Four Research Initiation Fellowships (BII) in the field of Observational Cosmology

Ref: IA2025-15-BII

The Centro de Investigação em Astronomia/Astrofísica da Universidade do Porto (CAUP) opens a call for four Research Initiation Fellowship(s) (BII) in the field of Astronomy/Astrophysics - Observational Cosmology at the Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço (IA).

The Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço (IA) is the most prominent Research Unit in the field of Astronomy/Astrophysics in Portugal, integrating researchers from the universities of Porto, Lisbon and Coimbra, and is responsible for a major fraction of the national productivity in international ISI journals in the field of Space Sciences. Research and science communication at IA include topics and instrumentation at the forefront of research in Astronomy/Astrophysics and Space Sciences.

Each position is offered in the context of the project “Phi in the Sky: Astrophysical Probes of Fundamental Physics”, funded by Portuguese funds through FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (reference 2022.04048.PTDC), under the following conditions:

1.- Scientific area: Astronomy and Astrophysics.

2.- Requirements for admission: The applicants must: 

a) not exceed with this contract, including the possible renovations, an accumulated period of one year in this type of fellowship, continuously or with interruptions;
b) not have previously benefited from any other research fellowship (of a different type)  funded directly or indirectly by FCT, given under the terms of the Estatuto do Bolseiro de Investigação e Regulamento de Bolsas de Investigação.  

Only applications from candidates having an adequate background in Astronomy, Physics, Mathematics, Computer Sciences, or other relevant domains, will be considered.

3.- Additional skills and qualifications: Previous or ongoing extracurricular projects directly relevant to the scientific goals of the Phi in the Sky project will be positively evaluated.

4.- Contracting requirements: Presentation of the following documents at the time of signing the fellowship agreement:

a) Declaration of honour that the applicant does not exceed with this contract, including the possible renovations, an accumulated period of one year in this type of fellowship, continuously or with interruptions, and has not held any other fellowship (of a different type) directly or indirectly funded by FCT, attributed under the terms of the Estatuto do Bolseiro de Investigação e Regulamento de Bolsas de Investigação.
b) Proof of enrolment in a professional higher technical course, a bachelor degree, an integrated master or a master degree in a Portuguese university.

5.- Work plan: The candidates will develop their work in the Phi in the Sky Project team, under the scientific supervision of Carlos Martins and other relevant members of the Phi in the Sky project team. The work plan will be agreed with each candidate, but must necessarily be in one of the following topics:

- Dark energy, from alpha to omega
- Evolution or realistic cosmic defect networks
- Watching the universe expand in real time

6.- Legislation framework: The fellowship contract will comply with:

- Law n.º 123/2019, of 28th August 2019 - ''Estatuto do Bolseiro de Investigação'' (Research Grant Holder Statute) in force [https://dre.pt/dre/legislacao-consolidada/lei/2004-58216179]

- Regulation n.º 950/2019, of 16th December 2019 - ''Regulamento de Bolsas e Investigação da Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia'' (Regulation of Fellowship of Research) in force [https://files.dre.pt/2s/2019/12/241000000/0009100105.pdf]

- "CAUP's Fellowship Regulation" (available at www.astro.up.pt/documentos/CAUP-RegulamentoBolsas.pdf).

The fellow's functions are carried out under a scheme of exclusive dedication, in accordance with the terms established in the article 5 of Research Grant Holder Statute (Estatuto do Bolseiro de Investigação). 

7.- Monthly allowance: According to the FCT table values [https://www.fct.pt/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Tabela_valores_SMM_2025.pdf], the monthly allowance will be 651,12€ (tax free) and will be paid monthly by bank transfer.

Each fellow will have a personal accident insurance. They can also exercise the right to social security by joining the voluntary social insurance scheme, if not covered by any other social protection scheme, under the terms of the Código dos Regimes Contributivos do Sistema Previdencial de Segurança Social, as stipulated in article 10 of the Research Grant Holder Statute (Estatuto do Bolseiro de Investigação).

Additional funds for travel (conferences, observing trips and work visits) will also be available.

