PRR Project

Summary

Job descriptionThis position will be for an assistant researcher (AR) with a soil ecology background , who will undertake inter-disciplinary research on soil science, biodiversity, climate change mitigation, microbial ecology, conservation of natural resources and interrelate them with key economic activities such as agriculture and forestry. This position is to be filled with a highly motivated researcher that will be encouraged to develop its own research, thus early career researchers with high potential will be positively valued.The job description for the AR is specified in the Statutes for the Scientific Research Career, article 5 of Decree-law 124/99, April 20. The AR must execute regular activities of R&D and other scientific and technical activities, framed by the mission of the hiring institutions. The AR must also:Participate in the concession, development, and execution of R&D projects, and connected scientific and technical activities;Manage work progression in R&D projects;Collaborate in actions aimed at advancing knowledge in research methods;Be aware and collaborate in the research work being undertaken by scholarship holders, research students, and research assistants, and contribute to their training.Manage and participate in training programs of the hiring institution. S cientific profileThe candidate must have benefited from a fixed-term contract or a postgraduate scholarship from a Science and Technology National Systems institution, as a PhD holder.Academic background: Candidates with a Ph.D in Agricultural Sciences, with experience or/and specialization in soil ecology, being valued those who come from biology and ecology backgrounds with related degrees.Fluent oral and written communication skills in English, including the ability to communicate technical and scientific information, demonstrated by a track record of working at an English-speaking environment (e.g. academic environment) or a diploma of advanced studies in English.Statistics and Research Methods. Knowledge in statistics and research methods, demonstrable through relevant courses in statistical analyses as well as published research encompassing multiple analyses and statistics. Experience with statistics software (R), genetic analyses (MEGA), geographical information (ArcGis), and design and illustration (Adobe Illustrator) will be valued.Big dataset experience: This profile will require the combination of multiple datasets coming from soil biodiversity sequencing, information from satellites on climate and vegetation measurements, community composition analyses such as Network analyses and modeling of soil community responses to alterations. Proven experience with these analyses will be considered.Science communication. The capacity to publish high-quality papers must be demonstrated through a track record of articles published documents with indexation either in SCOPUS or JCR. Number of citations, publications in relevant journals as well as the percentage of first quartile articles in their production will be valued.Project participation. Previous experience in local and international projects will be considered.Participation in scientific meetings: Previous experience giving oral presentations in national and international meetings and congresses will be valued.Science dissemination: The researcher is expected to develop outreaching activities outside of academia, including participation in conferences, dissemination articles and books. Proven experience in the communication of scientific concepts for a non-scientific audience will be considered. RationaleSoil is an essential component of terrestrial life and a complex reservoir of biodiversity that performs multiple key environmental, social and economic services including food security, water purification, nutrient cycling, carbon storage, and human health. Despite having been studied for decades, analyses combining soil biodiversity and ecosystem functions only started recently. CISAS is seeking for a soil researcher with potential to interrelate multiple information from different fields and methodologies that could lead and coordinate the soil research to provide high quality assessments that both inform the scientific community on relevant questions as the state of soil biodiversity on the region or the evaluation of its potential threats, and serve as useful tools to promote conservation and management of terrestrial ecosystems with a sustainable perspective for multiple stakeholders from small farmers and foresters to national and local planning.CISAS is a R&D unit that aims to attract scientists able to perform inter-disciplinary research such as soil ecology, that will trigger the institution’s scientific activity in the form of national and international projects, development of a R&D group based on soils, and the attraction of post Doc researchers, BSC and MSc students to develop a scientific career.