A Research Fellowship (BI) (Reference REQUIMTE 2025-40) on the project “Ionic liquid-modified peptidomimetics as a key tool towards in situ forming hydrogels for the topical treatment of diabetic foot ulcers – 2023.12331.PEX“, supported by national funds by FCT / MECI, is available at REQUIMTE.

Main research field: Chemistry and Biochemistry 

Admission requirements: 

BSc degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry or related scientific area. Frequency of the MSc in the areas of Chemistry, Biochemistry or to be enrolled and/or attending a non-degree course taught by a higher education institution in collaboration with an R&D unit.

In case the BSc degree was awarded by a foreign higher education institution, it must comply with the provisions of Decree-Law no. 341/2007 of October 12th, and all formalities established therein must be complied with at the signature of Fellowship contract.

Working plan: 

The workplan is restricted to the chemical synthesis of ionic liquids and peptidomimetics, and their further coupling using “click chemistry”. The ionic liquids will be characterized by 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR and the final conjugates will be purified by preparative high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and their purity and structure will be respectively assessed by analytical HPLC and electrospray ionization-ion trap mass spectrometry (ESI-IT MS). In addition to synthesis and characterization, the antibacterial activity of the obtained peptidomimetics will be evaluated. 

Applicable Legislation: Law nº.40/2004, 18th August (Research Fellow Statute) amended and republished by Decreto-Lei n.º 123/2019, 28th August; FCT Regulation for Research Studentships and Fellowships (https://former.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/regulamentos.phtml.pt).

Work Place: The work will be conducted at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Porto, under the supervision of Ana Gomes. 

Duration of the fellowship: The fellowship will expectedly start on september 16th 2025, and have a duration of 8 months and 9 days. 

Monthly stipend: 

Monthly stipend is €1.040,98 according to the stipend values established by FCT, I.P. in Portugal (https://www.fct.pt/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Tabela-de-Valores-SMM_atu…). Payment will be made by bank transfer on a monthly basis. The successful candidate will also be entitled to the reimbursement of Social Security payments (Seguro Social Voluntário) and work insurance.

Selection criteria: The selection methods will be:

• Experience in solid and solution phase peptide synthesis (30 points)
• Experience in organic synthesis (5 points)
• Experience in using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (20 points)
• Experience in structural analysis using 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR (5 points)
• experience in “click” chemistry approaches for selective (bio)conjugation (20 points)
• participation in scientific/academic events and scientific dissemination (5 points)
• Experience in the determination in vitro of antibacterial activity (15 points)

In the case of admitted candidates whose evaluation does not differ more than 10% from that obtained by the best positioned candidate, the jury will interview these candidates. In such case, the interview will have a weight of 20% in the final classification. 

The jury will not award the current scholarship to candidates with a final classification lower than 50%.

Jury composition: 

Ana Sofia Martins Gomes (President), 

Paula Alexandra de Carvalho Gomes (vowel),

Ricardo João Vieira Ferraz (vowel), 

Mariana Santos Ferreira de Sá (substitute vowel)

Publicity and communication of results: The ranking of applications will be published in a visible and public area of REQUIMTE facilities, and all candidates will be informed by email about the result of their application.

Application: 

The call for applications is open between 08/07/2025 and 21/07/2025.

The applications are formalized at the electronic address bolsas@iceta.up.pt, containing in the subject the reference to which the candidate is applying (Reference REQUIMTE 2025-40) with following documents in a digital form, in PDF format and will include Curriculum vitae, Motivation letter, Qualifications Certificate, and other documents deemed relevant.

More information: https://www.requimte.com/