Universidade Lusófona, represented by COFAC – Cooperativa de Formação e Animação Cultural, CRL, hereby opens a call for 1 (one) research fellowship in the scope of the project HAPI Work, Human-Animal Interaction in the Workplace: Assessing Impacts and Guidelines for Pet-Friendly Policies, funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (2024.17955.PEX).

SCIENTIFIC AREA:

Work and Organizational Psychology

ADMISSION CRITERIA:

Position and terms of the open call:

1. The call aims to hire a junior researcher under a fixed‑term employment contract of uncertain duration under private law, pursuant to Article 6 of Decree‑Law No. 57/2016, of 29 August;
2. Holders of a Ph.D., whether national, foreign, or stateless, may apply.

Ideal academic and professional profile (cumulative):

1. Master’s degree in Social and Organizational Psychology or a related scientific field;
2. Proven experience participating in research projects in Work Psychology, Environmental Psychology, and/or Behavior Change;
3. Collaboration with research teams within the scope described in (b);
4. Evidence of scientific communication activities and, ideally, participation in scientific publications;
5. Proficiency in spoken and written Portuguese and English.

MAIN DUTIES: 

The work will be carried out within the scope of the project described above and will include:

1. Supporting and participating in all stages of correlational, experimental, and qualitative studies: literature review, planning, preparation, execution, data collection, analysis, and discussion of results;
2. Supporting advanced research methodologies and research software;
3. Supporting the drafting of manuscripts for national and international publication;
4. Presenting at scientific meetings and other project dissemination activities;
5. Participating in and organizing events associated with the project.

WORKPLACE AND SCIENTIFIC SUPERVISION: 

Research activities will be carried out at HEI‑Lab – Digital Human–Environment Interaction Lab / Universidade Lusófona – Centro Universitário de Lisboa, and at other locations necessary for the execution of research activities in the Lisbon District and the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, under the scientific supervision of Professor Vítor Hugo Silva. The contract will be signed with COFAC.

FELLOWSHIP LENGTH: 

12 months, not renewable, with start date on February 2, 2026. 

FINANCIAL CONDITIONS: 

Performance of duties as a grant holder is on an exclusive basis, in accordance with Article 5 of the Estatuto do Bolseiro de Investigação (EBI) and applicable grant regulations.
The monthly stipend is €1,309.64, in line with FCT’s table of monthly maintenance allowances in Portugal (as updated).

Each fellow is also entitled to personal accident insurance and access to the applicable Seguro Social Voluntário (SSV), which may be awarded when the fellowship lasts at least six months.

APPLICATION SUBMISSION: 

Applications must be submitted via email to: f2569@ulusofona.pt with the subject 20260116/001 including the following documents:

1. Curriculum Vitae (CV) describing professional and scientific experience, accompanied by a list of scientific publications (with DOI and/or ISBN links) and activities related to the scope of this call;
2. Master’s certificate (Social and Organizational Psychology or related area);
3. Reference letters (with contact emails) from at least two academics who can attest to the CV and recommend the candidate;
4. Motivation letter in English, stating the reasons for the application;
5. Other documents the candidate considers relevant to attest their scientific and professional experience.
6. Except for the element mentioned in item (e), failure to submit any required document will result in immediate exclusion.

Applicants with a foreign degree or diploma must submit proof of degree recognition under Decree‑Law No. 66/2018. Any applicant who does not submit proof of recognition by the time the grant is awarded will be excluded. A declaration of honor is sufficient at the application stage.

Proof of enrolment in a degree or non‑degree academic course may be waived at application and replaced by a declaration of honor. However, before contracting, submission of the relevant supporting documents is mandatory, under penalty of exclusion.

Providing false information relevant to the award, renewal, or evaluation of the fellowship will result in cancellation.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: 

Applications are open form 16 January 2026 to 30 January 2026 at 23:59 (Lisbon time)

EVALUATION AND SELECTION: 

Applications admitted to the call will be evaluated for quality, timeliness, relevance of the scientific curriculum (scientific production and experience), and fit with the project’s scope.

