RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP | Center for Responsible Al | 1152165

Organisation/Company

Universidade de Coimbra

Research Field

Engineering » Computer engineering

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Positions

Master Positions

Application Deadline

30 Jan 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Lisbon)

Country

Portugal

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Hours Per Week

35

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

European Union / Next Generation EU

Reference Number

7142

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

No

Call for Research Grant Assignment

The University of Coimbra opens a call for the assignment of a research grant, with one position(s), under the project Center for Responsible Al (7142).

The call is governed by this Notice of Opening, the University of Coimbra Research Grant Regulations (RBI-UC), subsidiarily by the Research Grant Regulations of the Foundation for Science and Technology (RBI-FCT), by the Research Fellow Statute (EBI), by the Norms for Grant Assignment and Management within R&D Projects, by the Code of Administrative Procedure (CPA), all in their current wording, and by other applicable national and community legislation.

Procedure Reference: IT137-26-1

I - Legal admission requirements

I.I - Grant Recipients:

Students with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering or related areas enrolled in a Master's degree in Computer Engineering or similar fields.

I.II -  Ineligible candidates: 

Candidates who have already benefited from two research grant contracts with UC in the condition of being enrolled in a master's degree, regardless of whether each contract has reached the maximum legally permitted duration. 

I.III -  Eligible for grant assignment if meeting the requirements: 

a) Portuguese nationals or nationals of other EU Member States

b) Nationals of third countries

c) Stateless persons

d) Beneficiaries of political refugee status

II - Grant location: Department of Informatics Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Coimbra

III- Scientific supervision/coordination of the grant: Bernardete Martins Ribeiro; PJorge Manuel Oliveira Henriques

IV - Work Plan / Goals to be achieved: 

This project proposes the development of an artificial intelligence (AI) solution for the diagnosis of invasive fungal infections, using microscopy images obtained in laboratory settings with limited resources. Leveraging deep learning models such as Vision Transformers (ViTs) and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), trained on a new dataset of biological images of Candida fungi, the solution aims to improve the speed, accessibility, and accuracy of fungal infection diagnosis. As part of the commitment to building clinically relevant and responsible AI technology, the project includes a task focused on the integration of responsible AI principles across all stages of development. This approach ensures that the system is not only technically robust but also ethical, transparent, and adapted to the real-world context of hospital and clinical environments where it will be applied. A key component will be the integration of explainability techniques for interpretation of model results, ensuring clinical trust, and providing safe and appropriate application of the methodology. By aligning technical innovation with ethics and interpretability, the project aims to contribute to a safer and more responsible adoption of AI in the healthcare domain.

Designed to work with widely available, low-cost microscopy equipment in hospitals and clinics, the proposed AI system aims to be applicable even in low-resource environments, such as hospitals in underserved regions. This focus on technological accessibility reinforces the purpose of the proposed framework to develop AI methods that truly serves societal needs, helping to reduce disparities in the diagnosis and treatment of fungal infections.

V - Initial grant duration: 5 months, as long as it doesn't go beyond the end date of the project

V.I - Renewal Possibility:  Non-renewable 

VI - Funding and financial conditions of the grant

VI.I - Monthly grant amount (paid by bank transfer at the end of each month): 1 040,98 € 

VI.II - In addition to the above amounts, voluntary social security (SSV) is included when the grant has a duration of six months or more, corresponding to the first level, if the candidate opts for it, as well as mandatory personal accident insurance.

VI.III - Funding: The grant(s) assigned under this call will be funded by financed or co-financed by PRR - Recovery and Resilience Plan and by the Next Generation EU Funds, following NOTICE N.º 02/C05-i01/2022, Component 5 – Capitalization and Business Innovation - Mobilizing Agendas for Business Innovation

VI.IV -Information and publicity about the funding:     

In all R&D activities directly or indirectly funded by the scholarship, specifically in all communications, publications, and scientific creations, as well as theses carried out with the support provided by the scholarship, reference to financial support by the PRR must be explicitly mentioned.

For all scholarships, particularly in the case of actions supported by community funding, monitoring and control actions may be carried out by national and community organizations, in accordance with applicable legislation. Scholarship holders receiving such support are required to cooperate and provide the requested information, including participating in surveys and evaluation studies in this area, even after the scholarship has ended. 

VII - Selection Methods: Evaluation of the academic record (AR) 50% and Interview (I) 50% 

VII.I - AR - In the evaluation of the academic record, the candidates' academic performance will be assessed according to the following weights and criteria:

- Criterion 1: Graduation average – 70%;

- Criterion 2: Adequacy of the candidate's profile to the work plan to be developed – 30%;

VII.II- I – In the evaluation of the interview, candidates' performance will be assessed according to the following weights and criteria:

- Criterion 1: Knowledge and profile appropriate to the functions to be developed – 80%;

- Criterion 2: Additional Training – 20%;

VII.III- The evaluation of the criteria and the final classification will be based on a scale from 0 to 100, with scores rounded to the nearest hundredth, applying the following formulas:

- AR: criterion 1 * (70%) + criterion 2 * (30%) = X

- I: criterion 1 * (80%) + criterion 2 * (20%) = X

- Final Classification (FC): AR * (50%) + I * (50%) = X

VII.IV - All candidates who meet the admission requirements are subject to the academic record evaluation, carried out according to the criteria and weights defined in VII.I.

