PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

(International tender for the position of Assistant Professor, in the subject area of Physics, scientific area of Experimental Physics, at the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Algarve)

By ordinance dated October 3rd 2024, issued by the Rector of the University of Algarve, an international tender has been opened for the position of Assistant Professor in the subject area of Physis, scientific area of Experimental Physics, at the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Algarve. The tender will be open for a period of 30 working days, starting from the working day immediately following the publication of this announcement in Diário da República (the Official Portuguese Gazette).

This tender is governed by the provisions of Articles 37 to 51, 61 and 62-A of the Estatuto da Carreira Docente Universitária (Career Statutes for University Teachers, forthwith referred to as ECDU), in its current version, as well as the Regulation for the Tendering of Personnel for Teaching Careers at the University of Algarve, Regulation no. 520/2010, published in Diário da República, 2nd series, no. 111, on 9 June 2010.

This tender will be published in the Public Employment Exchange, within 2 working days, after its publication in Diário da República, as decreed by Law no. 78/2003, of 23 April, advertised on the Euraxess Portugal portal at https://www.euraxess.pt , and on the University’s website, in both Portuguese and English, in accordance with Article 62-A, paragraph 1 of the ECDU, in its current version.

The purpose of this tender is to fill one (1) position, in the form of a non-fixed-term contract as a government employee, in accordance with Article 25 of ECDU. The tender will end once the position has been filled.

The rector is authorized, under Article 92, paragraphs d), e) and q) of Law 62/2007 of 10 September, to cancel the tender in the event of extenuating circumstances.

In compliance with Article 9, paragraph h) of the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic, Public Administrations actively promote a policy of equal opportunities for employment and career progression between men and women, taking every possible measure to avoid any kind of discrimination.

I - Admission requirements

1-Admission requirements

a) Applicants must hold a doctoral degree in Physics, in a speciality considered appropriate for the disciplinary and scientific area in which the tender has been opened, as foreseen in Article 41-A of the ECDU.

i) Holders of a doctoral degree obtained outside Portugal must prove their degree is recognized in Portugal, under the terms of Decree-Law No. 66/2018, of 16 August, and of other applicable legislation.

ii) Applicants to whom the previous subparagraph applies who do not provide proof of recognition before the end of the application period, will be excluded from the tender.

b) Applicants must be fluent in the Portuguese language, both spoken and written.

i) Non-native speakers of Portuguese must provide proof of proficiency through presentation of an officially recognized diploma, from the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages of the Council of Europe (proficiency level B1), by the end of the term granted for the contract’s signature, if applicable.

c) Meet the general requirements for employment in public functions foreseen in Article 17 of the Labor Law in Public Functions, contained in the Annex to Law No. 35/2014, of 20 June, in its current wording, unless exempted by the ECDU.

2 - Applicants will be excluded from the tender procedure if they:

i) Do not hold a doctoral degree in a speciality considered appropriate for the disciplinary and scientific area in which the tender has been opened, in accordance with Article 41-A of ECDU. 

ii) Do not hold a doctoral degree recognized in Portugal, by the closing date of the tender, if their qualification is from a foreign institution;

iii) Do not meet the general requirements for employment in public functions foreseen in Article 17 of the Labor Law in Public Functions, contained in the Annex to Law No. 35/2014, of 20 June, in its current wording, unless exempted by the ECDU.

iv) Do not submit the required documents stipulated in the Public Notice within the designated deadline.

3 - The selection committee will notify the excluded applicants by e-mail, with receipt of delivery, for the purpose of prior hearing.

II – Admission requirements in absolute merit and their assessment:

1 - Candidates will be assessed on absolute merit and their admission will depend cumulatively on:

a) The applicant holds a curriculum that the jury considers to be of scientific merit and demonstrates research capacity compatible with the scientific and disciplinary areas and category for which the tender is open, and suitable for the respective teaching category;

b) The applicant is the author or co-author of at least ten (10) articles, published in international journals with peer scientific referee and relevant to the disciplinary and scientific area in which the tender is open, in the last five (5) years.

c) The applicant detains proven experience in visible and infrared spectroscopy and simulations of complex physical systems and/or artificial intelligence algorithms and/or chemometrics.

2 – A vote against admission in the terms of absolute merit must be based on the non-observance of one or more of the criteria indicated in number 1 of point II.

3 - In order to assess the absolute merit of the applicants, each member of the selection committee will independently submit a list of the applicants that do not meet the requirements indicated in number 1 of point II, and provide a written justification for their decision and shall then proceed to vote on each of the proposals, in accordance with Article 50, paragraph 1, subparagraph b) of the ECDU, no abstentions being allowed.

4 - An application will be rejected on absolute merit if a majority vote in favour of the rection is taken by the members of the selection committee present at the meeting. The justification for exclusion of the applicant will be an integral part of the meeting minutes.

5 - The selection committee will notify the applicants of their exclusion based on absolute merit, by means of e-mail, with a receipt of delivery, for the purpose of a preliminary hearing.