The jury will evaluate the elements below on a 0–100 scale:

1. Professional experience and scientific activities in areas related to the work plan (up to 70% of the assessment);
2. Motivation letter (20%), assessing the candidate’s motivation, interest in the planned activities, and fit with the position’s goals;
3. Reference letters (10%);
4. Interview (if applicable), solely to clarify aspects of the application (up to 20% of the total score). If interviews are held, up to five top‑ranked candidates will be invited; in any case, only applications with an overall score above 60% will be considered;
5. If deemed necessary, the jury may seek clarification from the academic referees named in the application.

The jury reserves the right not to award the scholarship if no candidate matches the desired profile.

FINAL RESULTS: 

Applicants will be notified of the decision by email at the address provided.

Applicants have 10 working days after notification to submit a complaint addressed to the Chair of the Jury. The final decision will be communicated after analysis of the arguments presented during the prior‑hearing stage. Following this communication, the selected candidate must confirm acceptance in writing and state that they meet the requirements to start on the planned date, within 5 working days, to f2569@ulusofona.pt  and p6237@ulusofona.pt.

If the selected candidate declines, the grant will be offered to the next candidate on the final ranking list.

JURY COMPOSITION: 

The jury has three members appointed by the Board of Directors of COFAC, CRL, in accordance with Article 13 of Decree‑Law No. 57/2016, of 29 August, as amended by Law No. 57/2017, of 19 July. The following members were appointed:

Chairman: 

Ana Loureiro, Associate Professor, Lusófona University / HEI‑Lab – Digital Human‑Environment Interaction Lab;

Effective Members:

Vítor Hugo Silva, Assistant Professor, Lusófona University / HEI‑Lab – Digital Human‑Environment Interaction Lab;

Ana Sofia Róis, Assistant Professor, Lusófona University / HEI‑Lab – Digital Human‑Environment Interaction Lab;

Alternate members: 

Catarina Possidónio, Assistant Professor, Lusófona University / HEI‑Lab – Digital Human‑Environment Interaction Lab; 

Gonçalo de Jesus, Assistant Professor, Lusófona University.

If the Chair of the jury is unable to serve, they will be replaced by the first member, and the alternate will replace that member.

HOMOLOGATION: 

After the deadline for exercising the right to a prior hearing has expired, the jury’s final decision will be certified by the Chairman of the Executive Committee of COFAC, CRL, who is also responsible for deciding on the hiring of the selected candidate.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF RESULTS: 

The list of admitted and rejected candidates, as well as their final scores, will be posted at Universidade Lusófona and on the website www.ulusofona.pt. Candidates will also be notified by email.

NON‑DISCRIMINATION AND EQUAL ACCESS POLICY: 

COFAC / Universidade Lusófona actively promotes a policy of non‑discrimination and equal access, ensuring no candidate is privileged, benefited, disadvantaged, deprived of rights, or exempted from duties on the grounds of ancestry, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, family situation, economic situation, education, social origin or condition, genetic heritage, reduced working capacity, disability, chronic illness, nationality, ethnic origin or race, territory of origin, language, religion, political or ideological convictions, or trade union membership (Law No. 93/2017, of 23 August).

DATA PROTECTION: 

By applying, you consent to the use of your personal data by COFAC / Universidade Lusófona staff exclusively for the purposes of this call. Administrative staff will use your contact details to communicate with you directly and for publication of results, in accordance with the principles established by the GDPR.

APPLICABLE LEGISLATION: 

• Law No. 40/2004, of August 18th, as amended by the Decree-Law No. 123/2019, of August 28th, in its current wording (Research Fellowship Holder Statute/Estatuto do Bolseiro de Investigação - EBI);
• Regulation No. 950/2019, of November 29th, published in Diário da República, No. 241, Series II, of December 16th (FCT’s Regulation for Research Fellowships/Regulamento de Bolsas de Investigação da FCT - RBI).

Lisboa, 16th of January 2026