Open Call for RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP

Fellowship Reference GIMM/BI/03-2026

Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine (GIMM) opens a call for one research fellowship under the project ““Desenvolvimento de ferramentas de próxima geração para vigilância e controlo de Aedes albopictus, um dos vetores principais de vírus da dengue e Zika” with the funding support fromFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, IP.P. / MCTES through national funds (PIDDAC).

Scientific Area(s): Life and Health Sciences

Fellowship recipients/Admission requirements: Any National, foreign and stateless candidate(s) that fulfill the necessary conditions to be enrolled in a non-academic degree course (in area related to the work plan) can apply. 

Are considered “Non-academic degree courses” the ones referred in paragraph e) of number 3 of article 4 of Decree-Law nr 74/2006, from 24^th March, in its current version, as long as they are developed in association and cooperation between a higher education institution and at least one R&D Unit in accordance with the provisions of paragraph e) of Article 3 of FCT Fellowship Regulation.

Applicants must hold the following requirements:

• Master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences or related fields;
• Experience in cell culture and in handling bacteria and/or viruses;
• Experience with insectary work, including mosquito rearing and identification;
• Experience working under high biosafety conditions (BSL-3) and with experimental viral infections of mosquitoes;
• Good command of Portuguese and English, both spoken and written.
• The international experience of the candidates, although not a determining criterion for selection, will be valued.

Preferred requirements

• Experience with Wolbachia and/or insect microbiology;
• Experience in molecular biology;
• International experience, while not a determining selection criterion, will be considered an asset.

Work Plan and Objectives:

The fellowship holder will join Task 1 – Wolbachia infusion via artificial diets for Aedes control, with the following main activities:

• Isolation, expansion, and maintenance of Wolbachia in mosquito cell lines;
• Feeding assays in Aedes albopictus and monitoring of fitness, survival, and reproduction;
• Detection and quantification of Wolbachia by PCR/qPCR;
• Support in the maintenance of Aedes albopictus colonies under BSL-2 conditions;
• Organization, analysis, and reporting of experimental data.

Legislation and Applicable Regulation: Estatuto do Bolseiro de Investigação approved by Law nr 40/2004, from 18^th August in its current form (altered by Decree Law nr 123/2019, 28^th August) and current Regulation of Fellowships of Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia Regulamento Bolsas FCT 2019.pdf (approved by Regulation nr 950/2019, from 16^th December).

Predicted start date, duration and renewal conditions: The fellowship contract is predicted to start inFebruary 2026, for a period of 6 (six) months on an exclusive basis, eventually renewable until the maximum stipulated in applicable regulations, not exceeding the eligibility period of the project.  

Work place and Scientific orientation: The research activities will be developed at Nuno Santos Laboratory of GIMM, under the supervision of Doctor Gonçalo Seixas.

Non-discrimination and equal access policy: GIMM undertakes to ensure compliance with the principles of non-discrimination and equality and to that extent, provides that no candidate can be privileged, benefited, harmed or deprived of any right or exempted from any duty due in particular ancestry, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, economic status, education, social origin or condition, genetic heritage, reduced working capacity, disability, chronic disease, nationality, ethnic origin or race, place of origin, language, religion, political or ideological convictions and trade union membership.

International environment and experience: Diversity is a fundamental aspect of the essence of GIMM, where researchers and non-researchers of different nationalities, backgrounds and areas of study work together, promoting the exchange of experiences and interactions, contributing to the personal and professional development of each person and to the existence of an international, inclusive and stimulating environment.

Research Fellows Support Centre: The Research Fellows Support Centre works everyday from 09:00AM to 11:00AM at People & Culture Unit Office.

Fellowship financial conditions: The fellow will benefit from a monthly stipend in the amount of1309.64€ in accordance with the defined in FCT table. The amount will be paid by wire transfer at the end of each month. The fellow will also benefit from a personal accident insurance to execute the proposed research activities as well as the right to Social Security through Voluntary Social Insurance regimen, if wanted, under the terms of Código dos Regimes Contributivos do Sistema Previdencial de Segurança Social, and the contributions costs will be supported by the research project.

Application documents: – Motivation Letter; – Curriculum Vitae; – MSc certificate; – Candidate’s declaration of honor indicating previous fellowships, if any, its typology and duration.  The non-compliance with these requirements determines the immediate rejection of the application.

In case the applicant does not have yet the required degree certificate, a declaration of honor stating the conclusion of the necessary qualifications for the purposes of this process will be accepted and must be sent by the end date of the call.

Jury evaluation and selection: Gonçalo Seixas, Joana Ricardo and Nuno Correia Santos (GIMM).

Selection methods: Curriculum evaluation (75%) and motivation letter (25%).

Based on the curriculum vitae, each candidate will be assessed regarding the content and its relevance to the tasks to be performed, namely: research experience, knowledge in the field of the proposed work, and compliance with the candidate profile requirements (75%).

Based on the motivation letter, the candidate’s motivation and interest in the activities to be developed (20%) and written communication skills in the English language (5%) will be evaluated.

In the event of a tie, the final decision will be made by the Jury.

Deadlines and application process: The call will be open from 3^rd February 2026 until 16^th February 2026.

Applications should be submitted to People & Culture Unit, through the email positions@gimm.pt, including the call reference “GIMM/BI/03-2026” in the subject. The non-compliance with these requirements determines the immediate rejection of the application.

Notification of results: Within 90 days after the termination of the applications submission deadline, both admitted and excluded candidates list and final classification list shall be communicated to all admitted candidates through email.

Preliminary Hearing and Final Decision Deadline: After notification, all candidates have 10 working days to respond. Panel’s final decisions are pronounced within a period of 90 days, from application deadline.

Fellowship contracting: The Fellowship is granted through the signature of a contract between GIMM and the selected fellow and after the fellow send the following mandatory documents: copy of identification document (in case of non-European citizens is mandatory the work visa / valid resident permit), document proving the required academic degree and the document proving the enrollment in a non-academic degree course.

Applicants with academic degrees obtained abroad will be required to present a certificate of recognition in accordance with the applicable regulation. This document is mandatory only in the contracting phase.

For each Fellowship period an Activity Report must be prepared by the fellow as well as the Report by the supervisor.

Download the job offer.