Dear all,

We would like to disseminate the open call for two PhD scholarships in the area of Heritage Conservation and Restoration to be developed at the Research Unit VICARTE (“Glass and Ceramics for the Arts” www.vicarte.org) in Portugal.

The call is now open with a deadline until the 5th of November 2020 (17h00 Lisbon time), to be submitted by email to vicarte.diretor@fct.unl.pt.

Who can apply:

-National citizens or citizens of other member states of the European Union;

-Third-country citizens;

Stateless persons;

Citizens benefiting from political refugee status.

To apply for the PhD Research Grant, it is necessary to:

-have bachelor or master degree in the areas of Conservation and Restoration, Conservation Sciences, Chemistry, Materials or in areas considered to be related

-have residence in Portugal permanently and habitually, if the work plan associated with the scholarship is partially carried out by foreign institutions (mixed scholarships), a requirement applicable to both nationals and foreigners.

-Not having benefited from a PhD or PhD scholarship in companies directly funded by FCT (Portuguese Foundations for Science and Technology), regardless of its duration.

 

Application Admissibility Requirements:

 

It is essential, under penalty of not being admitted to the Competition, to attach the following documents to the application:

 

-Elements of the identity card / citizen card / passport;

-Curriculum vitae of the candidate;

-Certificates of qualification of the academic degrees held, specifying the final classification and, if possible, the classifications obtained in all subjects taken, or, alternatively, the candidate’s declaration of honor on how he / she completed the bachelor’s or master’s degree by the end the application deadline;

–Registration of recognition of academic degrees awarded by foreign higher education institutions and registration of the conversion of the respective final classification to the Portuguese classification scale, or, alternatively, the applicant’s declaration of honor on how he obtained the recognition of the foreign degree equivalent to that of graduate or master until the end of the application period;

-Letter of interest;

-Recommendation Letters (two);

-Write the application and all documents associated with it, including letters of motivation and recommendation, in Portuguese or English.

Regarding the aforementioned admissibility requirements, the following should be noted:

-In the case of academic degrees awarded by foreign higher education institutions, and in order to guarantee the application of the principle of equal treatment to candidates who hold foreign and national academic degrees, the recognition of these degrees and the conversion of the respective final classification is mandatory for the Portuguese classification scale.

-The recognition of foreign academic degrees and diplomas as well as the conversion of the final classification to the Portuguese classification scale may be required in any public higher education institution, or in the Directorate-General for Higher Education (DGES, only in the case of automatic recognition ). Regarding this matter, it is suggested to consult the DGES portal through the following address: http://www.dges.gov.pt.

-Applicants will only be admitted who have completed the cycle of studies leading to the degree of bachelor or master by the end of the application period. If they do not yet have the certificate of completion of the course, a declaration of honor from the candidates will be accepted as they have completed the necessary qualifications for the purposes of the competition by the end of the application period. The design of the scholarship is always dependent on the presentation of proof of ownership of the academic qualifications required to grant the scholarship.

WORK PLANS AND SCIENTIFIC ORIENTATION OF THE SCHOLARSHIPS

Research activities in the area of Glass and Ceramics in Cultural Heritage, within the scope of the strategic plan of the VICARTE R&D Unit – Glass and Ceramics for the Arts, through an interdisciplinary approach to the study of ceramics and glass in archeometry and sciences conservation, contributing a new perspective to the history of these materials.

The activities will focus on two of the Unit’s lines of investigation:

1. A) Study and critical analysis of how the glass and ceramics heritage has developed over time, including raw materials and techniques of production, use, trade routes and cultural interactions.

1. B) Study of the mechanisms of corrosion, in outdoor and indoor environments, and development of new products and sustainable methodologies to prevent the degradation of objects and the loss of their cultural value.

Evaluation Criteria

-The evaluation takes into account the candidate’s merit.

-Applications considered admissible will be scored on a scale of 0 to 20 in each of the following evaluation criteria:

-Criterion A – CV assessment, weighing 55%;

-Criterion B – Experience in the research area referred to in this notice of the call for competition, weighing 15%;

-Criterion C – Quality of the interview with a weight of 25%;

-Criterion D – Motivation letter, weighting 5%

 

Important notice for candidates with diplomas issued by foreign higher education institutions:

-Candidates with diplomas issued by foreign higher education institutions can apply and will be evaluated using the same criteria as candidates with diplomas issued by Portuguese institutions, provided that they present, in their application, proof of recognition of academic degrees and the conversion of the final classification for the Portuguese classification scale under the terms of the applicable legislation.

-Candidates with foreign degrees who do not show proof of conversion from the final classification to the Portuguese classification scale will be assessed with a minimum rating of 10 points in criterion A.

-In any case, scholarship contracts with candidates with diplomas issued by foreign institutions will only be concluded upon presentation of proof of recognition of academic degrees and conversion of the final classification, as indicated above.

The announcement can be consulted in the following link: https://bit.ly/3ntKGvx

Thank you!

Inês Coutinho

Assistant Professor, Department of Conservation and Restoration, FCT NOVA (www.dcr.fct.unl.pt)

Researcher at VICARTE Research Unit (www.vicarte.org)

Researcher (collaborator) at IEM Research Unit – Instituto de Estudos Medievais (https://iem.fcsh.unl.pt)

Science Communication Manager COST Action IS-LE (www.is-le.eu)

Portugal

tel/fax: + 351 21 294 83 22