Research fellowship (RF) in the scope of the research program FightRn – Solutions for radon mitigation in buildings through protective barriers for construction materials (Ref. 2023.17653.ICDT)

Organisation/Company

LNEC, I.P.

Department

Human Resources and Facilities Services

Research Field

Engineering

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Positions

Master Positions

Application Deadline

27 Feb 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Lisbon)

Country

Portugal

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by a EU programme

Reference Number

Ref. 2023.17653.ICDT

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

No

1 – Title

RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP (RF MASTER)

2 – Offer description

As per the terms laid down in Regulamento de Bolsas de Investigação da FCT (FCT Regulation for Research Fellowships), approved by Law no. 40/2004 , 18 August, as it stands, we announce the launching of a call for awarding a research fellowship (RF) in the scope of the research program FightRn – Solutions for radon mitigation in buildings through protective barriers for construction materials (Ref. 2023.17653.ICDT)

3 – Financing source

100% state budget

4 – Scientific area

Geosciences, Civil, Mechanical, Chemical, Physical, Materials, Polymers or Environmental Engineering

5 – Duration

The Grant shall be awarded for a 1 year period, renewable until the end of the project (3 years in case the scholarship is awarded to a student enrolled in a PhD).

6 – Activity Regime

All the work shall be developed on an exclusive dedication regime, as per the provisions laid down in the Statute of the Research Fellow, approved by Law no. 40/2004, 18 August, as it stands, and in FCT Regulation for Fellowships, available on LNEC website.

7 – Work plan and objectives

The project aims to develop liquid coating systems with controlled permeability suitable for applications inside and outside buildings, to be used for coating construction materials with radioactive background.

To achieve this, the following steps will be taken using the experimental means available at UC and LNEC, as described below. 

• Evaluate and quantify the gas permeability and porosimetry of protective coatings and insulation foils (namely liquids) that function as barrier against harmful radon gas, which can infiltrate the interior of buildings, especially from granite-type soils.
• Characterise the main physical and mechanical properties of such barriers, selecting the most appropriate standardized test protocols for radon barriers, according to their nature, constitution and method of application.
• Analyse the surface and bulk morphology of polymeric coatings, at micro and nanoscale, correlating with other important physical properties in this context (e.g., radon permeability and diffusion).
• Contribute to the optimization of barriers by developing the most suitable formulations.
• Contribute to the dissemination of the project's results by participating in congresses, writing articles and reports, keeping them confidential whenever deemed relevant

8 – Location

Main Workplace: LNEC – National Laboratory for Civil Engineering, I.P.

Avenida do Brasil, 101 – 1700-066 Lisboa

Country: Portugal

Website:  https://www.lnec.pt

Email: recrutamento@lnec.pt

The activities within the scope of the grant will be carried out at the Acoustics, Lighting, Components and Facilities Unit (NAICI) and the Building Coatings and Thermal Insulation Unit (NRI) of the Buildings Department of the National Laboratory for Civil Engineering (LNEC) and at the Organic and Metallic Materials Unit (NMOM) of the Materials Department of LNEC, as well as at the Natural Radioactivity Laboratory of the Earth Sciences Department of the University of Coimbra.

Temporary missions are planned in Portugal and abroad to carry out short-term internships at the participating institutions.

9 – Qualifications

Eligible candidates are:

• Masters in one of the following areas: Geosciences, Civil, Mechanical, Chemistry, Physics, Materials, Polymers or Environment engineering enrolled in a non-degree granting course, integrated in an educational programme of a higher education institution, and developed in association or cooperation with one or various R&D units. 

Candidates must be fluent in Portuguese and have a good knowledge of English.

10 – Scientific supervision

The activities will be supervised by the Senior Researcher, Luís Pimentel Real, from the NAICI unit.

11 – Monthly allowance

The Grant shall include a monthly allowance in the amount of 1,309.64 €. The Grant fellow shall also be entitled to a specific social security system and to insurance against personal accidents at work.

When traveling abroad (if applicable), the scholarship holder will have paid travel and accommodation expenses .

