We offer a Research Fellowship to a PhD student (Reference BIOPOLIS 2023-65) on the scope of project "Dissecting repeated evolution of adaptive camouflage to predict adaptation to present and future climates”, supported by national funds by FCT/MCTES, at CIBIO/Associação BIOPOLIS to conduct population genomics analyses tackling the evolution and adaptive potential of seasonal coat colour variation in weasels.

Admission requirements: Candidates with an MSc degree in Biology or related areas and attending a PhD program, preferably with previous experience in population genomics. Preference will be given to candidates with:  

• Experience in the analysis of high throughput genome sequencing datasets. 

• Experience in the analysis of sequencing datasets from historical samples deposited in natural history museums.

• Knowledge in ecological niche modelling.

• Bioinformatics skills.

• Fluency in English.

• Good communication skills.

The candidate should be able to work well within a team and possess troubleshooting and problem-solving skills. The candidate must present a CV compatible with the required experience and the work plan.

Working plan: Within the scope of the work, the following tasks will be developed: 

• Population genomic analyses of whole-genome sequencing data.

• Population genomic, phylogenomic, and genetic simulation analyses of reduced representation sequencing data.

• Ecological niche modelling of adaptive phenotypic morphs.

• Supporting reporting activities and dissemination of results.

• Writing scientific articles.

Applicable Legislation: Law nº.40/2004, 18th August (Research Fellow Statute) amended and republished by Decreto-Lei n.º 123/2019, 28th August; FCT Regulation for Research Studentships and Fellowships (https://www.fct.pt/financiamento/programas-de-financiamento/bolsas/).

Workplace: The work will primarily be done at CIBIO-InBIO, Vairão, Vila do Conde. Working periods in partner Research Institutions may take place.

Duration of the fellowship: 12 months, eventually renewable.

Monthly stipend: Monthly stipend is €1199,64 according to the stipends established by FCT, I.P. in Portugal (https://www.fct.pt/financiamento/programas-de-financiamento/bolsas/). Payment will be made by bank transfer every month. The successful candidate will also be entitled to the reimbursement of Social Security payments (Seguro Social Voluntário) and accident insurance.

Expect starting date: 1st of December 2023

Selection criteria: Assessment will be made in accordance with admission requirements (see above) and will be based on: 

a) the relevance of previous experience with genome sequencing data analysis (70%); 

b) the quality of the curriculum vitae (30%); 

The jury may not award the fellowship if the quality of the candidates is inferior to what is intended. In the case of admitted candidates whose evaluation does not differ more than 10% from that obtained by the best-positioned candidate, the jury will interview these candidates. This will be aimed at obtaining clarifications about the curricular elements and additional information, as well as evaluating the attitude profile and motivation of the candidate. The final score of each jury member is obtained by the following assessment: 80% scientific and curricular career evaluation and 20% interview.

Jury composition: The Jury will be chaired by Dr. José Melo-Ferreira (Principal Researcher at BIOPOLIS-CIBIO, Chair), Dr. João Pimenta (Researcher at BIOPOLIS-CIBIO, vowel) and Dr. João Marques (Researcher at BIOPOLIS-CIBIO, vowel).

Publicity and communication of results: The ranking of applications will be published in a visible and public area of Institution facilities, and all candidates will be informed by email about the result of their application.

Application: The application call is open between 19th September and 2nd October 2023 (24:00 GMT).  The applications are formalised at the electronic address http://www.cibio.pt with the following documents in a digital form, in PDF format: Curriculum Vitae, certificate of qualifications, a document proving doctoral attendance (or declaration of honour, stating that the candidate will be enrolled in a PhD program by the time the fellowship starts).