Competition for Granting three Research Scholarships in Computational Algebra – (UI/297/2020) – 19/2023 - #NOVAID-B039

A tender is open for the attribution of three Research Scholarships for a 1st cycle student in Mathematics or integrated MSc course in Computer Science within the scope of the R&D Unit “Center for Mathematics and Applications” (CMA) (UI/297/2020), financed by “Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P.”/MCTES (FCT, I.P.) (ref. UIDB/00297/2020) through national funds (PIDDAC) (OE), under the following conditions:

1. Scientific Area:

Computational Algebra with emphasis on automated theorem proving (ProverX).

2. Recipients profile/category:

Mandatory requirements:

Candidates must be regularly enrolled, in the academic year 2022/2023, in a 1st cycle in Mathematics or integrated MSc course in Computer Science. The documents that verify this situation must be presented, at most, by the time of the scholarship contract, being able to be replaced previously by a Declaration on honor.

Preferred Factors:

ProverX programming.

3. Work Plan:

It is intended that the scholarship holders will collaborate in the ongoing research activities at the CMA (https://novamath.fct.unl.pt), namely, producing Python packages for ProverX and finding new theorems.

4. Applicable legislation and regulations:

Law No. 40/2004, of August 18, amended and republished by Decree-Law No. 202/2012 of August 27 (Statute of the Scientific Research Fellow) and amended by Decree-Law No. 233/2012 of October 29, by Law No. 12/2013 of 29 January, by Decree-Law No. 89/2013, of 9 July and Decree-Law No. 123/2019, of 28 August; Regulation of Research Grants of NOVA.id.FCT – Association for Innovation and Development of FCT; Regulation of Research Grants of the Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., in force (https://files.dre.pt/2s/2019/12/241000000/0009100105.pdf) .

5. Workplace:

The work is to be carried out at the facilities of the Center for Mathematics and Applications (CMA), hosted at the Department of Mathematics, located in NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon (FCT-NOVA), under the scientific supervision of Professor João Araújo, being the entity contracting NOVA.id.FCT – Association for Innovation and Development of FCT.

6. Fellowship duration:

The duration of scholarship is 5 months, planned to start in April of 2023. The scholarship is not renewable.

7. Monthly maintenance allowance amount:

The scholarship amount corresponds to €541.12, based on the table of scholarships awarded directly by FCT, I.P., in the country, with payment made monthly by bank transfer.

Other components can be added to the scholarship in accordance with the NOVA.id.FCT Scholarship Regulation.

8. Selection criteria:

The selection criteria to be used and the respective weighting will be as follows:

a. Curriculum evaluation (score from 0 to 20): 50% weighting;

b. Experience in ProverX (score from 0 to 20): 40% weighting;

c. Motivation letter (score from 0 to 20): 10% weighting.

The jury may conduct interviews of the three best-ranked candidates. In case the jury conducts interviews, the selection criteria change, becoming the following:

a. Curricular evaluation (score from 0 to 20): 25% weighting;

b. Experience in ProverX (score from 0 to 20): 40% weighting;

c. Motivation letter (score from 0 to 20): 5% weighting;

d. Interview (score from 0 to 20): 30% weighting.

All applications will be evaluated on a scale from 0 to 20 points. Candidates who do not obtain a minimum score of 15 points, as a result of the jury's evaluation according to the selection criteria, will not be hired.

The jury reserves the right not to award the scholarship if candidates with the appropriate profile are not presented to the competition.

9. Composition of the Selection Jury:

President of the Jury: João Araújo (CMA and DM-FCT-NOVA).

Effective Members of the Jury: Fátima Rodrigues (CMA and DM-FCT-NOVA) and Inês Rodrigues (CMA-FCT-NOVA).

Substitute Members of the Jury: António Malheiro (CMA and DM-FCT-NOVA) and Carlos Santos (CMA-FCT-NOVA).

10. Form of advertising/notification of results:

The evaluation results proposed by the jury will be notified, up to 90 days after the deadline for the submission of applications, by email, with access to the minutes and the provisional ranking list.

After notification, candidates will have 10 working days to comment on the draft decision, (prior hearing of interested parties, under the terms of the Code of Administrative Procedure).

The final decision will be taken after the expiry of the prior hearing period, again notified to all candidates by e-mail. Of this final decision the candidates can file a complaint within 15 working days (to the e-mail address used for the notification), or a hierarchical appeal, within 30 working days, addressed to NOVA.id.FCT's Board through the address coord1@novaidfct.pt.

11. Application deadline and form of application submission:

A tender is open from the 20th to the 31st of March of 2023.

Documentation to be provided when applying:

Applications must be formalized, obligatorily, by sending the following documents written in Portuguese or English and, preferably, in PDF files:

a. Curriculum Vitae;

b. Motivation letter;

c. Proof of enrolment in the academic year 2022/23, in a 1st cycle in Mathematics or integrated MSc course in Computer Science, being able to be replaced previously by a Declaration on honor;

d. Declaration on honor (according to the draft available here for download).

Form of submission of the applications:

Applications should be sent by email, to cma.secretariado@fct.unl.pt, with subject: Research Scholarship Application – ProverX.

Documentation to be provided upon contracting: Proof of enrollment in the 1st cycle of Mathematics or in the integrated master's degree in Informatics.

12. Drafts:

The drafts of: i) fellowship contract, ii) final report to be presented by the fellowship holder, iii) final report to be presented by the scientific advisor, and; iv) declaration on honor, can all be found on NOVA.id.FCT website.