Assistant Professor

19 Jan 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

Universidade de Coimbra

Department

SGRH - DRGC

Research Field

Other

Researcher Profile

Recognised Researcher (R2)

Country

Portugal

Application Deadline

1 Mar 2024 - 00:00 (Europe/Lisbon)

Type of Contract

Permanent

Job Status

Full-time

Hours Per Week

35

Offer Starting Date

19 Jan 2024

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

I publicly announce that, by my order issued at the date of signature of this notice, an international tender for one  position of Assistant Professor in the field of Pharmaceutical Sciences, subfield of Biochemistry, is hereby open for 30  working days following the publication of the present notice in Diário da República [Official Journal of the Portuguese Republic]. The stated position will be held under a public service employment contract of unspecified duration at the Faculty of Pharmacy  at the University of Coimbra.

This international tender shall be conducted pursuant to the Estatuto da Carreira Docente Universitária [University Teaching Career Statute] in its latest version, hereinafter referred to as ECDU, and the Regulamento de Recrutamento e Contratação de Pessoal Docente da Universidade de Coimbra [Regulation on the Recruitment and Hiring of Teaching Staff of the University of Coimbra] hereinafter referred to as RRCPDUC, Regulation Nr. 330/2016, of 29 March, as well as further applicable legislation.

I – Reference and Place of Work:

I.1. Public tender reference: IT136-23-12938

I.2. Place of Work: University of Coimbra, Faculty of Pharmacy

II – Admission Requirements:   

II.1. Applicants shall be at least 18 years old, not be inhibited to holding a job in the public sector, nor forbidden to perform the intended position; applicants shall also be in good health and possess the psychological profile required for the job and shall meet the compulsory vaccination requirements.

II.2. At the time of application, applicants shall hold a Ph.D., recognised in Portugal, in the above-mentioned scientific field(s) or in a correlated one, in which case the applicant’s scientific background shall demonstrate the ability to thoroughly develop work in the main field of the tender.

III – Application:

III.1. Submission: Candidates must access and register on the electronic platform apply.uc.pt, to submit the application, selecting the procedure to which they intend to apply.

The documents included in the application are exclusively in digital portable document format (pdf), with the exception of the documents referred in III.2.4. and III.2.6., which can be delivered in other digital formats.

The application submission is carried out by completing the sections available on the Apply UC electronic platform, under “My application”.

If any of the works/papers submitted contains classified information, revealing trade or industrial secrets or literary, artistic or scientific property secrets, candidates must select that option, available on the platform for each document; otherwise, those works/papers can be freely accessed by any of the other applicants when consulting the tender records.

III.2. Mandatory documents

III.2.1. Curriculum Vitae duly dated and signed, in Portuguese or English language.

The Curriculum Vitae shall include a foreword with the candidate’s full professional background in higher education institutions, when applicable, with reference to category, field or scientific area, identification of the higher education institution in which the candidate has exercised functions, type and length of the contract, specifying the position and type of contract held at the time of application. The foreword shall also include a summary clearly demonstrating that the candidate specialises in the scientific field for which this tender is open.

The candidate’s Curriculum Vitae shall be structured in order to separately respond to the different items listed below in IV.2.; Candidates shall also justifiably identify, on penalty of exclusion, 3 to 6 of their most relevant works/papers that have contributed to the development of the scientific field for which this tender is open.

III.2.2. Career development plan, concerning the research lines in the scientific field for which this tender is open and which the candidate intends to develop at the University of Coimbra. This plan shall meet the following requirements: presentation of the main issues on which the candidate intends to focus his/her future research, based on the current state-of-the-art context, and in line with the strategic research programmes underway at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Coimbra, namely in the area of neurometabolism and metabolic regulation; short and summarised description of the research strategies the candidate intends to adopt to develop research and to solve or contribute to the solving of the above-mentioned issues; explanation of reasons and motivations for the presented choices; The evaluation of the plan will also take into account evidence of experience in animal models for the study of neurometabolism, associated with cerebral vascular and neurodegenerative diseases.

III.2.3. Copy of qualification certificates. Opponents of the tender who hold a doctoral degree obtained abroad, until the end of the application deadline, under penalty of exclusion, must prove the respective recognition or attach proof that they have requested it, under the terms of Decree-Law nr. 66/2018, of August 16th.

