CALL FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST – Team Leader in Meta-Research

University of Coimbra opens a call for one Team Leader Position, in the framework of the EXCELScIOR project “EXCELlent Science with Impact, Open and Reliable” (reference: 101087416), funded by the European Union through Horizon Europe – ERA Chairs programme, call HORIZON-WIDERA-2022-TALENTS-01, in the following conditions:

Scientific area: Meta-Research or closely related field(s).

Skills/Qualifications: UC is now looking for the permanent Team Leader (future ERA Chair holder) of the core research group in Meta-Research for the said ERA Chair. This leader should be an outstanding researcher in meta-research or closely related field(s), with an international reputation based on research excellence. It can be a citizen of any country in the world and must be willing to move on a permanent basis (full-time position) to the University of Coimbra, to become the leader of a growing meta-research team and the key driver of the field at UC. Interested candidates must demonstrate consolidated scientific independence, a leadership track-record (at team and/or institutional level), proven capacity to attract/secure significant competitive funding and resources and to develop, manage and lead research projects. Given the wide-spectrum of meta-research applications that practically cover all fields of science, the research and scholarship portfolio of the future Team Leader can be diverse in terms of topics within the biomedical, natural sciences, social sciences (including psychology), economics or mathematics/ statistics fields or a combination of them, and may include theory, applications, observational or experimental studies, methods, and/or other evidence-based approaches.

Work plan/Objectives: EXCELScIOR (doi: 10.3030/101087416) is a Horizon Europe ERA Chair project that aims to develop, extend and fully unlock UC’s research potential through the implementation of a new interdisciplinary Chair devoted to Meta-Research (i.e., “research on research”, also known as Meta-Science). Under the guidance of its senior scientific consultant - Professor John P.A. Ioannidis (from Stanford University, USA), the project aims to improve research methods and practices and to enhance approaches to integrate information, to generate reliable evidence and to maximize its impact, primarily focusing on Biomedical Sciences, the long-term goal being to expand to multiple other research areas, within UC and beyond. For that, the project will create a permanent and excellent research group in Meta-Research.

Benefits: The researcher (Team Leader) will be hired by the University of Coimbra, for the duration of the project, as Coordinator or Principal Researcher under a full-time work contract, working exclusively for the project during contract compulsory working hours. According to the Portuguese legislation on public hiring of researchers (Decree-Law 124/99) the contract includes the payment of:

- Salary (monthly salary plus holidays and Christmas allowance);

- Social security contribution;

- Food allowance.

The gross salary offered to the researcher will range from 58.534,42€/year (Principal Researcher) to 68.090,96€/year (Coordinator Researcher) depending on the career stage and academic qualifications of the successful candidate. During the initial 3 years of the project, and following the applicable national law, UC commits to appoint the researcher on a permanent basis.

A team-dedicated lab/office space will also be provided along with the financial resources for the Team Leader (together with Professor Ioannidis) to recruit other core members of the team for the duration of the project. Besides de Team Leader position, EXCELScIOR funding will cover the costs of 5 other researcher positions for the Meta-Research team. UC expects that under the leadership of the ERA Chair holder, it will be possible to maintain and grow the team even after the end of the 5-years EXCELSiOR funding.

Selection methods: Curricular Evaluation (60%) and Interview (40%).

Selection criteria:

The Curricular Evaluation (CE) will consider the following criteria weighted according to the  formula CE = 60%CV + 30%ML+ 10%PR, where

• CV: Curriculum Vitae (Professional experience; Career path; Leadership; Other relevant skills) = 60%
• ML: Motivation letter = 30%
• PR: Professional References = 10%

The Interview (I), to which only the top 5 candidates in the CE evaluation will be invited, will consider the following criteria weighted according to the  formula I = 30%E + 30%MI + 40%SP, where

• E: Expertise in the area of Meta-research = 30%
• MI: Motivation and interest for the position = 50%
• SP: Suitability of the candidate’s profile for the position = 20%.

Selection Panel: Professor John P.A. Ioannidis (Stanford University, USA); Doctor Paulo Jorge Oliveira (University of Coimbra, PT); Professor João Ramalho-Santos (University of Coimbra, PT); Professor Isabelle Boutron (Université Paris Cité, FR); Professor Ana Marušić (University of Split, HR); Professor Anna Dreber Almenberg (Stockholm School of Economics, SE); Professor Florian Naudet (Université de Rennes 1, FR), Professor Evropi Theodoratou, University of Edinburgh, UK).