ONE (1) research grant for candidates with BSC degree with the reference number BI|2023/379 is now available under the scope of project MAICT (Ref. EXPL/LLT-LIN/1104/2021), funded by FUNDAÇÃO PARA A CIÊNCIA E A TECNOLOGIA I.P.

Public notice for research grant

MAICT – A Multimodal Approach for Identifying Conspiracy Theories in Social Media

EXPL/LLT-LIN/1104/2021

BI|2023/379

INESC-ID - Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores, Investigação e Desenvolvimento em Lisboa is a R&D institute dedicated to advanced research and development in the fields of Information Technologies, Electronics, Communications, and Energy. INESC-ID has participated in more than 50 research projects funded by the European Union and more than 190 funded by national entities. Until today, our researchers have published more than 700 papers in international journal papers, more than 3000 papers in international conferences, and have registered 15 patents and/or brands.

1 | RESEARCH GRANT TYPE

ONE (1) research grant for candidates with BSC degree with the reference number BI|2023/379 is now available under the scope of project MAICT (Ref. EXPL/LLT-LIN/1104/2021), funded byFundação para a ciência e a tecnologia I.P. , under the following conditions:

2 | DURATION

Three (3) months, starting in March 2023

-     Renewable in case of the extension of project, if the candidate is enrolled in a MSc program -  art. 6º, n.4 b)

https://files.dre.pt/2s/2019/12/241000000/0009100105.pdf

subject to suitable performance within the period of the project, not exceeding the maximum period set by FCT for such grants – 2 years (included contract renewals)

-     Renewable, in case of the extension of project, if the candidate is enrolled in a non-degree programme – art. 6º, n. 4 a)

https://files.dre.pt/2s/2019/12/241000000/0009100105.pdf  

subject to suitable performance within the period of the project, not exceeding the maximum period set by FCT for such grants – 1 year (included contract renewals)

3 | LEGISLATION

A fellowship contract will be celebrated according to:

1. Law 40/2004 of 18^th of August (Scientific Research Fellow Status) and its successive amendments, including the amendments introduced by the Decree Law n. 123/2019 of 28 ^th of August 
   https://dre.pt/web/guest/legislacao-consolidada/-/lc/124281176/201912061112/73740605/diploma/indice?lcq=estatuto+do+bolseiro,
    
2. Regulations for Research Grants of the Foundation for Science and Technology in force  (https://www.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/docs/RegulamentoBolsasFCT2019.pdf )
    
3. INESC-ID Lisboa Grant Regulations

https://www.inesc-id.pt/scholarship-regulations/

The fellowship contract is awarded on an exclusive dedication basis – art. 5 of Scientific Research Fellow Status and art. 16 of Regulations for Research Grants of the Foundation for Science and Technology.

4 | MONTHLY AMOUNT

The monthly amount of the grant 875.98€is in accordance with the values stipulated in the “Regulations for Research Grants of the Foundation for Science and Technology” in force https://former.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/docs/Tabela_de_Valores_SMM_2022.pdf  and shall be rendered through a monthly bank transfer to an account held by the grantee.

5 | OBJECTIVES/WORKPLAN

This project envisages the creation of innovative language resources for Portuguese that can be used to assist automatic detection and classification of the sociolects used to produce conspiracy theories that are prevalent on social media nowadays.

The scope of this scholarship is to develop a visualization dashboard, capable of displaying several facets relevant for identifying and understanding the main multimodal patterns (text and image) underlying conspiracy narratives. This dashboard relies on the annotation of a conspiracy corpus developed under the scope of this project, which was finely grained annotated with information on text and image.

6 | SCIENTIFIC SUPERVISION

The research activities will be co-supervised by Ricardo Daniel Santos Faro Marques Ribeiro, Fernando Manuel Marques Batista, Associate Professors at ISCTE – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa and Researchers at INESC-ID Lisboa, and Professor Paula Cristina Quaresma da Fonseca Carvalho, Invited Assistant Professor at IST- University of Lisbon and Researcher at INESC-ID.

The grantee will be integrated in the research team of both scientific advisors.

7 | ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

The candidates should have a BSc degree in Computer Science or related areas.

By the grant start date, the candidate must be enrolled in

1. a MSc programme – art. 6º, n.1

https://files.dre.pt/2s/2019/12/241000000/0009100105.pdf

or

1. a non-degree programme – art. 6º, n. 2

https://files.dre.pt/2s/2019/12/241000000/0009100105.pdf

Preferential factors:

preference will be given to candidates who:

• The candidate must have an interest in research, particularly in the field of Natural Language Processing (NLP), Machine Learning (ML), and/or Interaction and Data Visualization.
• The candidate should have proficiency in programming languages, particularly JavaScript and Python.
• The candidate should have language skills corresponding to high proficiency in English and Portuguese.

8 | EVALUATION CRITERIA AND COMMITEE

The selection will be according to the following criteria:

1. - Criterion A - Merit of the applicant (50%):
   • Sub-criterion A1 - Professional or academic experience aligned with the research topic (10%).
   • Sub-criterion A2 – Academic record (40%).
2. - Criterion B - Motivation of the student for the training plan through a motivation letter (20%). 
3. - Criterion C – Interview (30%).

The candidates will be ordered according to the weighted average of the classification obtained in each of the 3 (three) criteria, translated by the following formula:

FinalClassification =((0,50 ×A+0,20 ×B+0,30×C)

Candidates whose application is evaluated with a final mark below 50 (fifty) points will not be eligible for a scholarship.

The jury reserves the right to not award the grant if none of the candidates matches the desired profile.

9 | COMPLAIN AND APPEAL DEADLINES AND PROCEDURES

The jury has the faculty not to select a candidate who does not prove the requirements mentioned in required education Level and research experience

The admitted and excluded candidates will be notified by email of the final ranking list, including the copy of the Preliminary Report of the jury.

Prior Hearing and Deadline for Final Decision: After being notified, candidates have 10 working days to submit, if applicable, a formal rebuttal.

After that period, the jury notifies the candidates of the Final Report.

Excluded applicants may complain about the jury's final report for 15 working days after notification or appeal the jury's decision to the INESC ID Board of Directors for 30 working days after notification.

According to the Portuguese Law, a disabled candidate has a preference when in equal classification, which prevails over any other legal preference. Candidates must declare their respective degree of disability, the type of disability and the means of communication / expression to be used in the selection process, under the law.

10 | FORMALISATION OF APPLICATIONS

11 | Application Dates