The failure to present the recognition of the degree at the time of contracting, under the terms of Decree-Law nr. 66/2018 of August 16th, is ground for exclusion.

The candidates who hold a public service employment contract with the University of Coimbra may be exempt from the qualification certificates submission. To this end, they must select this option on the platform, stating that they are already in their individual process.

III.2.4. Separate copy (one PDF file for work/paper) of the 3 to 6 of the candidates’ most relevant works/papers that have contributed to the development of the scientific field for which this tender is open.

III.2.5. Copy of all works/papers mentioned in the Curriculum Vitae.

III.2.6. Any other information considered relevant by the candidate.

III.3. All application documents above indicated in III.2. shall be submitted in Portuguese or English, exception made to those mentioned in III.2.5. and III.2.6., which may be submitted in a different language. If the original documents mentioned under III.2.3. and III.2.4. are written in a language other than Portuguese or English, candidates are required to include a version in one of those languages. Exception is made to Diplomas, when written in Latin, in which case no translation is required.

III.4. Applications that do not comply with the instructions or that fail to meet the tender’s formal requirements, pursuant to the applicable laws and to this Public Notice, shall not be accepted. In the same way, if the submission of required documents or papers are submitted outside the established timeframe, the application will not be accepted.

The impossibility to comply with the language requirements defined in points III.2. and III.3. of this Public Notice, must be duly substantiated, in a separate document presented by the candidates, under the terms of point III.1. of the Notice.

Applicants who are non-native speakers of either Portuguese or English, shall attest their proficiency at level C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) in, at least, one of those languages.

IV – Selection methods and criteria:

IV.1. Selection Methods: CV Assessment (50%) + Public Hearing (50%) + Approval on Absolute Merit (qualification criterion).

IV.1.1. If the Selection Committee exceptionally decides, in the first meeting, not to apply the Public Hearing, the CV Assessment shall have a weight of 100% of the score, followed by the Approval on Absolute Merit (qualification criterion).

IV.2. Selection criteria for both CV Assessment and Public Hearing are: scientific performance and pedagogical skills of the candidates, as well as other activities deemed relevant with regard to the mission of a global university, in accordance with the assessment of the parameters mentioned below.

IV.2.1. Scientific performance of the candidate in the research area(s) for which the tender is open, with a weight of 80% , based on the following parameters:

IV.2.1.1. Scientific production: the relevance of the results presented by the candidates with particular focus on the works/papers selected as the most representative of their contribution to the development of the scientific field for which the tender is open, particular importance should be given to the quality and timeliness of the most relevant, innovative and impactful contributions in molecular and cellular biosciences associated with neurometabolism and disease. Scientific and/or technological challenges and results and/or innovation should also be emphasised.

IV.2.1.2. National and international impact and recognition of scientific production: recognition by the scientific community regarding the results presented in the scientific field(s) for which the tender is open, including guest lectures at international scientific meetings and internationally competitive awards

IV.2.1.3. Future scientific prospects: the ability of the candidates to show that, in the future, they can have a very relevant scientific production in the University of Coimbra, namely based on the submitted career development plans

IV.2.1.4. Coordination and participation in scientific projects: previous experience of candidates and their potential for beneficially and successfully coordinating and participating in nationally and internationally funded projects in the scientific field(s) for which the tender is open

IV.2.1.5. Active participation in the community within and outside the university: active participation in the community, namely through organizational and management duties in scientific activities, transfer of knowledge to society and participation in assessment tasks and, in general, all activities pursued by the candidates that demonstrate the skills to develop, with great quality, the activities of a global, extremely productive and scientifically recognised university.

IV.2.2. Pedagogical skills of the candidate, with a weight of 20% , will be assessed based on the following parameters:

IV.2.2.1. Teaching activity: if existing, previous teaching activity, as well as evidence of the skills to successfully carry out teaching. This will be based on the available pedagogical assessment tools, namely pedagogical surveys, the results of which candidates are required to include in their CV, and other relevant indicators, such as awards and other prizes;

IV.2.2.2. Supervision and guidance activities: activities of supervision, advising and guidance of students performed by the candidate;

IV.2.2.3. Pedagogical materials produced: the quality and the quantity of pedagogical materials produced by the candidate will be assessed, as well as the relevance and impact of pedagogical publications, awards and other prizes;

IV.2.2.4. Pedagogical projects: active participation in new pedagogical projects (e.g., definition of new course syllabi, participation in the creation of new courses or study programmes) or in the reform and improvement of existing projects, as well as the implementation of projects with an impact on the teaching/learning process.

