made by the chairman of the jury.

9.4 Once the selection phases have been completed, the selection board will draw up, within no more than 7 working days, a draft which will include the final decision, a ranking of the admitted candidates with their final marks, as well as a brief description of the recruitment, assessment and selection process.

10 - Prior hearing 

The selection board's final decision, as referred to in paragraph 9.4 of the previous point, will be communicated to the interested parties so that, in exercising the right to a prior hearing provided for in the Code of Administrative Procedure, they can comment within 10 working days.

11 - Approval

When the deadline for exercising the right to a prior hearing has expired, the jury's final decision is certified by the Chairman of the Executive Committee of COFAC, crl., who is also responsible for deciding on the hiring of the selected candidate.

12 - Announcement of results

The list of admitted and rejected candidates, as well as their final scores, will be posted at the Lusófona University premises, at Avenida do Campo Grande, no. 376, in Lisbon, and will also be posted on the website www.ulusofona.pt; candidates will be notified by e-mail.

13 - Non-discrimination and equal access policy 

COFAC/Universidade Lusófona actively promotes a policy of non-discrimination and equal access, in which no candidate may be privileged, benefited, disadvantaged or deprived of any right or exempted from any duty on the grounds of ancestry, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, family situation, economic situation, education, 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 trade union membership (Law no. 93/2017, 23 August). º 93/2017, August 23). Data protection: By applying, you agree to the use of your personal data by COFAC/Universidade Lusófona staff for the exclusive purposes of this open competition. COFAC/Universidade Lusófona administrative staff will use your contact details to contact you directly, and in the publication of the results, in accordance with the principles established by the GDPR.