Call for 1 Postdoctoral Research Fellowship - Psychology

Ad summary

The William James Center for Research (WJCR) of Ispa – Instituto Universitário is accepting applications for 1 (one) Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (call reference: MISCOR/005/BIPD/2023) in the scope of the project “MISCOR – Fake news: Acceptance and correction of misinformation in social interaction contexts”, funded by the “la Caixa” Foundation under project reference LCF/PR/SR22/52570004.

1. Scientific field: Psychology

2. Funding: “la Caixa” Foundation under project reference LCF/PR/SR22/52570004.

3. Applicants’ Profile

Mandatory requirements:

1. Doctoral degree in Psychology, namely social, experimental, or cognitive, completed up to 3 years ago, counting from the date of submission of the application, in addition to requirements specified in point 4 of this call;
2. Strong experimental research skills;
3. Strong quantitative data analysis skills;
4. Two journal articles (WoS; Scopus) authored/co-authored by the candidate (published or accepted for publication).

Preferred factors:

Preference will be given to candidates who have: 1) Experience in programming and collecting data with experimental software (e.g., E-prime, Qualtrics, or similar); 2) Experience in recruiting and managing participants’ pools; 3) Experience in analyzing quantitative data (e.g., SPSS, R or other similar software); 4) Experience in disseminating scientific outputs at (inter)national events; 5) Knowledge of web design and social media management. Proficiency in written and spoken English is expected.

4. Requirements for admission to the call

Eligible applicants must comply with the following requirements cumulatively:

a) Applicants must have a doctoral degree in Psychology, completed up to 3 years ago, counting from the date of submission of the application;

b) The research associated with the postdoctoral fellowship must be conducted in a host institution that did not host the research work leading to the doctoral degree of the applicant;

c) The research activities associated with the postdoctoral fellowship cannot exceed three years;

d) The fellow cannot exceed an accumulated period of three years (including possible renewals) in this type of fellowship, consecutive or interpolated;

e) Candidates who had a previous postdoctoral research fellowship contract signed with ISPA, CRL, are not eligible.

Further, candidates must submit the following documents as part of their application:

1. Copy of the Ph.D. diploma, with the indication of the date on which the degree was obtained;
2. Detailed curriculum vitae (CV);
3. Personal statement (in English), in which the candidate is expected to explain the reasons for the application as well as future career plans (max. 2 pages);
4. Two journal articles (WoS; Scopus) authored/co-authored by the candidate (published or accepted for publication);
5. One recommendation letter.

Only applicants who supply proof to have completed a Ph.D. degree by the end of the application deadline will be admitted. If applicants do not yet have the diploma/certificate of completion, a declaration of honor will be accepted, stating that they have completed the qualifications required for the position and that the Ph.D. diploma/certificate will be dated within the application period. The postdoctoral research fellowship award is always contingent upon the presentation of the mandatory proof of academic qualifications.

If the Ph.D. degree has been conferred by a foreign higher education institution, it must be recognized by a Portuguese higher education institution, under the terms of the provisions of Decree-Law no. 66/2018, of August 16th, which approves the legal regime of recognition of academic degrees and diplomas of Higher Education, attributed by foreign higher education institutions, and of paragraph e) of no. 2 of article 4 of Decree-Law no. 60/2018, of August 3rd. If the candidate has already requested but is waiting on the recognition of the academic degrees conferred by a foreign higher education institution to be issued, they can submit a declaration of honor clarifying that the recognition was requested. In this case, the application will be conditionally admitted and all formalities established therein must be fulfilled by the starting date of the contract. The postdoctoral research fellowship award is always contingent upon the presentation of the mandatory proof of academic qualifications.

The recognition of foreign academic degrees and diplomas may be requested in any Portuguese public higher education institution or at the Directorate-General for Higher Education (DGES, for automatic recognition only). Please consult the DGES portal for details: http://www.dges.gov.pt.

5. Requirements for signing the fellowship contract

The postdoctoral research fellowship contract is contingent upon the presentation of the mandatory proof of academic qualifications indicated in point 4. In the case of diplomas issued by foreign higher education institutions, the recognition of these academic degrees must be presented until the time of contracting the research fellowship.

For the purposes of signing the contract, a form with personal information, Ciência ID, a copy of the identification document, and a declaration on exclusive functions exercise might also be requested.

False declarations are reasons to cancel the candidacy without prejudice to the application of other sanction measures.