IV.2.2.5. Active participation in the community within and outside the university: active participation in the community, namely through organizational and management duties in pedagogical and knowledge transfer activities and, in general, all activities pursued by the candidate that demonstrate the skills to perform, with great quality, the activities of a global, extremely productive and pedagogically effective university.

IV.2.3. Development, by the candidate, of other activities relevant for the mission of a global university may justifiably enhance the assessment of the parameters mentioned above under IV.2.1. and IV.2.2., whenever the scope of such activities is considered to influence the performance of the candidate in relation to those parameters and the results of these activities are considered to possess the required quality to justify this enhancement.

IV.3 Each member of the Selection Committee shall assess candidates with regard to both selection methods, CV Assessment and Public Hearing, scoring each of the selection criteria (scientific performance, pedagogical skills).

The global score given by each member of the Selection Committee regarding each selection method is based on the weighted average of the scores given on each selection criterion, with the weights mentioned above in IV.2.1. and IV.2.2. The final score given by each member of the Selection Committee to each candidate is based on the simple average of the global score obtained with regard to each assessment method - CV Assessment and Public Hearing.

Candidates are then subject to approval on Absolute Merit, followed by their ranking as mentioned below in section VI. If the Public Hearing does not take place, only the result of the CV Assessment method will be considered, followed by the approval on Absolute Merit and the candidates’ ranking as indicated below in section VI.

IV.4. All candidates complying with the application requirements are subject to the CV Assessment, which shall be conducted under the criteria and evaluation parameters above mentioned (IV.2.). However, only the first  5 best-ranked candidates will be called for the Public Hearing, if it takes place.

IV.5 The candidates that can contribute to enhancing the activities of the UC at global level, pursuant to section 19 of RRCPDUC [Regulation on the Recruitment and Hiring of Teaching Staff of the University of Coimbra], are approved on Absolute Merit. This judgement is based on the selection criteria and evaluation parameters mentioned under IV.2., non-quantitatively weighted. Hired candidates that do not master Portuguese and English  will be required to learn the language up to CEFR level C1, which allows them to teach in Portuguese and in English, in order to maintain their contract after the probationary period.

V – Selection Process

V.1. Preliminary meeting:

In the first meeting, which is always preliminary, the Selection Committee decides on the admission of applications and whether or not the Public Hearing should justifiably take place, pursuant to Section 27(2) of RRCPDUC [Regulation on the Recruitment and Hiring of Teaching Staff of the University of Coimbra]. In the event of deciding that the Public Hearing should take place, the Selection Committee shall proceed to the candidates’ CV Assessment and ranking according to the following terms. In case of non-fulfilment or partial fulfilment of any of the requirements defined in III, the Selection Committee decides whether this insufficiency prevents accepting the application, or if, having no relevant impact on the evaluation process, the application may nevertheless be accepted.

V.1.1. On the CV Assessment the merit of the candidates will only be assessed based on their experience in the scientific field(s) for which the tender is open, according to the selection criteria and evaluation parameters described in this Public Notice (IV.2.). The candidates’ background in other areas shall not therefore be taken into consideration by the Selection Committee. The ranking of the candidates shall be based on the methods described below in section VI, up to the number of the approved candidates according to the terms above herein IV.4. All candidates falling outside this number shall be deemed excluded.

V.1.2. Candidates both excluded and admitted to the Public Hearing shall be notified by Public Notice, under the terms mentioned below in section VII.

V.2. Assessment meeting and final ranking of the candidates

V.2.1. In the second meeting, the Selection Committee proceeds to apply the selection criteria, followed by the candidates’ ranking and the drafting of the final deliberation.

