PRR Project

Summary

The researcher will be assigned to work in Chemical and Radiopharmaceutical Sciences, sub-area of Physical Chemistry of Solid State and f-Elements with emphasis in Coordination Chemistry of Actinides. DECN inherited from ITN a solid knowledge and extensive research experience in the chemistry of actinides. Within this area, the coordination chemistry of uranium, thorium and other actinides, their reactivity, energetics, and catalytic properties assumed great importance, which over several years led to more than 10 doctoral theses. These skills fall across the two scientific areas of DECN (Chemical and Radiopharmaceutical Sciences and Nuclear Technologies and Radiological Protection). In addition to scientific research activities, these skills are also relevant due to the importance of managing uranium and thorium waste on a campus that has a nuclear reactor in the process of being dismantled and a repository of low-intensity radioactive materials.Knowledge and capacity to work in Chemical and Radiopharmaceutical Sciences, sub-area of Physical Chemistry of Solid State and f-Elements with emphasis in Coordination Chemistry of Actinides have been decreasing due to the retirement of some researchers and because other researchers have abandoned this area of research, opting for other areas where funding and recognition are easier and more immediate. This knowledge in coordination chemistry of uranium and thorium is unique in our country and is of the greatest importance for a department like DECN and for an Engineering school like IST, being necessary younger personnel, in the scientific research career, committed to continuing to develop research in this area and ensuring the necessary scientific support when the Department, the Campus or the Institute needs it.As previously mentioned, research in coordination chemistry of uranium, thorium and other actinides in Portugal has been essentially developed at CTN campus of IST, which makes maintaining and strengthening the existing competence at DECN and IST even more relevant. A search process (scouting) was carried out and candidates with knowledge in this area were identified, with most of them working at CTN or having been there previously in their professional career. All meet the minimum requirements usually adopted by DECN to enter a competition on absolute merit (10 ISI publications in the last 5 years).