6. Work plan

The associated tasks to this Postdoctoral Research Fellowship will include providing support in all stages of the research and the tasks detailed in the project application, as well as contributing to any other activities falling within the overall project goals. These tasks include review of relevant literature; Programing experimental studies; Data collection; Identifying and recruiting subject pool; Processing and analyzing quantitative data; Supervising research assistants; Providing administrative and project management support; Participating in (inter)national conferences and seminars, with the presentation of scientific papers resulting from the project; Participating in the project’s publishing strategy and dissemination of results in science communication events and in the media.

7. Applicable legislation

Law No. 40/2004, of August 18th, as amended by the Decree-Law No. 123/2019, of August 28th, in its current wording (Research Fellowship Holder Statute/Estatuto do Bolseiro de Investigação - EBI); Regulation No. 950/2019, of November 29^th, published in Diário da República, No. 241, Series II, of December 16th (FCT’s Regulation for Research Fellowships/Regulamento de Bolsas de Investigação da FCT - RBI); Decree-Law No. 66/2018, of August 16th (Legal regime of recognition of academic degrees and diplomas of higher education awarded by foreign higher education institutions); Regulation for Scientific Research Fellowships of Ispa – Instituto Universitário); and other applicable legislation.

8. Workplace and scientific supervision

The postdoctoral research fellowship contract will be signed with ISPA, CRL (contracting entity). The place of work is at the William James Center for Research (host institution), located at Ispa – Instituto Universitário (Rua Jardim do Tabaco 34, 1149-041 Lisbon, Portugal) and, eventually, other locations necessary for the execution of the planned activities, under the scientific supervision of Doctor Magda Saraiva.

9. Duration of the fellowship

The postdoctoral research fellowship has an expected duration of 12 months, eventually renewable for periods not exceeding the eligible period of the project (November 2024), conditioned by the project's budget and per the provisions of Article 7 of FCT’s Regulation for Research Fellowships.

The postdoctoral fellowship is expected to start in April 2023.

10. Remuneration and other components

The postdoctoral fellow will be paid 1741,00€, in accordance with the table of monthly maintenance stipend in Portugal set by FCT for activities in the exclusive dedication regime, subject to any updates that may apply, to be paid monthly through bank transfer. The postdoctoral fellow is also entitled to the applicable voluntary social security system (Seguro Social Voluntário, Decree-Law No. 40/89, of February 1st; EBI – art. 10º) and personal accident insurance.

11. Submission of applications

The call is open from February 24th 2023, to March 13th 2023, 11 PM (Lisbon time).

Applications must be formalized via e-mail to msaraiva@ispa.pt, copied (CC) to gfp@ispa.pt, and clearly state this call's reference in the “Subject” of the e-mail: MISCOR/005/BIPD/2023. Alternatively, applications can be sent via post to Ispa – Instituto Universitário – William James Center for Research – Rua Jardim do Tabaco 34, 1149-041 Lisboa, Portugal, and received within the specified application period.

Applications must include the following mandatory documents (as indicated in point 4):

1. Copy of the Ph.D. diploma/certificate, with the indication of the date on which the degree was obtained;
2. If applicable, and in accordance with point 4 of this call, recognition of the Ph.D. degree if this degree was awarded by a foreigner higher education institution. Alternatively, a declaration of honor clarifying that the recognition was requested.
3. Detailed curriculum vitae (CV).
4. Personal statement (in English), in which the candidate is expected to explain the reasons for the application as well as future career plans (max. 2 pages);
5. Two journal articles (WoS; Scopus) authored/co-authored by the candidate (published or accepted for publication);
6. One recommendation letter.

All documents must be submitted in PDF format.

The non-compliance with these requirements may determine the rejection of the application.

12. Evaluation and selection criteria

Evaluation and selection methods will be the curricular evaluation and an interview.