If the Public Hearing is to take place, the Selection Committee shall conduct it by assessing the candidates based on the selection criteria and evaluation parameters mentioned above herein IV.2., with regard to their merit only and relevant research background in the scientific field(s) for which the tender is open. The Public Hearing of each candidate shall have the maximum duration of one hour. However, the Chairman of the Selection Committee may decide to extend it further for a period of 30 minutes. The Public Hearing is conducted by the Chairman of the Selection Committee, without prejudice to other members of the Selection Committee also interacting with the candidate upon decision of the Chairman. This hearing shall be held in Portuguese, unless the candidate or any members of the Selection Committee are not proficient in that language. In this case, it may be conducted in English, upon decision of the Chairman. Failing to attend the Public Hearing shall result in the exclusion of the procedure. Similarly, candidates failing to attend a duly scheduled conference call shall also be deemed excluded.

If the Selection Committee decides not to hold the Public Hearing, it shall proceed to assess the candidates’ CV, based on the selection criteria and evaluation parameters mentioned above herein IV.2. At this stage, the merit of the candidates will only be assessed based on their experience in the scientific field(s) for which the tender is open, according to the selection criteria and evaluation parameters described in this public notice. The candidates’ background in other areas shall not therefore be taken into consideration by the Selection Committee. The ranking of the candidates shall be based on the methods described below in section VI.

V.2.2. In view of the final score given by each member of the Selection Committee, under the terms described in IV.3., it then proceeds to assess the absolute merit of the candidates admitted to this stage of the procedure.

V.2.3. Candidates are approved on absolute merit when the majority of the selection members present at the meeting justifiably deems them to have achieved the level defined in IV.5, each member of the Selection Committee having to respect their previous proposed rankings.

V.2.4. The Selection Committee finally ranks the candidates approved on absolute merit, based on the methodology described under VI, proceeding to the drafting of the final deliberation.

V.2.5. The position will not be filled if the Selection Committee decides that none of the candidates fulfils the requirements established in this Public Notice.

V.2.6. All the candidates shall be notified regarding the provisional deliberations of the Selection Committee, containing the proposed ranking of the selected applicants as well as the list of those excluded. Candidates can, if they so wish, appeal the decision of the Committee, in due respect for their right to a fair hearing, pursuant to Section 121 of the Código do Procedimento Administrativo [CPA - Code of Administrative Proceedings]. The period to submit an appeal begins on the day of the Public Notice with the Selection Committee’s deliberation is published, pursuant to Section 113(8) of the CPA.

V.3. If any of the candidates exercises their right to be heard, the Selection Committee shall hold a third meeting, in order to analyze the request, and the candidates will be notified of its deliberations, under the terms of section VII. herein.

V.3.1. If the Selection Committee finds such allegations well founded, it shall proceed according to its deliberations, thereby notifying the candidates under the terms of VII.3. herein.

V.3.2. If the Selection Committee finds such allegations unfounded, following the candidates’ notification under the terms of V.II.3. herein, the procedure shall then be submitted to the Rector’s approval.

V.4. All candidates will be notified regarding the approval decision under the terms of section VII. herein. The administrative records of the tender may be consulted by the candidates, upon previous appointment, requested by e-mail sent to the Human Resources Management Service's e-mail address: [email protected] .

VI – Ranking and voting methods:

VI.1. After the debate on the candidates towards establishing a final deliberation about the ranking, each member of the Selection Committee will present a written document, which will be attached to the meeting minutes with their individual ranking proposal, based on the selection criteria and evaluation parameters stated in this Public Notice. Throughout the various vote rounds, each member of the Selection Committee must respect their proposed rankings.

VI.2. The first vote round is intended to select the candidate to be ranked in the first place. If a candidate obtains more than half of the votes, they shall be placed in the first position. If this is not the case, candidates with no votes shall be eliminated, as well as the candidate with the least votes, provided the latter obtained at least one vote. In the event of more than one candidate being placed in the last position with only one vote, there shall be a vote to decide whom to eliminate. In this vote round, committee members shall vote on the candidate who had the lowest score according to their individual ranking, and the candidate who obtains the most votes shall be eliminated. If a tie persists between two or more candidates, the Selection Committee Chair shall decide which candidate should be eliminated. After this process, the Selection Committee shall vote on the ranking of the remaining candidates. This process is repeated until one of the candidates obtains more than half of the votes for the first place.

