Research Studentship for PhD Student in Safety in Civil and Military Air Operations Instituto de Engenharia Mecânica in Portugal

Research Studentship for PhD Student at the Instituto de Engenharia Mecânica (IDMEC), Lisbon, Portugal.

This call is for one research studentship within project PE765, SYNOPSIS, under the broader aviation-safety project avIAtor – Multidomain Artificial Intelligence Algorithm for operational safety in civil and military aviation. The work is framed around safety in civil and military air operations, with a strong emphasis on artificial intelligence, machine learning, predictive modelling, data engineering, database design, and software integration with operational systems.

The studentship is hosted at IDMEC – Institute of Mechanical Engineering, which also acts as the contracting entity. Scientific supervision is by Professor Duarte Valério, and the selection panel also includes Professor Rui Melício and Professor Fernando Lau. The role is designed for a PhD candidate, or a candidate who can formally commit to PhD enrolment before the grant contract is signed.

The planned activities include reviewing the state of the art of AI models and machine learning methods, testing recent AI models, interfacing software with TAP data and systems, designing databases, preparing machine learning and predictive protocols, developing software interfaces, performing data engineering, training prediction models, testing occurrence prediction, and supporting operational risk management and outreach activities. This makes the opportunity especially relevant for candidates interested in computational methods for aviation safety, operational risk, and applied AI in engineering contexts.

The fellowship lasts 6 months, is non-renewable, and is expected to start in January 2027. The monthly maintenance allowance is €1,359.64, with payment by wire transfer. Personal accident insurance is provided, and the announcement notes that recipients not otherwise covered by social protection may join the voluntary social security scheme under the applicable rules.

Applicants must submit a CV, degree certificate where applicable, proof of enrolment in a PhD programme, and a motivation letter. If the degree certificate is not yet available at application time, a declaration of honour may be used, provided the candidate holds the degree by the date of the competition and submits proof before contract signing.

The selection is based on curriculum evaluation (60%), motivation letter (20%), and publications in international peer-reviewed journals (20%). Results are communicated by email, and applicants may submit a formal rebuttal within 10 working days of notification. The call is open from 28 October 2026 until 10 November 2026 at 18:00 (Europe/Lisbon).

Applications must be sent by email to [email protected], referencing the notice. The announcement also states that supported publications and theses should acknowledge the financial support, and that dissemination should follow open-access standards for data, publications, and other research outputs.