CALL FOR RESEARCH INITIATION FELLOWSHIP

University of Coimbra opens a call for one   research initiation fellowship, in the framework of the NEXUS project “Agenda Mobilizadora Sines Nexus” (reference: Nº 7113), financed by the PRR - Recovery and Resilience Plan and by the Next Generation EU European Funds, following NOTICE No. 02/C05-i01/2022, Component 5 - Capitalization and Business Innovation - Mobilizing Agendas for Business Innovation, in the following conditions:

Scientific area: Informatics Engineering or similar .

Skills/Qualifications/Admission requirements:  Students enrolled in a bachelor's degree course in Informatics Engineering or similar .

Although the recipients must be enrolled in a cycle of studies leading to the attribution of an academic degree, at the time of application it is not necessary for the candidate to have made such an enrollment, and proof of enrollment must be presented until the fellowship is contractualized. Candidates are only required to meet the requirements to enroll in the training offer. If there are candidates already enrolled (including attending a course), they compete on an equal footing with those who are not enrolled. 

Work plan/ Objectives: Carrier assignment in container shipping service procurement

The NEXUS Agenda consortium, led by the Port of Sines, comprises 35 partners who share a common goal of developing innovative solutions to achieve a Green and Digital Transition Agenda. The consortium represents the entire value chain, including port authorities, maritime and terminal operators, railway operators, carriers, dry ports, logistics operators, technology suppliers, importers, exporters, as well as universities and research institutes. Within the NEXUS framework, a key objective is the development of a service procurement platform allowing shippers to request and obtain tailored quotes for their shipping needs directly from specific carriers, and then decide which carrier or carriers to select. This work is part of Work Package 5 on Smart Logistics (WP5).

The main objective of this work is the development of a solver to support shippers in their negotiation with carriers leading to the assignment of carriers to so-called lanes in the context of tenders involving multiple lanes and combinatorial bidding.

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Regime: The attribution of the fellowship does not generate or entitle a relation of a legal-labour nature, and the fellowship is undertaken in an exclusive dedication regime. The fellowship holder is awarded the Fellowship Statute of the UC, in its current wording, according to the Research Fellowship Holder Statute , and according to the Regulation for Research Fellowships of the Foundation for Science and Technology, both in their current wording.

Location: Department of Informatics Engineering, Faculty of Sciences and Technology at the University of Coimbra.

Duration: 12 months.

Renewal: Possibly renewable.

Scientific orientation: Carlos Manuel Mira da Fonseca .

Financial conditions: The amount of the fellowship is € 601.12 corresponding to the monthly compensation stipulated in the FCT table (https://www.fct.pt/en/financiamento/programas-de-financiamento/bolsas/), plus  social security (Seguro Social Voluntário, first level contributions) and personal accidents insurance. The payment will be made by bank transfer. This amount will not be increased during the entire period of the fellowship duration.

Selection methods: Curricular Evaluation (50%) and Interview (50%) .

Selection criteria: Curricular Evaluation:

- Knowledge in the areas of Programming, Algorithms and Optimization (100%).

Interview:

- Knowledge and profile appropriate to the tasks to be developed (60%);

- Ability to express oneself and verbal fluency in English (20%);

- Motivation and interest (20%).

Jury responsible for selection: Carlos Manuel Mira da Fonseca (President), Filipe João Boavida Mendonça Machado de Araújo (1st effective), Paulo José Osório Rupino da Cunha (2nd effective), Raul André Brajczewski Barbosa (1st alternate member) Luís Miguel Machado Lopes Macedo (2nd alternate member).

Formalization of application: 

- Motivation letter;

- Curriculum Vitae;

- Proof of enrolment on bachelor’s degree (only mandatory at the contracting stage).

The Declaration mentioned below must be formalized in proper form in the platform apply.uc.pt.

Declaration on the honor of the candidate(s) with the indication of the fellowship(s) of the typology to which the contest was held and the respective duration(s).

Applicants with academic degrees obtained abroad will be required to present a Certificate of Recognition in accordance with applicable law. This document is mandatory only in the contractualization phase.

Applications submission: Applications should be submitted on https://apply.uc.pt/IT137-24-281 .

Submission of applications: Between 22/07/2024  and 02/08/2024.

Submission deadline date: 02/08/2024.

Additional information: The evaluation results will be announced within 90 working days after the end of the applications submission deadline, by notifying the applicants via email. After the announcement of the results, candidates are considered automatically notified to, if they wish to do so, comment on the results on a preliminary hearing period within 10 days after that date. After this, the selected candidates will have to declare in writing their acceptance. Unless a justification worthy of consideration is presented, if the declaration is not submitted within the referred period, it is considered that the candidate waivers the fellowship. In case of resignation or withdrawal of the selected candidate, the next candidate with the highest evaluation score will be notified immediately.

Once the selection process is completed, the fellowship contract will be drawn up in accordance with the draft contract provided by the FCT.

After the contracted period, the fellowship holder and supervisor must prepare the final report in accordance with the respective assessment criteria that were established.

Pursuant to subparagraph h) of Article 9 of the Portuguese Constitution, the University of Coimbra, as employer, actively promotes a policy of equal opportunities between men and women in access to employment and professional development, and acts to prevent each and every kind of discrimination.

Therefore, no one can be privileged, benefited, harmed or deprived of any right or immune from any duty on account of, in particular, ancestry, age, sexual orientation, gender, marital status, family, economic situation, education, origin or social condition, genetic heritage, reduced work capacity, disability, chronic illness, nationality, ethnic or racial origin, territory of origin, language, religion, political or ideological beliefs and trade union membership.

Selection reserve list: N.A.