Instituto Superior Técnico Research Scholarship

The Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) in Lisbon, Portugal, is offering a Research Scholarship for a Postdoctoral position in the scientific area of Mechanical Engineering, specifically focused on Decision Support Models for maintenance in railway systems. The scholarship is part of the Scientific Area of Structural and Computational Mechanics and aims to advance computational models that support predictive maintenance decisions in railway and transportation systems.

The position is supervised by Dr. António Ramos Andrade, with additional jury members Dr. Virgínia Isabel Monteiro Nabais Infante and Dr. Jorge Alberto Cadete Ambrósio. The research will involve developing computational models for predictive maintenance, applying these models to national and international railway and transportation projects, and advancing reliability and safety modelling with a focus on uncertainty quantification and assessment. The ultimate goal is to create decision support systems for maintenance planning and scheduling in railway and transportation systems.

The scholarship is funded by Instituto Superior Técnico and provides a monthly maintenance allowance of €1,901.00. The initial duration is 12 months, with the possibility of renewal up to a maximum of 36 months. The workplace is located in Mechanical Engineering Building II at IST, Lisbon.

Applicants must have a PhD in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related field, with expertise in reliability, maintenance, and asset management. The application process requires submission through the IST admissions platform, including registration and identity validation. Mandatory documents include a Curriculum Vitae, proof of qualifications (or declaration of honor if the certificate is not yet available), proof of registration/enrolment, and a motivation letter. Selection is based on CV assessment and previous research experience in the scholarship topic, evaluated by a jury.

The application deadline is 15 May 2026. Results will be published on the admissions platform. For further details, applicants can consult the IST website and the regulations for research fellowships. The position is not funded by the EU Research Framework Programme and is not related to a staff position within a research infrastructure.

This opportunity is ideal for researchers with a strong background in mechanical engineering, computational modelling, and maintenance planning, seeking to contribute to innovative solutions in railway and transportation systems.