진학프로석·박사 채용 접수 플랫폼

A call for applications is open for a Postdoctoral Research Grant (BIPD) within the scope of the “ML-3DCARB” Project, funded “exclusively by national funds, through the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), within the scope of the Call for Exploratory Research Projects in All Scientific Domains 2024”, under the following conditions:

1. Scientific Area:

Chemical Engineering

2. Admission Requirements:

1) PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering, Materials Engineering, Materials Science and related fields;

2) Meeting the requirements of Article 5 of the Research Grant Regulations of the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança and Article 7 of the Research Grant Regulations of the Foundation for Science and Technology;

3) Possess experience in the synthesis of carbon materials using stereolithographic 3D printing techniques and characterization of carbon materials, namely by thermogravimetry, SEM, TEM, Raman, elemental analysis, among other relevant techniques;

4) Possess experience in the application of carbon materials synthesized by stereolithographic 3D printing techniques in water treatment processes, preferably heterogeneous catalysis (heterogeneous Fenton, for example);

5) Experience in scientific programming, preferably in Python, for processing, analyzing, and visualizing experimental data;

6) Experience in curating, harmonizing, and managing experimental databases;

7) Experience in scientific publication and writing articles in international journals;

8) Experience in data visualization tools and advanced statistical analysis (e.g., pandas, scikit-learn, matplotlib, seaborn, SHAP, or similar) will be valued;

9) Experience in machine learning techniques applied to materials science or process engineering (regression, classification, optimization, predictive models) will be valued;

10) Proficiency in English (written and oral communication) will also be valued.

3. Work Plan:

Implementation and support of activities integrating machine learning methodologies in the synthesis of 3D-printed carbon materials by stereolithography, including experimental validation of predictive models and production of materials with controlled textural properties:

a) Systematic bibliographic survey on 3D-printed carbon materials, synthesis of activated carbons from different precursors (biomass, polymers, resins) and application of machine learning in materials science, in conjunction with the CeDRI team;

b) Support in the construction and curation of a structured database from the literature, including extraction, validation and organization of relevant parameters (elemental composition, activation conditions, textural properties), using automatic literature mining tools;

c) Active participation in data preprocessing, property engineering, and selection of relevant variables for training machine learning models, in collaboration with researchers in the computational field;

d) Contribution to the development, validation, and optimization of predictive models (Random Forest, Gradient Boosting, Neural Networks), including critical analysis of results and verification of the physicochemical consistency of predictions;

e) Experimental validation of machine learning model predictions (resin formulation, SLA 3D printing, carbonization, and activation);

f) Iterative optimization of the model-prediction-validation cycle, including the incorporation of sustainable precursors.

g) Support in the writing of publications, technical reports, and dissemination in open science.

4. Objectives:

The main objective of this activity of the “ML3DCARB” project is the development and validation of machine learning models to optimize resin formulation and the synthesis of 3D-printed carbon materials by stereolithography, aiming to obtain controlled textural properties. The aim is to integrate experimental and data-driven approaches to accelerate the design of carbon materials, including the incorporation of sustainable precursors, with an impact on environmental, energy, and biomedical applications.

5. Applicable legislation and regulations:

Statute of the Scientific Research Grant Holder, approved by Law No. 40/2004, of August 18, as amended; FCT, I.P. Research Grant Regulations, in force (https://www.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/docs/RegulamentoBolsasFCT2019.pdf); Regulation No. 522/2020, published in the Official Gazette, 2nd series, No. 113, of June 12 – Research Grant Regulations of the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança.

6. Workplace and scientific supervision:

The work will be carried out at the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, under the scientific supervision of Helder Teixeira Gomes.

7. Grant Duration:

The grant will have an initial duration of 6 months, with a planned start date of February 15, 2026 (with the possibility of renewal for a maximum of 18 months, including the initial period).

8. Monthly Maintenance Allowance:

The grant amount corresponds to 1,851.00, according to the table of values ​​for grants granted by FCT, I.P. in the country. Grant recipients will be covered by personal accident insurance and, if they are not covered by any social protection scheme, they may ensure the exercise of their right to social security by joining the voluntary social security scheme, under the terms provided for in the Code of Contribution Schemes of the Social Security System. The grant amount will be paid monthly by bank transfer.

9. Selection Methods and their respective valuation:

The selection methods to be used will be the following:

a) Curriculum evaluation and its suitability for the work in question (60%);

b) Experience in research activities in areas related to the work in question (40%);

If deemed necessary, an interview will be held with a weighting of 50%, with the remaining 50% being the evaluation related to the previous points.

The jury may not award the grant if the candidates' ranking is lower than desired.

10. Composition of the Selection Jury:

President: Prof. Dr. Helder Teixeira Gomes

Full Members: Dr. Adriano Silva

Full Members: Dr. Fernanda Fontana Roman

Alternate Advisors: Prof. Dr. António Manuel Esteves Ribeiro

11. Method of publication/notification of results:

The communications and final evaluation results will be published through the IPB application portal or, if necessary, by email notification.

12. Application deadline:

The competition is open from January 20, 2026 to February 2, 2026. 13. Application Submission Method:

Applications may be submitted through the IPB application submission portal (http://concursos.ipb.pt), including the following documents:

a) Detailed Curriculum Vitae;

b) Copy of academic qualifications certificate;

c) Letter of motivation stating the project title and reasons why it is considered an added value for this project;

d) Other documents deemed relevant by the candidate for the evaluation of the application.

Documents proving academic degrees or diplomas, or registration in an academic degree or diploma, may be waived during the application phase, being replaced by a declaration of honor from the candidate. Verification of this condition is mandatory during the grant contracting phase. Academic degrees obtained in foreign countries need to be recognized by a Portuguese Institution in accordance with Decree-Law No. 66/2018, of August 16, and Ordinance No. 33/2019, of January 25. Presentation of the recognition is mandatory for signing the contract.

14. Deadlines and procedures for complaints and appeals:

If the decision to be taken is unfavorable to the granting of the requested grant, candidates have 10 working days, after the date of publication of the evaluation results, to express their opinion, if they wish, in a prior hearing, under the terms provided for in the Administrative Procedure Code. An appeal against the final decision may be made to the President of IPB within 15 working days of notification.