Research Fellowship (BI) (Reference REQUIMTE 2024-15)

10 Apr 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

REQUIMTE - Rede de Quimica e Tecnologia

Research Field

Chemistry » Organic chemistry

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

Portugal

Application Deadline

24 Apr 2024 - 23:59 (Europe/Lisbon)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

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

A Research Fellowship (BI) (Reference REQUIMTE 2024-15) at Laboratório Associado para a Química Verde - Tecnologias e Processos Limpos - UIDB/50006/2020, with the financial support of the FCT/ MCTES through national funds, is available at REQUIMTE.

 

Main research field: Chemistry.

 

Admission requirements: Master’s degree in Chemistry with a final classification of 18 or greater (out of 20) and enrollment in a doctoral program or enrollment/attendance of a non-degree course taught by a higher education institution in conjunction with an R&D unit. The candidate must have experience in organic chemistry with a strong background in peptide synthesis in the solution phase (experience in peptide-based neuroprotective compounds will be valued), corroborated by a minimum of 3 publications as first author in international journals with peer review. Additionally, the candidate should demonstrate expertise in structural elucidation techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). Experience in cell culture (experience in non- and differentiated SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cell line) is mandatory.

In case the master’s degree was awarded by a foreign higher education institution, it must comply with the provisions of Decree-Law no. 341/2007 of October 12th, and all formalities established therein must be complied with at the signature of the Fellowship contract.

 

Working plan: This project aims at the development of new peptide-based conjugates of Glypromate neuropeptide with active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and their biological evaluation. The candidates will be responsible for the following tasks: i) synthesis of proline mimetics; ii) assembly of Glypromate-based analogs by solution-phase peptide synthesis methodologies; iii) purification (e.g., column chromatography, HPLC); iv) structure elucidation of all intermediates and final products by spectroscopy (e.g., NMR) and spectrometric (e.g., HRMS) techniques; v) cytotoxicity and neuroprotective studies in non-differentiated and differentiated neuronal cells; and vi) elaboration of reports and scientific articles.

 

Applicable Legislation: Law nº.40/2004, 18th August (Research Fellow Statute) amended and republished by Decreto-Lei n.º 123/2019, 28th August; FCT Regulation for Research Studentships and Fellowships (https://former.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/regulamentos.phtml.pt ).

 

Workplace: The work will be conducted at REQUIMTE (Rede de Química e Tecnologia) – Laboratório Associado para a Química Verde at the facilities of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, under the supervision of Doctor José Enrique Rodríguez Borges and Doctor Ivo Emanuel Sampaio Dias.

 

Duration of the fellowship: The fellowship will have a duration of 3 months, possibly renewable for equal periods, starting in May 2024.

 

Monthly stipend:

The monthly stipend is €1.259,64 according to the stipends established by FCT, I.P. in Portugal (https://www.fct.pt/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Tabela-de-Valores-SMM_atu… ). Payment will be made by bank transfer on a monthly basis. The successful candidate will also be entitled to the reimbursement of Social Security payments (Seguro Social Voluntário) and work insurance.

 

Selection criteria: The selection methods will be:

i) 30%, for the scientific area of the master’s degree and respective classification according to the national scale.

ii) 40%, experience in organic/medicinal chemistry with a focus on: a) development of new methodologies in peptide synthesis; b) preparation of peptide-based neuroprotective compounds by solution-phase peptide synthesis; c) experience in the purification of peptides and peptide-based compounds by chromatography techniques; d) structural elucidation of peptides and peptidomimetics by spectroscopic and spectrometric techniques such as NMR and HRMS, respectively; e) documented experience in the development of neuroprotective peptidomimetics; f) practice in cell culture and experience in non- and differentiated SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells.

iii) 20%, overall scientific coherence of the CV, including: a) diversity and quality of scientific indicators; b) relevant presentations and published articles on the topics of the project.

iv) 10%, motivation letter.

 

In the case of admitted candidates whose evaluation does not differ more than 5% from that obtained by the two best-positioned candidates, the jury will interview these candidates face-to-face or through an online platform. In this situation, the candidates will be classified with a weighting of 50% (first ranking) and 50% (interview ranking).

 

The jury will not award the current scholarships to candidates with a final classification lower than 50%.

 

Jury composition:

Doctor José Enrique Rodríguez Borges (President),

Doctor Ivo Emanuel Sampaio Dias (vowel),

Doctor Vera Marisa Freitas Costa (vowel),

Doctor Xerardo Xusto García Mera (substitute vowel)

 

Publicity and communication of results: The ranking of applications will be published in a visible and public area of REQUIMTE facilities, and all candidates will be informed by email about the result of their application.

 

Application deadline: The call for applications is open between 11/04/2024 and 24/04/2024.

 

Submission of applications: Applications must be formalized, obligatorily, by email at the electronic address [email protected] , containing in the subject the reference to which the candidate is applying (Reference REQUIMTE 2024-15), under penalty of exclusion from the application. In addition to the Application Letter, the following documents must be attached (PDF files): a Letter of Motivation, Curriculum Vitae, Certificate of Qualifications, and other supporting documents considered relevant.

 

More information: https://www.requimte.com/

Requirements

Research Field

Chemistry » Organic chemistry

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Additional Information
Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

REQUIMTE

Country

Portugal

Geofield

Where to apply

E-mail

[email protected]

Contact

City

Porto

Website

https://www.requimte.pt/

Street

Praça Coronel Pacheco, nº 15 6º andar

Postal Code

4050-453

STATUS: EXPIRED