Call for Postdoctoral Research Assignment |E2E DIGITAL TWIN | 1062030

Organisation/Company

Universidade de Coimbra

Department

Divisão de Projetos e Atividades (Bolsas)

Research Field

Computer science

Researcher Profile

Recognised Researcher (R2)

Positions

PhD Positions

Country

Portugal

Application Deadline

12 Mar 2025 - 23:59 (Europe/Lisbon)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Hours Per Week

35

Offer Starting Date

1 Apr 2025

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by a EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

The University of Coimbra opens a call for the assignment of a postdoctoral research grant, with one position(s), under the project E2E DIGITAL TWIN (COMPETE2030-FEDER-00581600).

The call is governed by this Notice of Opening, the University of Coimbra Research Grant Regulations (RBI-UC), subsidiarily by the Research Grant Regulations of the Foundation for Science and Technology (RBI-FCT), by the Research Fellow Statute (EBI), by the Norms for Grant Assignment and Management within R&D Projects, by the Code of Administrative Procedure (CPA), all in their current wording, and by other applicable national and community legislation.

Procedure Reference: IT137-25-72

I - Legal admission requirements

I.I - Grant Recipients:

Holders of a doctoral degree in the scientific area of Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Informatics Engineering, Information Science and Technology, Psychology, Biological Sciences, Neurosciences, or similar, obtained within the three years prior to the start date of the grant, where the research work leading to the degree was carried out at a host institution different from the one where the work of the current grant will be conducted.

I.II – Ineligible candidates: 

The following candidates will not be admitted to the call:

• Candidates who, with the award of the current grant, including possible renewals, exceed a cumulative period of three years in this type of grant, whether consecutive or intermittent.
• Candidates who obtained their doctoral degree more than three years before the application submission date.
• Candidates who have conducted the majority of the research work leading to their doctoral degree at the host institution of the current grant.

I.III - Eligible for grant assignment if meeting the requirements: 

a) Portuguese nationals or nationals of other EU Member States

b) Nationals of third countries

c) Stateless persons

d) Beneficiaries of political refugee status

II - Grant location: Department of Computer Engineering of the University of Coimbra      

III- Scientific supervision/coordination of the grant:  Jorge Carlos dos Santos Cardoso, Licínio Gomes Roque and André Venturoti Perrotta.

IV - Work Plan / Goals to be achieved: Brief description of the scholarship objective: Visual quality control (VQC) is a particularly relevant process in industries where the quality of the final product depends not only on functional aspects, but also on aesthetics. In such cases, human visual inspection is key for obtaining a high-quality product, which in turn, is conditioned by errors due to human factors such as fatigue and mood. 

In the context of the digital transformation of a cork manufacturing industry, the objective of this grant is to develop visual discrimination experiments to evaluate the performance of real vs virtual natural cork bottle stoppers assessment (quality, classification, identification) using different virtual representations (3D models, 2D images) presented in different formats and mediums (smartphones, tablets, laptop, Tv screens, VR/AR goggles). The results of this experiments should guide the development of better modelling techniques to create the bottle stoppers’ digital twins, and also, a better understanding of the VQC process performed by the specialists.

Work Plan:

T1: Problem characterization and preliminary research on the state-of-art of visual discrimination tasks with specific focus on industrial VQC.

T2: Development of experimental methodology and protocol, and submission of necessary documentation for ethical boards.

T3: Implement experiments with layman and industry specialists.

T4: Data analysis and results publishing. 

V - Initial grant duration: 12 months

V.I - Renewal Possibility:  Possibily renewable 

VI - Funding and financial conditions of the grant

VI.I - Monthly grant amount (paid by bank transfer at the end of each month): 1851€

VI.II - Other financial components of the grant:  N.A.  

VI.III - In addition to the above amounts, voluntary social security (SSV) is included when the grant has a duration of six months or more, corresponding to the first level, if the candidate opts for it, as well as mandatory personal accident insurance.

VI.IV - Funding: The grant(s) assigned under this call will be funded by European Regional Development Fund (FEDER), through the Innovation and Digital Transition Programme (COMPETE 2030), Portugal 2030 and the European Union | Operation Nº 14414, Funds Branch Operation Code COMPETE2030-FEDER-00581600.

VI.V -Information and publicity about the funding: In all R&D activities directly or indirectly funded by the grant, namely in all communications, publications and scientific creations, as well as theses, carried out with the support provided for in the grant, the dissemination of EU support must be expressed through the logo of COMPETE 2030, Portugal 2030 and the emblem of the European Union, in compliance with the Portugal 2030 Communication Rules.

VII - Selection Methods: Evaluation of the academic record (AR) and/or Interview (I) 

VII.I - AR - In the evaluation of the academic record, the candidates' academic performance will be assessed according to the following weights and criteria:

- Criterion 1 - Advanced knowledge of statistics and data analysis

- Criterion 2 - Knowledge in conducting experimental protocols and data collection.

- Criterion 3 - Responsibility and commitment 

VII.II- I – In the evaluation of the interview, candidates' performance will be assessed according to the following weights and criteria:

- Criterion 1 - Advanced English (reading/writing/communicating) skills

- Criterion 2 - Analysis and critical sense

- Criterion 3 – Motivation and interest

VII.III- The evaluation of the criteria and the final classification will be based on a scale from 0 to 100, with scores rounded to the nearest hundredth, applying the following formulas:

- AR: criterion 1 * (40%) + criterion 2 * (40%) + Criterion 3 * (20%) = X

- I: criterion 1 * (40%) + criterion 2 * (40%) + Criterion 3 *  (20%) = X

- Final Classification (FC): AR * (60%) + I * (40%) = X

VII.IV - All candidates who meet the admission requirements are subject to the academic record evaluation, carried out according to the criteria and weights defined in VII.I.