12.1 Curricular Evaluation

The curricular evaluation (CE) is expressed on a 0 – 100 scale and results from the formula:

CE = 40% SO + 40% RA + 15% DK + 5% PS

1. SO corresponds to the scientific and technological outputs. This criterion includes scientific publications (indexed paper publications on Web of Knowledge and/or Scopus), invited talks (national and/or international), communications in scientific events, organization of national and/or international scientific events, recognitions, and awards/honors. The quantity and quality of the outputs will be evaluated, as well as their theoretical and/or methodological relevance to the project area.
2. RA corresponds to research activities. This criterion includes participation in research activities and/or in national or international research projects and students (Master students) and research assistants’ supervision. We will also value participation in national or international networks, evaluation panels, coordination or management bodies in scientific institutions, and experience in submitting proposals to competitive research funds, teaching, and revising scientific publications. The intensity/duration and variety of activities developed will be considered.
3. DK corresponds to activities of extension and dissemination of knowledge. This criterion includes scientific outreach and dissemination of knowledge and results to society, academic and non-academic audiences, and other science communication activities, including website development and social media management.
4. PS corresponds to the personal statement clarifying how the candidate’s expertise and motivation align with the work plan.

Applications will be evaluated, and candidates will be ranked on a 0-100 scale, by averaging the classifications indicated by each Evaluation Panel member, up to the centesimal place.

Candidates who obtain a score equal to or greater than 75 points on the Curricular Evaluation will be invited to the interview. All other candidates will be excluded from the tender process, as the Evaluation Panel will consider they do not hold a scientific and professional curriculum that reveals an adequate profile for the position.

12.2 Interview

The interview consists of a discussion between the candidate and the Evaluation Panel, which is meant to further clarify aspects related to the candidate’s application.

The evaluation criteria of the interview will focus on the research skills demonstrated by the candidate and on the suitability of the candidate’s expertise to the position of this call.

The evaluation of the interview is expressed on a 0 – 100 scale.

The final classification of the interview will be obtained by averaging the classifications indicated by each Evaluation Panel member and expressed on a 0-100 scale up to the centesimal place.

Final Classification and Ranking

The final classification (FC) of each candidate admitted to the Interview corresponds to the weighted average of the evaluation and selection methods by assigning a weighting factor of 80% to the curricular evaluation and 20% to the interview:

FC = Curricular Evaluation (CE) x 80% + Interview x 20%

In the event of a tie, the president of the Evaluation Panel will have a casting vote.

The final classification is expressed on a 0 – 100 scale, up to the centesimal place.

If none of the candidates presents the appropriate and/or necessary skills and competences required for the position and respective work plan, despite fulfilling all the requirements for admission, the Evaluation Panel has the right to not attribute the fellowship(s).

13. Composition of the Evaluation Panel

Doctor Magda Catarina Gomes Saraiva (Integrated Researcher in the William James Center for Research, Ispa – Instituto Universitário; President)

Professor Doctor Margarida e Sá de Vaz Garrido (Associate Professor with Habilitation at Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa; Integrated Researcher in CIS-Iscte/Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa; Effective member)

Doctor Inês Isabel Dias Simões Manita Mares (Integrated Researcher in the William James Center for Research, Ispa – Instituto Universitário; Effective member)Doctor Rita Rocha da Silva (Integrated Researcher in CIS-Iscte, Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa; Alternate member)

Doctor Jorge André Simões Cândido Martins (Integrated Researcher in the William James Center for Research, Ispa – Instituto Universitário; Alternate member)

14. Communication of results

The candidates will be notified no later than 90 working days after the closing date for submission of applications to the e-mail address provided by the applicants.

15. Deadlines and procedures for preliminary hearing, complaint, and appeal

After communicating the provisional list of the results, applicants who want to dispute the results have 10 working days to request a preliminary hearing, per Article 121 and following the Administrative Procedure Code (CPA). The final decision will be communicated after examining the arguments presented at the preliminary hearing. After this communication, the selected candidate has 10 working days to accept, in writing, the awarded fellowship. Otherwise, withdrawal or renouncement of the fellowship will be considered unless a proper justification is presented.

After the final decision, a complaint may be placed within 15 working days or, alternatively, an appeal within 30 working days, both counting from the notification date. Applicants who wish to submit a complaint or an appeal should address their complaint to the Rectory of Ispa – Instituto Universitário.

If the selected candidate renounces or withdraws from the fellowship, the Evaluation Panel can notify and award the fellowship to the candidate(s) in the following position(s), if applicable, and according to the final ranking list.

16. Templates for the research fellowship contract and the final reports by the fellow and by the supervisor

The template for the research fellowship contract, as well as the template for the final reports to be created by the fellow and by the supervisor, and concomitant evaluation criteria, can be found in the Ispa – Instituto Universitário’s Regulation for Scientific Research Fellowships (Appendices 2, 3, and 4) at:

https://intranet.ispa.pt/sites/default/files/users/531/rg102_bols_invest_cient_v4.0.pdf