VII.V -Candidates who score below 50 in any selection method will be excluded, and subsequent methods, if any, will not apply to them. Candidates who are duly notified but fail to attend the interview (if applicable) or withdraw at any stage will also be excluded.

VII.VI - All candidates who score above 50 in the AR will proceed to the next method, i.e., the interview.

VII.VII -Tie-breaking criteria: In the event of a tie in the rankings, candidates will be ordered in descending order as follows:

a) Based on the score obtained in the first method applied;

b) Based on the score of their academic qualifications.

VII.VIII -All provisional and final jury decisions must be justified, recorded in minutes, and published on https://apply.uc.pt/ .

VII.IX -Jury Composition:

President: Bernardete Martins Ribeiro

Effective Members: Jorge Manuel Oliveira Henriques; Catarina Helena Branco Simões da Silva

Alternate Members: Marco António Machado Simões; Luis Henrique Ramos Torres

VIII- Application Submission

Candidates must access and register on the electronic platform https://apply.uc.pt/ to submit their application, selecting the procedure to which they wish to apply.

Documents uploaded for the application must be in portable document format (PDF).

Applications are submitted by completing the sections available in the electronic platform "Apply UC" under "My Application."

VIII.I- Mandatory documents to attach when applying:

• Curriculum Vitae, duly updated, dated, and signed;
• Copy of academic degree certificates.

• Whenever possible, documentation proving prior grant benefits should also be attached to the application.

VIII.II- Other documents to attach when applying:

• Any other elements the candidate considers relevant.
• Motivation Letter

VIII.III - All application documents must be submitted in Portuguese and/or English. When the originals are in another language, a translation into one of these languages must be provided.

VIII.IV - Applications that are not properly completed or do not meet the admission criteria defined in the applicable legislation and this notice will not be accepted.

VIII.V - No documents required for the application may be submitted after the application deadline.

VIII.VI - Without prejudice to the penal provisions of the law, false statements made by candidates or grant holders regarding relevant matters for the grant award or renewal, or for the evaluation of its progress, will result in its cancellation.

IX – Application deadline: 19/01/2026 to 30/01/2026     

X - Activity Regime: The grant does not create or constitute a legal-labor relationship. It is carried out under an exclusive dedication regime, and the grantee is awarded the Research Grantee Status, as stipulated in the EBI and the RBI-UC.

XI - Notification of Candidates: All notifications will be made through the electronic platform Apply UC , under the terms of subparagraph c) of paragraph 1 and subparagraph b) of paragraph 2 of Article 112 of the CPA and Article 22 of the RBI-UC. The notifications will take effect after being made, as provided in Article 113 of the CPA.

XII - Under Articles 121 and 122 of the CPA and Article 22 of the RBI-UC, candidates may, if they wish, submit comments regarding the jury's decisions within 10 business days, through the "Audiência dos Interessados" option in the platform's procedure section.

XIII - Candidates may also submit a complaint within 15 business days or an appeal to the UC's highest-ranking official within 30 business days, both following the respective notification, under Articles 191 and 192 of the CPA.

XIV - Selected candidates must declare in writing, within five business days of notification, their acceptance of the grant and confirm that they meet the requirements to accept the proposed start date of the grant contract. Unless a justifiable reason is provided, failure to provide this declaration within the stipulated time will be considered a renunciation of the grant. In case of renunciation or withdrawal by the selected candidate, the next candidate on the final classification list will be notified.

XV - The full competition process can be consulted by candidates, subject to prior scheduling, by sending an email to the Human Resources Management Service at: sgrh@uc.pt .

XVI - In compliance with subparagraph h) of Article 9 of the Constitution, the University of Coimbra, as an employer, actively promotes a policy of equal opportunities between men and women in terms of employment access and career progression, ensuring that any form of discrimination is strictly avoided. It encourages underrepresented minorities in each area to apply.

Accordingly, no one may be privileged, benefited, disadvantaged, or deprived of any right or exempted from any duty on the grounds of ancestry, age, sexual orientation, gender, marital status, family status, economic situation, education, social origin or condition, genetic heritage, reduced work capacity, disability, chronic illness, nationality, ethnic origin or race, place of origin, language, religion, political or ideological beliefs, or trade union membership.

The University of Coimbra also promotes measures to facilitate the balance between professional, family, and personal life, recognizing the efforts of its employees and fostering motivation.

XVII- The grantee must submit annual activity reports for each renewal and at the end of the grant contract, as stipulated in Article 7 of the RBI-UC, subject to an opinion issued by the respective supervisor(s). The report models, performance evaluation criteria, and the grant contract model are those approved under the University of Coimbra's Research Grant Regulations.

Website

https://apply.uc.pt/

Research Field

Engineering » Computer engineering

Education Level

Bachelor Degree or equivalent

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

University of Coimbra

Country

Portugal

Geofield

City

Coimbra

Website

http://www.uc.pt

Street

Rua Larga

Postal Code

3004-504 Coimbra

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