VI.3. The candidate placed in the first position shall then be excluded from the next vote round, which shall decide the second place. This process shall be consecutively repeated until all approved candidates are ranked.

VI.4. During the voting of the Selection Committee abstentions are not allowed.

VII - Timetable and notification of candidates

VII.1. The tender’s timetable will be available on the electronic platform Apply UC until the end of the application period. The candidates are notified by public notice of the following acts: List of approved and excluded candidates; In the event of a Public Hearing, the date, time, place and names of the candidates subject to this selection method, as well as the names of the candidates allowed to be heard by teleconference; the final deliberation draft; deliberations with regard to eventual allegations by candidates; the tender’s final result upon approval. In the event of a Public Hearing, it will be held on 1st February 2024.

VII.2. If any of the terms established in the timetable of the procedure cannot be met, an updated timetable will be published on that same date and place, on the University of Coimbra website, in order to replace the previous one. In the event that the date for the above-mentioned Public Hearing cannot be complied with, the new date will be announced in the public notice confirming that it is to be held and containing the list of approved and excluded candidates.

VII.3. Notifications by public notice under the terms of VII.1 herein shall be published on the electronic platform Apply UC pursuant to Section 112(1)(d) and Section 63 of RRCPDUC, being effective under the terms of section 113 of the CPA.

VII.4. The entire tender records may be consulted by candidates, upon previous appointment, requested by e-mail sent to the Human Resources Management Service's e-mail address: [email protected] .

VIII – Selection Committee:

Chairman:

Fernando Jorge dos Ramos, Dean and Associate Professor with academic title of Habilitation – Agregação - at the

 Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Coimbra

Committee members:

Félix Dias Carvalho, Full Professor of the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Porto

Maria da Graça Tavares Rebelo de Soveral Rodrigues, Full Professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Lisboa

Maria Alexandra de Oliveira Silva Braga Pedreira de Brito, Associate Professor with academic title of Habilitation – Agregação - of the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Lisboa

Fernando José Nunes Antunes, Associate Professor with academic title of Habilitation – Agregação - of the Faculty of Science of the University of Lisboa

 Carlos Manuel Marques Palmeira, Full Professor at the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Coimbra

João António Nave Laranjinha, Full Professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Coimbra

In the event of absences or impediments of the Chairman he/she shall be replaced by Luís José Proença de Figueiredo Neves, Vice Rector and Full Professor of University of Coimbra  whom shall be replaced, likewise, by the Committee member Carlos Manuel Marques Palmeira, Full Professor of the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Coimbra.

This Public Notice will be published in Portuguese in Diário da República, 2nd Series, and on the website Bolsa de Emprego Público (Governmental Public Employment Portal), as well as in both Portuguese and English at Apply UC (apply.uc.pt) and on the EURAXESS Portugal Portal, at https://www.euraxess.pt/ .

Pursuant to subparagraph h) of Article 9 of the Portuguese Constitution,  the University of Coimbra, as employer, actively promotes a policy of equal opportunities between men and women in access to employment and professional development, and takes action to prevent each and every kind of discrimination.

Therefore, no one can be privileged, benefited, harmed or deprived of any right or immune from any duty on account of, in particular, ancestry, age, sexual orientation, gender, marital status, family, economic situation, education, origin or social condition, genetic heritage, reduced work capacity, disability, chronic illness, nationality, ethnic or racial origin, territory of origin, language, religion, political or ideological beliefs and trade union membership.

To the current international tender shall apply PhD researchers who perform or have performed functions in the University of Coimbra in the scientific area(s) of this tender and are covered by the transitional regime provided in Decree-Law nr. 57/2016, of 29th august, in its latest version, as well as further applicable legislation.

Paço das Escolas, 

The Rector, Amílcar Falcão 

Requirements

Research Field

Other

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Additional Information
Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Universidade de Coimbra

Country

Portugal

Geofield

Where to apply

Website

https://apply.uc.pt/

Contact

City

Coimbra

Website

https://www.uc.pt/drh/servico/sgrh

Street

Faculdade de Medicina – 1.º piso, Polo I – Rua Larga

Postal Code

3004-504 Coimbra

E-Mail

[email protected]

STATUS: EXPIRED