PhD student (m/f)

Job: PhD student

Reference: BIOPOLIS-2022-69

Main research field: Biological Sciences (Behavioural Ecology)

Type of contract: Non-Fixed-term work contract

1. One non-fixed-term contract to a MSc holder (Reference BIOPOLIS-2022-69-ERC) is available at CIBIO-InBIO, through Associação BIOPOLIS, under the funding of the ERC Grant number 866489 “Partner choice and the evolution of cooperation”, financed by European funds through the European Research Council.

The successful candidate will study the reliability of cooperation using a long-term study on sociable weavers at Benfontein reserve, South Africa. S/he will use correlational data and experiments to investigate the condition-dependence and repeatability of different cooperative behaviours (helping at the nest, nest building, mobbing, vigilance) and in this highly social species.

2. Applicable Legislation: Portuguese Labour Code, approved by Law 7/2009 of February 12, in its actual form.

3. The selection panel will be formed by: Rita Covas (Principal Researcher, CIBIO, University of Porto, Chair), Claire Doutrelant (Research Director, CNRS, France, Vowel) and Ana Leitão (Post-doc fellow, CIBIO, University of Porto, Vowel).

4. The successful candidate will work under the supervision of Rita Covas (CIBIO, University of Porto, Portugal) and Claire Doutrelant (CEFE-CNRS, France). S/he will be primarily based at CIBIO/InBIO, University of Porto (located at Campus de Vairão, Vila do Conde), but will be working in an international team of researchers and students based in Portugal (Porto) and France (Montpellier) and is expected to spend time in both locations, as well as in the field in South Africa. CIBIO/InBIO fosters an international and multicultural research environment, currently hosting researchers from more than 17 countries.

5. The gross monthly salary corresponds to Level 25 of the Consolidated Table of Allowances (TRU) 1 737,04 Euros before tax.

6. Application can be submitted by candidates of any nationality holding a MSc degree in Biological Sciences, with emphasis in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavioural Ecology.

Desired skills and competencies that will be evaluated are:

- Experience in Behavioural Ecology and strong interest in contributing to advances in our understanding of sociality and cooperation;

- Advanced statistical and coding skills;

- Interest in state-of-the-art techniques such as artificial intelligence applied to automatic image analyses

- Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills;

- Fieldwork experience;

- Excellent English and communication skills (scientific and interpersonal);

- The candidate should be able to work well within a team.

In case the degree was awarded by a non-Portuguese higher education institution it must comply with the provisions of Decreto-Lei n.º 66/2018, de 16 de Agosto, and all formalities established therein must be complied with at the signature of work contract.

7. Candidates will be ranked based on:

- The relevance of work and academic experience within Behavioural Ecology (35%)

- Quality of the academic curriculum and recommendation letters (35%)

- Motivation for applying to this position (30%)

- The jury will select the three top candidates for an interview (in person or by videoconference; 40% of final classification)

8. Candidate final classification shall be given based on a scale 0 to 100.

9. The jury may not award the position if the profile of the candidates does not meet the requirements of the project.

10. Application formalization:

10.1 The applications are formalized at the electronic address http://www.cibio.pt. The following documents are required in a digital form (PDF format):

i) Curriculum vitae;

ii) Motivation Letter (including a brief description of research experience, your motivation to apply to this position and why you are suitable for the announced position);

iii) Qualifications Certificate;

iv) Other relevant documentation

10.2. The application period is from 01/11/2022 to 15/12/2022.

Expect starting date: 1^st February 2023.

11. Results announcement: The ranking of applications will be published at a visible and public area of CIBIO facilities, and all candidates will be informed by email about the result of their application. After notification, all candidates have 10 working days to respond. Panel’s final decisions are pronounced within a period of 90 working days, from response period deadline.