Bolsa de Investigação: ARDITI-CLEAN-ATLANTIC-2020-001

Marine litter is a global concern affecting the oceans and the coast that impacts on marine organisms and ecosystems, threatens human health and safety, and causes economic losses and aesthetic problems. Tackling marine litter demands a cross-sectorial and multilevel approach, involving governmental agencies, public and private stakeholders, research units as well as NGOs and society. A number of international, EU, regional, MS and local initiatives have been focused and are currently addressing this global problem (e.g. MSFD, D10, OSPAR Regional Action Plans). However, targeted surveys and monitoring are costly and time-consuming and there is a need for complementary approaches to monitor, record and map marine litter in a coordinated collaborative fashion. 

The project CleanAtlantic: Tackling marine litter in the Atlantic Area, (EAPA_46/2016) aims to protect biodiversity and ecosystem services in the Atlantic Area, by improving capabilities to monitor, prevent and remove (macro) marine litter. The project will also contribute to raise awareness and change attitudes among stakeholders and to improve marine litter managing systems. 

Within the scope of this project, ARDITI (Age^ncia Regional para o Desenvolvimento da Investigac¸a~o, Tecnologia e Inovac¸a~o) is seeking a research fellow with a Bachelor degree in Computer Sciences, with training and/or expertise in full-stack web development (backend and frontend) to implement the web platform for depicting the marine litter (beached and floating). The main goal is to provide a platform capable of collecting the self-assessment reports and portray the reported beached and floating marine litter. 

The successful candidate is expected to join the ARDITI team of researchers in Madeira Tecnopolo, Funchal, Madeira, between March and April of 2020. The research will be conducted within MARE-Madeira and ITI/LARSyS research units. MARE-Madeira research is broadly focused on marine ecology and the effect of anthropogenic pressures and natural stressors on marine habitats. ITI/LARSyS has broad interests and formal training in HCI and computer engineering applied to marine biology and ecology. 

Activities will include:

• API development - used for georeferenced collected imagery and collected data (collecting beached and floating marine litter from the mobile applications)

• Backend Application Development - Backend system with REST API based on Laravel needed for the collection of data to be used by marine biologist and citizen scientists

• Frontend Application Development - Frontend system, capable of providing the statistics of floating and beached marine litter

Admission Requirements:

The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor Degree in Computer Sciences, with prior experience, including (but not exclusively): 

1. Background and/or proven experience record in full-stack web development 

2. Experience with backend application development and debugging using Laravel 

3. Basic knowledge in web front-end programming (e.g. HTML, CSS, JS, React.JS, Redux) 

4. Basic knowledge in web back-end programming (PHP, MySQL) 

5. Base knowledge of Linux, Apache and environments such as LAMP and WAMP 

6. Basic knowledge of Git 

7. Experience and knowledge in managing databases (e.g. MySQL, SQLite, phpMyAdmin) 

8. Demonstrated ability to work independently 

9. Fluent knowledge (spoken and written) of the English language 

10. Strong communication and collaboration skills. 

The selected fellow will assist in the development of the web platform and participate in the creation of research publications. The fellow will participate in workshops, project meetings and other relevant and/or project-related events. Moreover, the fellow will provide additional assistance in the production and writing of technical and scientific reports within the scope of the project. 

Scientific guidance and workplace: 

The proposed work will be coordinated by Dr. Marko Radeta (ITI/LARSyS) and Dr. Joa~o Monteiro (Madeira Unit of MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre) and will be conducted at ARDITI, Madeira Tecnopolo, Funchal, Madeira Island (Portugal). 

Duration: 

9 months, possibly renewable (until the duration of the project) 

Salary: 

ARDITI fellowship stipend (798€) and regulations are determined by ARDITI ( 

https://www.arditi.pt/index.php/biblioteca-on-line/outros-documentos/category/19-bolsas-de-inve stigacao). 

Evaluation criteria: 

The following evaluation criteria will be applied: FS = QA + EP + IN 

FS – Final Score 

Sum of Qualifications, Experience and Interview scores (if applicable), to a maximum of 40 points. 

QA – Qualifications 

Maximum score of 10 points: Bachelor Degree in Computer Science. 

EP – Experience 

Maximum Score of 20 points as follows: