Two Research Fellowships (BI) for a Master’s Students in the field of Extragalactic AstrophysicsRef: IA2026-12-BI-M
The
Centro de Investigação em Astronomia/Astrofísica da Universidade do Porto (CAUP) opens a call for two Research Fellowships in the field of Astronomy/Astrophysics – Extragalactic Astrophysics at the Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço (IA).
The
Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço (IA) is the most prominent Research Unit in the field of Astronomy/Astrophysics in Portugal, integrating researchers from the universities of Porto, Lisbon and Coimbra, and is responsible for a major fraction of the national productivity in international ISI journals in the field of Space Sciences. Research and science communication at IA include topics and instrumentation at the forefront of research in Astronomy/Astrophysics and Space Sciences.
Each position is offered in the context of the project “
PLATES – Powering the search of LAEs with transformers for large-scale extragalactic surveys”, funded by Portuguese funds through FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (reference 2024.05289.RESTART), under the following conditions:
1.- Scientific area: Astronomy and Astrophysics.
2.- Requirements for admission: The applicants must have completed a BSc degree in Astronomy/Astrophysics or a related discipline. They must also comply with the requirements to be enrolled in an MSc Program of a university in Portugal at the time of the start of the fellowship. Only applications from candidates having an adequate background in Astronomy, Physics, Mathematics, or other relevant domains will be considered.
3.- Additional skills and qualifications: The applicants should have a basic background in Astronomy/Astrophysics and some programming experience, preferably in Python. Familiarity with astronomical data analysis, photometry, spectroscopy, galaxy evolution, or the analysis and visualisation of scientific datasets will be considered an asset.
4.- Contracting requirements: Presentation of the following documents at the time of signing the fellowship agreement:
a) Presentation of the academic qualifications and/or diplomas (*).
b) Proof of enrollment in a degree-awarding course in a Portuguese university.
5.- Work plan: The two fellows will contribute to the analysis of Lyman
-a emitter candidates identified within the PLATES project through two complementary work plans:
•
Fellowship 1 – Assess the reliability of the candidate selection and identify possible contaminants using the available photometric and spectroscopic information.
•
Fellowship 2 – Investigate the observational and physical properties of the selected candidates using photometry, spectral energy distributions and, when available, spectroscopic data.
Both fellows will produce diagnostic plots and summary tables. Simple statistical or machine-learning methods may be applied when relevant. The results of the two work plans will be combined to characterise the PLATES candidate sample.
6.- Legislation framework: The fellowship contracts will comply with:
a) Law n.º 123/2019, of 28th August 2019 - ''Estatuto do Bolseiro de Investigação'' (Research Grant Holder Statute) in force [https://dre.pt/dre/legislacao-consolidada/lei/2004-58216179]
b) Regulation n.º 950/2019, of 16th December 2019 - ''Regulamento de Bolsas e Investigação da Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia'' (Regulation of Fellowship of Research) in force [https://files.dre.pt/2s/2019/12/241000000/0009100105.pdf]
c) "CAUP's Fellowship Regulation" (available at www.astro.up.pt/documentos/CAUP-RegulamentoBolsas.pdf).
The fellows’ functions are carried out under a scheme of exclusive dedication, in accordance with the terms established in the article 5 of the Research Grant Holder Statute (Estatuto do Bolseiro de Investigação).
7.- Monthly allowance: According to the FCT table values [https://www.fct.pt/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Tabela-de-Valores-SMM-2026.pdf], the monthly allowance will be € 1090.98 (tax free) and will be paid monthly by bank transfer.
Each fellow will have a personal accident insurance. They can also exercise the right to social security by joining the voluntary social insurance scheme, if not covered by any other social protection scheme, under the terms of the Código dos Regimes Contributivos do Sistema Previdencial de Segurança Social, as stipulated in article 10 of the Research Grant Holder Statute (Estatuto do Bolseiro de Investigação).
Additional funds for travel (conferences and/or work visits) will also be available. MS program fees will not be covered.
8.- Place of work: The work will be carried out at CAUP (in the Porto node of the Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço), Rua das Estrelas, 4150-762, under the scientific supervision of Dr Ana Paulino-Afonso.
9.- Fellowship duration: Each fellowship should start on October 1, 2026, and have a duration of 3 months.
10.- Application: The application, to be submitted through the web form indicated below, should include the following information:
a) Cover letter with a brief description of the candidate's experience and motivation.
b) Detailed Curriculum Vitae describing the academic path and research experience (up to 4 pages with at least 10pt font size).
c) List of completed curricular units with the respective grades.
d) BSc degree, diploma or certificate (*).
(*) The documents that prove the entitlement of the academic qualifications or diplomas can be dismissed during the application period and replaced by a signed declaration of honour. If not provided during the application process, these documents must nevertheless be submitted when signing the contract.
In the event that the degree was awarded by a higher education institution outside of Portugal, that degree must comply with the provisions of Decree-Law n.º 66/2018 of 16th August 2018 (approves the legal regime for the recognition of foreign higher academic degrees) and Ministerial Order n.º 43/2020 of 14th February which changes the Ministerial Order n.º 33/2019 of 25th January, and all formalities established therein must be complied with up to the date of signing the contract.
Applicants are advised to check the website of the Directorate-General for Higher Education (DGES) for further information: https://www.dges.gov.pt/en/pagina/degree-and-diploma-recognition. They can also check information on the website of the University of Porto: https://sigarra.up.pt/up/en/WEB_BASE.GERA_PAGINA?p_pagina=1005819.
11.- Deadline: This call for applications will remain open from the 20 of July until the 28 of August 2026.
12.- Selection criteria and evaluation: The evaluation of the applications will be performed based on:
a) (25%) Cover letter with a brief description of the candidate's experience and motivation.
b) (50%) CV, considering the degree and previous academic training, including grades of completed curricular units and the relevance of that training to the topic of the call.
c) (15%) Relevance of previous research experience.
d) (10%) Interview.
The Selection Committee will interview the admitted candidates with a classification equal or above 75% and a maximum for the first 5 places of the remaining selection criteria, to obtain clarifications concerning aspects related to the CV and research experience presented in the application, and also to validate the candidate's communication skills and social interaction, as well as their command of the English language.
An ordered list of candidates will be defined by the Selection Committee based on the submitted documents and the criteria mentioned above.
13.- Selection Committee:- Ana Paulino-Afonso (Chair)
- Pedro Cunha
- João Calhau
- Mário João Monetiro
- Andrew J. Humphrey (alternate member)
14.- Awarding of the contract: Following the evaluation process, the fellowships will be offered according to the ordered list proposed by the selection committee. The positions will be granted only if suitable candidates are identified. Only candidates with a minimum grade of 70% will be accepted. All the candidates will be notified by e-mail, sent by the call holder, with the final classifications and the selection meeting minutes and/or evaluation grids enclosed.
15.- Time limits for the appeal procedure: Candidates have 10 working days, after the date of announcement of the results, to pronounce on the decision through e-mail to jobs@iastro.pt and to the Chair of the Selection Committee (paulinoafonso @ astro.up.pt). Appeals against the final decision may be submitted to the Executive Board of CAUP (direcao @ astro.up.pt) within 15 working days after the notification date.
16.- Non-discrimination and equal access: CAUP promotes a policy of non-discrimination and equal access, thus no applicant may be privileged, benefited, undermined or deprived of any right or exempted from any duty, namely, due to ancestry, age, gender, sexual orientation, civil status, family situation, economic situation, origin or social condition, genetic heritage, reduced work capacity, disability, chronic disease, nationality, ethnicity or race, country or territory of origin, language, religion, political or ideological beliefs, or trade union affiliation.
Publication date: 20 July 2026
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