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CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

Postdoctoral/Auxiliary Researcher Position

University of Coimbra opens a call to hire one Postdoctoral/Auxiliary Researcher to join José Sousa’s Lab at the Multidisciplinary Institute of Ageing - MIA-Portugal, co-funded by the European Horizon2020 TEAMING Program (reference: 857524), and the Operational Program of the Centro Region of Portugal (CCDRC Ref: CENTRO-45-2020-75), in the conditions described below. The full text of the Call is available at https://www.uc.pt/mia/the-institute/careers/ or upon request to secretaria.mia@uc.pt.

Reference of the expression of interest: MIA-AR-2025-03

Scientific area: Data Science and Machine Learning

Work plan/objectives: The “Continuous Learning Lab”, led by Dr José Sousa, investigates the complexity of Artificial Intelligence (AI) by bridging data-driven and knowledge-driven paradigms. The lab’s overarching aim is to understand how these two forms of intelligence interact to influence human and machine decision-making within artificial systems capable of continuous learning.

Our research objectives are threefold:

1. Model Integration: Develop hybrid architectures that combine data-driven machine learning with symbolic, causal, and knowledge-based reasoning to enable adaptive, explainable AI.
2. Human-AI Interaction: Investigate how AI systems influence and co-evolve with human decision-making processes, emphasising interpretability, trust, and ethical alignment.
3. Continuous Learning Frameworks: Design and validate multi-agent mechanisms for lifelong and distributed learning, enabling AI systems to evolve with minimal supervision while ensuring knowledge consistency and fairness across domains.

Through these objectives, the Continuous Learning Lab aims to advance the scientific foundations of adaptive, transparent, and human-aligned Artificial Intelligence, positioning continuous learning as a cornerstone of next-generation intelligent systems.

This role offers an excellent opportunity for both academic and professional growth by fostering collaboration across MIA-Portugal, the University of Coimbra, and other European research teams.

The work will focus on advancing research within the lab, emphasising the integration and analysis of multiple clinical datasets, including diagnoses, pathology, and genomic data. Using cutting-edge data science and machine learning techniques, the goal is to develop meaningful, data-driven models of disease processes, including stratification. The project will also explore the combination of data-driven and knowledge-driven approaches through multi-agent simulation architectures, enabling more comprehensive representations of clinical phenomena. The research will utilise a wide range of analytical and computational methods, such as Python, R, SQL, TensorFlow, and XGBoost, as well as probabilistic reasoning, PageRank-based classification, and rule extraction via knowledge graphs.

To promote transparency and trust, model interpretability will be carefully assessed using explainable AI tools such as SHAP and LIME, enabling detailed cross-validation of the results.

Skills/Qualifications: Successful candidates will hold a PhD in Informatics Engineering with a background in bioinformatics. Enthusiastic, self-motivated candidates capable of working independently are encouraged to apply. Prior experience and strong expertise in the following four techniques are essential: Python, SQL, Docker, and High-Performance Computing (HPC) clusters.

Candidates must have defended their PhD thesis prior to the start of the contract and be fluent in English (both oral and written).

Wages and Benefits: 3.501.28€ monthly gross salary. The successful candidate will be hired by the University of Coimbra until 31 December 2027. According to Portuguese legislation on public hiring of researchers (Decree-Law 124/99), the contract includes the following benefits:

• Annual Wages: 14 months of pay, comprising 12 months of regular salary plus 2 additional months covering summer holidays and a Christmas allowance.
• Social Security Tax: Coverage under the Portuguese social security system.
• Food Allowance: Provision of a daily meal allowance.

Work Location: University of Coimbra – Multidisciplinary Institute of Ageing (MIA-Portugal)

Selection criteria: The selection and ranking criteria for the Curricular Evaluation (CF) will be assessed on a scale of 0 to 20 points, according to the following formula:

1. CV – Curriculum Vitae (70%), comprising education, previous positions and all types of research activity including but not limited to Master, PhD, internship and post-doctoral projects, methods used, skills acquired, publications, preprints and unpublished data of relevance, any funding and rewards acquired as well as public presentations, participation in editorial, evaluation or review committees, etc.
2. CL – Cover letter (30%), where the candidate should state his/her motivations to join this research and why and how his/her profile, area(s) of expertise and skills are adequate for the position in question.

If selected for interview:

1. I – Interview (80%): the jury will interview the 3 best ranked [in criteria a) and b)] candidates, for clarifications, discussion, understanding of MIA-Portugal's mission and commitment to that mission.
2. R - References (20%): two letters from researchers in the scientific area assessing the candidate's overall scientific path, as well as their motivation, work capacity, ethics in science and interaction with colleagues.

Evaluation and selection jury:

Doctor José Sousa, Principal Investigator at MIA-Portugal

Professor Manuel Santos, Scientific Director of MIA-Portugal

Professor Teresa Gonçalves, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Medicine

Expressions of Interest: Applications must be formalised by sending the documents indicated below in PDF format by e-mail to secretaria.mia@uc.pt with subject MIA-AR-2025-03. Please refer to https://www.uc.pt/mia/the-institute/careers/ for more details.

1. Detailed Curriculum Vitae, duly dated and signed.
2. Copy of all qualification certificates or diplomas.
3. Cover Letter including contact information for two references, or two reference letters.
4. Other documents considered relevant by the candidates

Submission deadline date: 17/11/2025.

Additional information: The University of Coimbra, founded in 1290, is internationally recognized as a leading institution in higher education and scientific research. Situated in Coimbra, a vibrant student town, the University is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a symbol of academic excellence. Coimbra offers a unique academic culture and is a cost-effective European city compared to larger international towns. The city enjoys delightful weather year-round and is conveniently located just a 45-minute drive from the coast and an hour from Portugal's main mountain ranges. It is a safe and well-equipped town, ideal for living, working, and raising a family.

The Multidisciplinary Institute of Ageing (MIA-Portugal) is a newly established institute funded by both the European Union and Portuguese authorities. Its mission is to foster research excellence by providing state-of-the-art facilities, top-quality support for research groups, and the highest standards of training for young researchers. MIA-Portugal is committed to hiring and promoting leading scientists and supporting groundbreaking research in the field of ageing.