Research Fellowship for Master Student or Bachelor Enrolled in a Non-Academic Degree Course; 1...

NOTE: To consult the extensive English version of this notice and also the Portuguese version, please consult the pdf attached to this announcement on "Where to Apply".

A call for applications is now open for the attribution of 1 (one) Research Fellowship for Master Student or for Bachelor Enrolled in a Non-Academic Degree Course within the scope of the R&D project “The peripheral sympathetic system as a target for immunomodulation in spinal cord injury pathophysiology”, with the reference EXPL/MED-PAT/0931/2021, financed exclusively by national funds (OE) through Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) I.P, [financial support from the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) I.P /MCTES through national funds (PIDDAC)], under the following conditions:

Scientific Area: Basic Medicine

Workplan and objectives to be achieved: aims to develop and consolidate the scientific training of the scholarship holder, through involvement in research work, carrying out the following R&D activities:

The project aims at understanding the value of the peripheral immune alterations caused by spinal cord injury (SCI)-associated aberrant sympathetic activity on SCI’s pathophysiology and neurological deficits. A combination of cellular and animal models with precision surgical techniques will be used to perform a multi-systemic characterization of the SCI's impact on the integration of the immune and nervous systems.

The workplan includes to:

- decipher key immune and inflammatory cellular mechanisms affected by the SCI-associated aberrant sympathetic signalling, using molecular techniques (qPCR, RNAseq and immunohistochemistry), cell culture (cell isolation, separation and culture) and immunophenotyping (flow cytometry).

- understand the impact of previous exposure to aberrant sympathetic activity in the behavior of myeloid cells on SCI-associated neuropathological processes, using cellular (primary and organotypic cultures) and in vivo models (mouse models).

- explore the potential modifier-effect of ablating the sympathetic signalling on SCI spontaneous recovery by performing a long-term in vivo assessment of motor, sensory and autonomic function recovery.

Fellowship duration: The grant will take place for a period of 6 months, with a provisional starting date in June 2022. The fellowship grant may eventually be renewed, after a positive evaluation, not exceeding the maximum duration of the project that is expected to end 30-06-2023 and the maximum duration of the scholarship:

• 2 years: Master Students;
• 1 year: graduates enrolled in non-conferring courses that do not award an academic degree (the total duration of the scholarship cannot exceed an accumulated period of 2 years, consecutive or interpolated; resuming, a fellow cannot accumulate more than 2 years in this typology of research fellowship).

Application deadline and submission: The call for applications is open from 13/04/2022 till 29/04/2022.

Applications must be formalized by sending an application letter with the following documents (in PDF format preferably):

- Curriculum vitae (preferably https://cienciavitae.pt/ );

- Qualifications certificate (Bachelor's degree) indicating the final grade obtained or declaration of the applicant;

- Motivation letter;

- Declaration of honour proving that meets the conditions for the grant typology, according to the application requirements (namely the requirements of subparagraph b) and c) of the point “Candidates profile”);

Other documents important to the evaluation process can be send (publications, etc). Applications must be sent by email to ([email protected] ), indicating the reference of the call for applications [ICVS_BI_2022_009(1)] in Subject. Applications submitted by other means will not be accepted. Applications submitted by other means will not be accepted, as well as failure to comply with the deadline for submission, and the lack of submission of the aforementioned documents, determines the exclusion of the application.

*The academic degrees and diplomas documents, or their respective recognition when awarded by foreign higher education institutions are not mandatory in the application phase, being replaced by a declaration of honor of the candidate with the contents of academic results. The documents of academic qualification or respective recognition will be required in the contracting phase and must attest facts that occurred on a date prior to the application. In situations of divergence between the information contained in the declaration and the documentation submitted for contracting the grant, only the information contained in the latter will be consider. If the documents proving the ownership of the academic degree and diploma, or the respective recognition under the terms of Decree-Law No. 66/2018, of August 16, do not correspond to the classifications awarded in the evaluation of the academic path, which can change the candidate's ranking, the fellowship won’t be contracted.

Notes: Applicants with degrees obtained abroad must present proof of recognition of qualifications in Portugal and conversion of the final classification obtained in them to the Portuguese classification scale or declaration under the terms indicated in the previous point. Candidates who do not comply with one of these provisions, the selection panel will assign “0” in the grade of the graduation and/or master course. Candidates will be evaluated on the remaining parameters.

Documentation for contracting: proof of enrollment in a Master Degree Course or in Enrolled in a Non-Academic Degree Course; proof of academic qualifications completed at the deadline for applications, including those resulting from academic degree recognition processes; and other documentation according to article 14 of the RBI of FCT and required by the contracting entity.

Applicable legislation and regulations: Research Fellowship Holder Statutes, approved by Law no. 40/2004 of August 18, in its current version published by Decree-Law no. 123/2019 of august 28; Regulation of Scientific Research Fellowships of the University of Minho (RBIC), published in “Diário da República”, 2nd serie, no. 119, through dispatch no. 6524/2020 of 22-06-2020, ratified by ratification declaration no. 447/2021 of 22-06-2021 and Regulation of Research Studentships and Fellowships (RBI) of the Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P. - in force.

Host/Contracting institution and scientific supervision: The workplan will be carried out in the Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), of the School of Medicine (EM) of University of Minho, located in the Campus de Gualtar, under the scientific supervision of the Doctor Susana Monteiro.