Researcher for the Department – Portalegre

Detalhe da Oferta:
We are looking for a passionate and resourceful candidate able to integrate into an ambitious organization aiming to develop innovative products and services to protect crops against pests and diseases.

Our Department is focused on the design of micro- and nanotechnology-based delivery systems, and their application in agriculture, as well as identifying novel formulation adjuvants, innovative processing methods and proposing new functional formulations for the delivery of biological solutions to crops. We aim to develop sustainable and environmentally friendly products as an alternative to existing chemical-based pesticides and fertilizers for economically relevant crops.

The ideal candidate must be able to demonstrate a solid understanding of organic chemistry, chemical engineering, nanotechnology or related relevant fields.

Main responsibilities
The researcher shall report directly to the Director of the Department of Formulations and Process Development and will have the following responsibilities:

 Develop encapsulation systems for loading agricultural bioactives;
 Establishing protocols and assess physicochemical and biological parameters (in vitro stability, efficacy and safety);
 Interact and collaborate diligently with personnel from other departments;
 Register, interpret and report experimental results.

Specific requirements
• Master’s degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Process Development, Biotechnology, Nanotechnology or related relevant fields;
• Experience in micro- or nanoparticle design, production and characterization;
• Interest in biomaterial-based formulations-plant interactions;
• Interest in creation of intellectual property;
• Fluency in English, spoken and written;
• Problem-solving skills and flexibility to succeed in a dynamic environment;
• Respect for deadlines;
• Team spirit;
• Highly organised;
• Interest in a long-term career as a formulation scientist.

InnovPlantProtect is a private non-profit association
InnovPlantProtect aims to create innovation for the protection of crops, seeds and post-harvest products through:
 Development of innovative technologies and knowledge creation, as well as improvement of existing technologies for crop protection;
 Applied scientific research to create novel intellectual property for developed technologies to be brought to market, and to develop processes and products;
 Providing technical support to public or private companies and entities, assisting in the introduction of biotechnological strategies, methods and processes, and in the orientation and implementation of industrial research and development, directed towards the protection of crops, seeds and post-harvest products;
 Collaboration with (inter)national public and/or private institutions, in their respective areas of activity.

Workplace
The work location will be at the headquarters of InnovPlantProtect, situated in INIAV (Elvas), at the former National Plant Breeding Station.

Salary and contract
A full-time contract, expected to start on January 6th, 2025 will continue until 31st December, 2025 with a trial period of one month. Gross remuneration will be €1.559,00 (14 months –€21.826,00/year), plus €6 for daily lunch subsidy.

Financial Support
This contract is defined and financed by InvestmentRE-C05-i02 –“Missão Interface”, referring to Advise n.º 01/C05-i02/2022, within the scope of the Recovery and Resilience Plan “Plano de Recuperação e Resiliência” (PRR).

How to Apply
To the care of the Chief Executive Officer of InnovPlantProtect Collaborative Lab, Professor Pedro Fevereiro
inpp.rh@iplantprotect.pt

To apply for this position, the following documents should be sent in a single PDF file with the reference “InnovPP087/2024” in the subject field:

 Curriculum vitae (CV)
 Motivation letter
 Two reference contacts
 Statement of honour that CV content is accurate.