12 – Selection methods and criteria

The evaluation of the applications shall be based on the Applicant’s Merits (MC), and the following evaluation criteria shall be scored on a 0 to 20 scale. 

Applicant’s merits:

• Academic Background (PA) – scores of the academic degrees required by this call, namely degree (or equivalent) or MSc – 50%
• Professional Résumé (CP) – scientific and professional career – 30%
• Interview with the selection jury (ES) – 20%

Hence:

MC = (0.5* PA) + (0.3 * CP) + (0.2 * ES).

The jury is entitled to decide not to award the Grant if the quality of the applicants is deemed below par.

13 – Selection jury

President:

– Luís Manuel Cordeiro Matias, Senior Researcher.

Members:

– Alcides José Sousa Castilho Pereira, Full professor

– Luís Eduardo Pimentel Real, Senior Researcher;

Alternate members:

– António José Dâmaso Santos Matos Vilhena, Senior Researcher

– Maria João Ribeiro Montês Correia, Assistant Research 

14 – Application documents

• Letter of motivation (maximum: one A4 page).
• Degree certificate, with indication of the partial scores and final classification.

Foreign certificates shall be valid only if they are dully endorsed by an issuing entity, or if a recognition/equivalence document is produced stating that the foreign qualifications correspond to the same Portuguese qualifications.   The respective scores can only be used if they are officially converted to the Portuguese scoring scale (by DGES – Direção Geral do Ensino Superior or by a public higher education institution), even if the foreign classification corresponds to a 0 to 20 scale.

• Detailed Curriculum Vitae.
• Other documents (optional), such as letters of reference and supporting documents of internships or complementary courses considered as relevant for the purposes of this Grant

• Necessary information for preparing the contract.

15 – Deadline for applications

Between January 26 and February 27, 2026

16 – Formalization of applications

The applications shall be formalized by one of the following means:

• Electronic mail addressed to recrutamento@lnec.pt ., until 24h00 of the last day of the stipulated time limit;
• directly to the Setor de Arquivo e Expediente Geral of LNEC, at Avenida do Brasil, no. 101, 1700-066 Lisboa;
• registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt addressed to LNEC, I.P., Avenida do Brasil, no. 101, 1700-066 Lisboa; the date of delivery considered for the purpose of compliance with the stipulated time limit being the date of registration.

In the last two cases, the applications shall be delivered in a sealed envelope, bearing the following information on the outside: “Concurso para atribuição de uma bolsa de investigação (BI), no âmbito do programa de investigação FightRn – Soluções para mitigação do radão em edifícios através de membranas de proteção de materiais de construção”.

17 – Notification of results

The final score of each evaluation stage shall be advertised in a list sorted by the final score obtained, all applicants being notified by electronic mail. The results shall also be published on the Recruitment page of LNEC’s website.

18 – Deadlines and procedures for preliminary hearing, claims and appeals

Once the provisional ranked list of the evaluation results has been communicated, applicants who have an unfavourable provisional decision may use their right to dispute it during the preliminary hearing phase (if requested), which takes place within 10 working days, according to the Administrative Procedure Code (CPA).

The final decision shall be disclosed after the analysis of applicants’ arguments presented in the preliminary hearing. Final decision can be claimed within 15 working days or, alternatively, appealed to the Board of Directors, within 30 working days, after the communication of the final results, respectively.

19 – Further information

Additional information can be obtained by phone: +351 218 443 892 or +351 218 443 216 or by electronic mail to the address referred to in 17. The applicants living outside of Portugal can also refer to the portal EURAXESS Portugal .

20 – Standard fellowship contract

Available on the Recruitment page of LNEC’s website.

21 – Model of the final report to be prepared by the research fellow and supervisor

Available on the Recruitment page of LNEC’s website.

E-mail

recrutamento@lnec.pt

Research Field

Engineering

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

LNEC - Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil

Country

Portugal

City

Lisbon

Postal Code

1700-066 Lisboa

Street

Avenida do Brasil, 101

Geofield

State/Province

Lisbon

City

Lisbon

Website

http://www.lnec.pt/pt/

Street

Av. do Brasil, 101

Postal Code

1700-066

E-Mail

recrutamento@lnec.pt

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