III — Application instructions

1 – The application must be submitted by means of a request addressed to the Rector of the University of Algarve, available on the website of the University https://www.ualg.pt/procedimentos-concursais, accessing Documents – Teaching Staff – Application Form. It may be submitted:

a) In person, at the Human Resources Department, situated on floor 0 of the Library Building at the Penha Campus of the University of Algarve, in Faro; or

b) By registered mail, posted no later than the deadline for submitting applications, addressed to: Serviços de Recursos Humanos, Campus da Penha, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal.

2- The application for admission to the tender, dated and signed, must include the following documents, in Portuguese or English:

a) Photocopy or scan in PDF format of a valid identification document at the date of application; 

b) A photocopy (PDF format) of the certificate proving the applicant holds a doctoral degree, in an appropriate speciality for the tender, and its recognition, if the qualification is foreign;

c) One (1) paper copy and one (1) copy in PDF format of the applicant's curriculum vitae, duly signed and dated, describing the candidate’s scientific, pedagogic and other activities relevant to the mission of higher education institutions, including a contents page and numbered appendices, respecting the order of the parameters and factors set out in point V of this announcement;

d) One (1) printed or photocopied copy and one (1) copy in PDF format, of each of the works selected by the applicant, in a maximum of five, as being the most representative of the last five years, namely with regard to their contribution to the development and evolution of the disciplinary and scientific area in which the tender is open, under the terms and for the purpose of Article 50, paragraph 6, subparagraph a), of the ECDU and, optionally, a document explaining the relevance of the publications selected;

e) Scientific-Pedagogic Project, with a maximum of 5000 words, containing objectives, scientific and pedagogical development plan, synopsis of the line of research that the candidate intends to implement and respective contribution to the reinforcement of scientific and pedagogical activities;

f) A document framing the applicant's pedagogic activity, if any, as foreseen in Article 50, paragraph 6, subparagraph b) of the ECDU, in both printed and PDF format;

g) Indication of the results of the pedagogic surveys, carried out in relation to the curricular units for which the applicant has been responsible, when they exist and if applicable, and as foreseen in Article 50, paragraph 6, subparagraph b) of the ECDU, printed or photocopied and in PDF format;

h) Other documents which the applicant considers further demonstrate his/her scientific performance, pedagogic skills, and competence in other relevant activities, and which would constitute a legal basis for ranking candidates, should the jury deem them appropriate and duly proven, and presented in PDF format;

i) A criminal clearance certificate attesting to the fact that the applicant is not banned from working in government service or from exercising the professional functions for which he/she is applying;

j) A statement confirming that the applicant has the physical robustness and mental profile indispensable for the exercise of the functions in question;

k) An up-to-date vaccination certificate.

3 - The documents referred to in paragraphs i), j) and k), may be waived during the submission stage of the application, provided that the applicants declare under oath the situation in which they find themselves in relation to each of these requirements. Failure to make a written declaration constitutes grounds for exclusion. The delivery of these documents will be required, should the applicant be selected for the vacancy.

4 - The PDF documents required in paragraphs b) to h), should be delivered in a pen-drive, which should be searchable and contain the entries of publications associated with clickable links (links), to the documents/domains that contain the publication, which may be recorded in the same digital media or exist in a repository for free access on the Internet. There should also be clickable links to the web pages of the entities or events referred to in the curriculum vitae, and when relevant, and feasible, to the web pages of the courses (curricular units) for which the applicant has been responsible.

5 – The curriculum vitae and respective appendices must be systematized in the order of the parameters and factors listed in point V of this Notice. Failure to comply with this order may result in information not being considered for evaluation, the same applying to the accessibility of the links, the functioning of which must be verified by the candidate, so that the members of the jury have access to the information.

6 - According to Article 7, paragraph 2 of the Regulation governing tenders for the contracting of lecturing personnel for the University of Algarve, the tender jury may request additional documentation related to the submitted curriculum.

IV – Public Hearings

1 - The jury may decide to hold public hearings, on an equal footing for all applicants and pursuant to the terms of Article 50, paragraph 4, subparagraph b) of the ECDU and pursuant to Article 7, paragraph 2, of the Regulation governing tenders for the contracting of lecturing personnel for the University of Algarve;

2- If the tender jury decides to hold the hearings referred to in the previous paragraph, the conditions and scheduling of the hearing shall be announced to the applicants at least eight (8) days in advance.

V - Evaluation parameters and seriation in relative merit, respective weighting and final valuation system

The curricular evaluation focuses on the activities developed by the applicants in the disciplinary area of the tender, valuing the experience in visible and infrared spectroscopy, simulations of complex physical systems, artificial intelligence algorithms and chemometrics, and the respective suitability for the category of Assistant Professor, considering the following parameters and respective weightings: scientific performance (50%), pedagogical capacity (30%), other activities relevant to the University's mission (20%).

The assessment for each parameter is based on the respective factors, indicated below, and will be expressed on a scale of 0-100 points.