8.- Place of work: The work will be carried out at CAUP (in the Porto node of the Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço), Rua das Estrelas, 4150-762, under the scientific supervision of Carlos Martins and other relevant members of the Phi in the Sky project team.

9.- Fellowship duration: Each fellowship will start on 1 February 2026 and has an initial duration of 4 months. Depending on positive performance, it can be renewed once, for a second period of 4 months. The renewal is subject to a positive evaluation of the work in the initial period.

10.- Application: The application, to be submitted in English through the web form indicated below, should include the following information:

a) Cover letter with a brief description of the candidate's experience and motivation.
b) Detailed Curriculum Vitae describing the academic path and extracurricular activities, in particular those relevant to article 3 (up to 4 pages with at least 10pt font size).
c) List of completed curricular units with the respective grades.
d) Name and contact details (position, email, address) of up to two referees, who will be available to provide information about the candidate (these will be contacted at the Selection Committee's discretion). 

^(*)The documents that prove the entitlement of the academic qualifications or diplomas can be omitted during the application period and replaced by a signed declaration of honour. If not provided during the application process, these documents must nevertheless be submitted when signing the contract.

In the event that the degree was awarded by a higher education institution outside of Portugal, that degree must comply with the provisions of Decree-Law n.º 66/2018 of 16th August 2018 (approves the legal regime for the recognition of foreign higher academic degrees) and Ministerial Order n.º 43/2020 of 14th February which changes the Ministerial Order n.º 33/2019 of 25th January, and all formalities established therein must be complied with up to the date of signing the contract.

Applicants are advised to check the website of the Directorate-General for Higher Education (DGES) for further information: https://www.dges.gov.pt/en/pagina/degree-and-diploma-recognition. They can also check information on the website of the University of Porto: https://sigarra.up.pt/up/en/WEB_BASE.GERA_PAGINA?p_pagina=1005819.

11.- Deadline: This call for applications will remain open from the 11th of December until the 29th of December 2025.

12.- Selection criteria and evaluation: The evaluation of the applications will be performed based on:

a) (15%) Cover letter with a brief description of the candidate's experience and motivation.
b) (50%) CV, considering the degree and previous academic training, including grades of completed curricular units and the relevance of that training to the topic of the call.
c) (35%) Relevance of previous or ongoing extracurricular activities, in the context of the scientific goals of the Phi in the Sky project.

An ordered list of candidates will be defined by the Selection Committee based on the submitted documents and the criteria mentioned above. If deemed necessary, the designated referees may be asked to provide reference letters, which will be considered in the evaluation of points b.) and c.) of the selection criteria.

13.- Selection Committee:
Carlos Martins (Chair)
Amelia Drew
Dinko Milakovic
Léo Vacher (alternate 1)
J. Paulo Maurício Carvalho (alternate 2)

14.- Awarding of the contract: Following the evaluation process, the fellowship(s) will be offered according to the ordered list proposed by the selection committee. The position(s) will be granted only if suitable candidates are identified. Only candidates with a minimum grade of 75% will be accepted. All the candidates will be notified by e-mail, sent by the call holder, with the final classifications and the selection meeting minutes and/or evaluation grids enclosed.

15.- Time limits for the appeal procedure: Candidates have 10 working days, after the date of announcement of the results, to pronounce on the decision through e-mail to jobs @ iastro.pt and to the Chair of the Selection Committee [Carlos.Martins @ astro.up.pt]. Appeals against the final decision may be submitted to the Executive Board of CAUP (direcao @ lists.astro.up.pt) within 15 working days after the notification date.

16.- Non-discrimination and equal access: CAUP promotes a policy of non-discrimination and equal access, thus no applicant may be privileged, benefited, undermined or deprived of any right or exempted from any duty, namely, due to ancestry, age, gender, sexual orientation, civil status, family situation, economic situation, origin or social condition, genetic heritage, reduced work capacity, disability, chronic disease, nationality, ethnicity or race, country or territory of origin, language, religion, political or ideological beliefs, or trade union affiliation.

Publication date: 11 December 2025

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