A tender is hereby opened for the award of 1 (one) Research Grant (RG) in the scope of R&D projects SENSORBILITY - ”Sensors and Sensitivity: Fabrication of Piezoelectric Sensors Using Electrically Assisted Polarization Additive Manufacturing" COMPETE2030-FEDER-00736200, at Department of Materials and Ceramic Engineering (DEMaC) / CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials under the following conditions:

1. Scientific Area: Materials Science and Engineering.

2. Funding Source Foundation for Science and Technology/MCTES, I.P., through national funds (PIDDAC), co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) of the European Union, through the Portugal 2030 - COMPETE2030-
FEDER-00736200 (Refª FCT: 16205)

3. Admission Requirements:
3.1. 2. Students enrolled in master. 2
3.2. 3. Bachelor's Degree in: Materials Engineering, Biotechnology

4. Other Requirements: Bachelor’s degree in Materials Engineering or Biotechnology with a final grade of 14 or higher (out of 20); experience in research projects related to the development of piezoelectric materials and their applications; and proven proficiency in Portuguese (spoken and written).

5. Eligibility: Applicants are eligible if they comply with paragraph a) of no.1 of article 2, of the Research Fellow Statute as amended by Decree-Law no. 123/2019, of August 28th, as well as nos. 1 and 2 of article 6 of the Research Grant Regulations of the Foundation for Science and Technology.

6. Work plan: The objective is to develop efficient and sustainable piezoelectric sensors using additive manufacturing. To achieve this goal, the following tasks are proposed:

• Develop (bio)composite filaments based on biodegradable/biocompatible polymers;

• Incorporate metal oxides to enhance the piezoelectric response;

• Adapt an FFF printer to apply an electric field during printing;

• Implement in situ polarization of the material during the manufacturing process;

• Conduct studies to optimize piezoelectric performance;

• Analyze the relationship between processing conditions and the final material response.

7. Applicable legislation and regulations: Statute of Scientific Research Grant Holder, as amended by Decree-Law no. 123/2019, of August 28th; Regulation no. 950/2019, of November 29th, published in Diário da República, no. 241, Series II, of December 16th (FCT, I.P. Research Grants Regulation); Decree-Law no. 66/2018, of August 16th (Legal regime for recognition of academic degrees and diplomas of higher education awarded by foreign higher education institutions).

8. Workplace: The work will be carried out at Materials and Ceramic Engineering Department of the University of Aveiro, under the scientific supervision of Professor/Doctor Paula Celeste da Silva Ferreira e Cláudia Sofia Cordeiro Nunes.

9. Duration of the grant(s): The grant duration will be 9 months, starting in April 2026, and may be renewed, up to the maximum limit of approved funding. Under no circumstances shall it exceed the limits defined in nos. 3, 4 and 5 of article 6, of Regulation no. 950/2019, of November 29th, published in Diário da República, no. 241, Series II, of December 16th (Research Grants Regulation of FCT, I.P.).

10. Amount of monthly maintenance allowance: The amount of the grant corresponds to €1.040,98 , according to the table of monthly maintenance allowance amounts set out in Annex I of Regulation no. 950/2019, subject to any updates that may be applicable, under the terms of no. 2 of article 18 of Regulation no. 950/2019, of November 29th, published in Diário da República, no. 241, Series II, of December 16th (Research Grants Regulation of FCT, I.P.). The fellow may also be reimbursed for the amount corresponding to the Voluntary Social Security, in case of adherence to this plan.

11. Selection methods: The selection methods to be used will be the following: curriculum vitae assessment with the respective value of i) Weighted average grade of the Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at the time of application (60%); (ii) proven research experience in the indicated areas (30%); and (iii) scientific output, participation in scientific conferences, and technical-scientific training directly relevant to the project topic (10%).
Candidates who obtain a score below 14 out of 20 in the curriculum evaluation will be excluded. If the selection committee considers it necessary, candidates with the highest scores in the curriculum evaluation may be invited for an interview, during which communication skills and knowledge in the scientific area of the call will be assessed. If an interview takes place, the curriculum evaluation will account for 50% of the final score, and the interview will account for 50%.

12. Composition of the Selection Jury: Chair: Dr. Paula Celeste da Silva Ferreira; full members: Doutora Cláudia Sofia Cordeiro Nunes e Doutora Idalina José Monteiro Gonçalves;
Alternate members: Doutora Ana Filipa Cardoso Barra e Doutora Ana Filipa Reis Cerqueira.

13. Deadline for applications (not be less than 10 working days) and how to submit applications: The call is open from 13-03-2026 to 27-03-2026, and only applications submitted within the deadline will be admitted.
Applications must be formalized by sending a letter of application accompanied by the following documents: Curriculum Vitae, certificate of qualifications, declaration of honor and other supporting documents deemed relevant. They shall also indicate the e-mail address to which by such indication they accept to be notified for all purposes within this procedure.

Applications should be sent by e-mail to pcferreira@ua.pt.

14. Form of publication/notification of results: The final results of the evaluation will be published through an ordered list by final mark obtained posted on the University's website, within 90 working days after the final date of submission of the application, and the successful candidate will be notified by email. For the purposes of prior hearing of interested parties, the deadline of 10 working days is set, as provided for in the Code of Administrative Procedure. At the end of the period for hearing the interested parties, and in the absence of any response from them, the list of candidates will become
final. Candidates may lodge a complaint against the final decision within 15 working days, or appeal to the maximum executive body of the funding entity within 30 working days after notification of the final decision, in accordance with the provisions of article 12 of the Research Grants Regulation of the Foundation for Science and Technology.

15. Tender duration: The final ranking list of candidates will be valid until 01-07-2026 for the purpose of constituting a reserve list for selection.

Note:

2 (View Courses at: Courses - University of Aveiro (ua.pt) and Training at UA - Universidade de Aveiro)

The proof of enrolment must be made available until the contract is awarded, and the candidate may attach a declaration of honor to confirm that they meet the requirements for enrolment in an integrated master's degree, master's or doctoral program or in a course that does not confer an academic degree.

If the qualification has been conferred by a foreign higher education institution it must be recognized by a Portuguese higher education institution, under the terms of the provisions of article 25 of Decree-Law no. 66/2018, of August 16th, which approves the legal regime of recognition of academic degrees and diplomas of Higher Education, attributed by foreign higher education institutions, and of paragraph e) of no. 2 of article 4 of Decree-Law no. 60/2018, of August 3rd, and any formalities established therein must be fulfilled by the date of the hiring act.