A) Scientific Performance, with a weighting of 50%. In the assessment of the scientific performance, the following factors will be considered:

a) Scientific production: quality and quantity of scientific production (books, book chapters, articles in indexed international journals, communications at conferences) expressed, namely, by the number and type of publications in indexed international journals and by the recognition given to them by the scientific community (50%);

b) Coordination and/or participation in scientific research projects with external funding, taking into consideration the project's dimension, scientific-technological level, degree of innovation and project results, including final evaluation, when applicable (15%);

c) Boosting scientific activity: coordination and leadership of research teams, creation or reinforcement of laboratory infrastructures of an experimental and/or computational nature (10%);

d) Recognition by the scientific community: awards from scientific societies, invited lectures at scientific meetings, participation as editor of international journals, evaluator of publications for international journals, applications for research grants or advanced training and scientific projects, coordination and participation in program committees of scientific events (10%);

e) Scientific development plan and synopsis of the line of research that the candidate intends to implement (15%).

B) Pedagogical capacity, with a weighting of 30%. When assessing pedagogical capacity, the following factors will be considered:

a) Lecturing activity. Quality and diversity of the lecturing activity developed by the applicant, taking into account, among other relevant factors, the results of opinion polls (e. g., pedagogic surveys), which should be mentioned in the curriculum, whenever available (50%);

b) Monitoring and guidance of doctoral, master's and undergraduate students (20%);

c) Other pedagogic activities, such as the quality and quantity of pedagogic material and publications of a pedagogic nature produced by the applicant, or other activities with an impact on the teaching-learning process carried out by the applicant, including training internships for young graduates or masters (10%).

d) Pedagogical development plan (20%).

C) Other relevant activities for the University's mission, with a weighting of 20%. In the evaluation of other relevant activities, the following factors will be taken into account:

a) Participation in management activities in institutions of higher education/business or research, in the field of Experimental Physics and related areas, or in other entities of a scientific, technological or cultural nature that carry out relevant activities within the scope of the mission of the latter (20%);

b) Consulting and knowledge transfer to society activities (10%);

c) Participation in scientific, cultural or technological dissemination actions, and publications (20%);

d) Participation in the development of extension projects including scientific dissemination and provision of services to the scientific/educational community, the economic-productive fabric and/or the society in general (20%);

e) Participation in academic exam juries (10%).

f) Organization of scientific or educational events within the scientific area of this tender (20%).

VI - Selection process in relative merit

1 - The methodology for selection in relative merit is the following:

a. During the meeting, each member of the selection committee will submit a written document, which will be annexed to the meeting minutes, stating his/her own ordering of the applicants, of the applicants’ scientific performance, pedagogic skills and other relevant activities, and their respective weights. At each ballot, every member of the selection committee will abide by the ordering they submitted, and abstentions are not permitted.

b. The first ballot is intended to determine which applicant is placed at the top of the ordered list.

c. If an applicant obtains more than half of the votes, he/she shall be ranked first in the ordered list;

d. If two applicants obtain exactly half of the votes, the jury president breaks the tie. The jury president will use as tie-breaking criteria the date the Doctoral degree was conferred, the most recent prevailing;

e. If neither of those two cases c) and d) occurs, a new ballot will take place after elimination of applicants who obtained no or at least one vote in the previous ballot;

f. If there is a draw between two or more applicants for the position of least-voted, another ballot shall be held to determine which of the least-voted applicants shall be eliminated. At this ballot, selection committee members vote for the applicant ranked last in their own seriation;

g. If there is still a draw between two or more applicants, the selection committee president shall decide which shall be eliminated. The selection committee president will use as tie-breaking criteria the date the Doctoral degree was conferred, the most recent prevailing;

h) After this applicant has been eliminated along with the applicants who received no votes in the first ballot, another ballot will be held to decide which applicant shall be ranked first in the ordered list, continuing to use the same procedure until one applicant obtains more than half of the votes for first place;

i) Once an applicant has been placed first on the ordered list, his or her name shall be removed from the voting and the process will be repeated to find the second-placed applicant, and so on, until all the applicants have been ordered.

VII - Composition of the Jury

President: Vice-Rector of the University of Algarve, Professor Doctor Nuno Gonçalo Viana Pereira Ferreira Bicho, by delegation of powers from the Rector.

Vowels:

Doctor Maria João Tavares da Costa, Full Professor at the University of Évora;

Doctor José Manuel Marques Martins de Almeida, Associate Professor with Aggregation of the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro;

Doctor Paulo Torrão Fiadeiro, Associate Professor with Aggregation at the University of Beira Interior;

Doctor Gonçalo Nuno Marmelo Foito Figueira, Associate Professor at the Instituto Superior Técnico of the University of Lisbon;

Doctor Mauro António Moreira Guerra, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Sciences of Universidade Nova de Lisboa;

Doctor Robertus Potting, Full Professor at the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Algarve.

VIII – Access to the tender procedure

The tender process may be consulted at the University of Algarve’s Human Resources Department, on floor 0 of the Penha Library Building at the Penha Campus of the University of Algarve in Faro, from 9.30am to noon and from 2.30pm to 4.30pm, through previously scheduled appointment.

December 4, 2024. - The Vice-Rector, Dr Nuno Gonçalo Viana Pereira Ferreira Bicho.