VII.V -Candidates who score below 50 in any selection method will be excluded, and subsequent methods, if any, will not apply to them. Candidates who are duly notified but fail to attend the interview (if applicable) or withdraw at any stage will also be excluded.

VII.VI - All candidates who score above 50 in the AR will proceed to the next method, i.e., the interview. 

VII.VII -Tie-breaking criteria: In the event of a tie in the rankings, candidates will be ordered in descending order as follows:

a) Based on the score obtained in the first method applied;

b) Based on the score of their academic qualifications.

VII.VIII -All provisional and final jury decisions must be justified, recorded in minutes, and published on https://apply.uc.pt/ .

VII.IX -Jury Composition:

President: André Venturoti Perrotta

Effective Members: Jorge Carlos dos Santos Cardoso; Licínio Gomes Roque

Alternate Members: Jacinto Paulo Simões Estima; João Nuno Lopes Barata

VII.X - Selection reserve list: the reserve list consists of candidates approved in all selection methods who do not secure one of the available vacancies under this procedure. The reserve list is valid for 0 months

VIII- Application Submission

Candidates must access and register on the electronic platform https://apply.uc.pt/ to submit their application, selecting the procedure to which they wish to apply.

Documents uploaded for the application must be in portable document format (PDF).

Applications are submitted by completing the sections available in the electronic platform "Apply UC" under "My Application."

VIII.I- Mandatory documents to attach when applying:

• Curriculum Vitae, duly updated, dated, and signed; 
• Copy of academic degree certificates. 

• Whenever possible, documentation proving prior grant benefits should also be attached to the application.

VIII.II- Other documents to attach when applying:

• Any other elements the candidate considers relevant.
• Motivation Letter.

VIII.III - All application documents must be submitted in Portuguese and/or English. When the originals are in another language, a translation into one of these languages must be provided.

VIII.IV - Applications that are not properly completed or do not meet the admission criteria defined in the applicable legislation and this notice will not be accepted.

VIII.V - No documents required for the application may be submitted after the application deadline.

VIII.VI - Without prejudice to the penal provisions of the law, false statements made by candidates or grant holders regarding relevant matters for the grant award or renewal, or for the evaluation of its progress, will result in its cancellation.

IX – Application deadline: 27/02/2025 to 12/03/2025   

X - Activity Regime: The grant does not create or constitute a legal-labor relationship. It is carried out under an exclusive dedication regime, and the grantee is awarded the Research Grantee Status, as stipulated in the EBI and the RBI-UC.

XI - Notification of Candidates: All notifications will be made through the electronic platform Apply UC , under the terms of subparagraph c) of paragraph 1 and subparagraph b) of paragraph 2 of Article 112 of the CPA and Article 22 of the RBI-UC. The notifications will take effect after being made, as provided in Article 113 of the CPA.

XII - Under Articles 121 and 122 of the CPA and Article 22 of the RBI-UC, candidates may, if they wish, submit comments regarding the jury's decisions within 10 business days, through the "Audiência dos Interessados" option in the platform's procedure section.

XIII - Candidates may also submit a complaint within 15 business days or an appeal to the UC's highest-ranking official within 30 business days, both following the respective notification, under Articles 191 and 192 of the CPA.

XIV - Selected candidates must declare in writing, within five business days of notification, their acceptance of the grant and confirm that they meet the requirements to accept the proposed start date of the grant contract. Unless a justifiable reason is provided, failure to provide this declaration within the stipulated time will be considered a renunciation of the grant. In case of renunciation or withdrawal by the selected candidate, the next candidate on the final classification list will be notified.

XV - The full competition process can be consulted by candidates, subject to prior scheduling, by sending an email to the Human Resources Management Service at: sgrh@uc.pt .

XVI - In compliance with subparagraph h) of Article 9 of the Constitution, the University of Coimbra, as an employer, actively promotes a policy of equal opportunities between men and women in terms of employment access and career progression, ensuring that any form of discrimination is strictly avoided. It encourages underrepresented minorities in each area to apply.

Accordingly, no one may be privileged, benefited, disadvantaged, or deprived of any right or exempted from any duty on the grounds of ancestry, age, sexual orientation, gender, marital status, family status, economic situation, education, social origin or condition, genetic heritage, reduced work capacity, disability, chronic illness, nationality, ethnic origin or race, place of origin, language, religion, political or ideological beliefs, or trade union membership.

The University of Coimbra also promotes measures to facilitate the balance between professional, family, and personal life, recognizing the efforts of its employees and fostering motivation.

XVII- The grantee must submit annual activity reports for each renewal and at the end of the grant contract, as stipulated in Article 7 of the RBI-UC, subject to an opinion issued by the respective supervisor(s). The report models, performance evaluation criteria, and the grant contract model are those approved under the University of Coimbra's Research Grant Regulations.

Website

https://apply.uc.pt/IT137-25-72

Research Field

Computer science

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Department of Computer Engineering of the University of Coimbra

Country

Portugal

State/Province

Coimbra

City

Coimbra

Geofield

City

Coimbra

Website

https://www.uc.pt/administracao/dpa

Street

Rua Larga

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