2026 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships at NOVA Medical School

Are you a postdoctoral researcher seeking to advance your international career in a dynamic and interdisciplinary scientific environment?

 

The 2026 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions - Postdoctoral Fellowships (MSCA-PF) call offers an excellent opportunity to develop your research project while enhancing your skills, expanding your network, and strengthening your career prospects.

NOVA Medical School is inviting outstanding postdoctoral researchers to apply for the 2026 MSCA-PF, with NOVA Medical School as the host institution.

Several NOVA Medical School supervisors, listed below, have expressed their interest in supporting candidates for the 2026 MSCA-PF. Each supervisor has identified specific research topics for which they are available to host and supervise outstanding postdoctoral researchers.

Those interested in developing their MSCA-PF application with any of supervisors listed and NOVA Medical School as your host institution, should contact them directly using the email address provided in the corresponding project description.

 

Fellowships from the Horizon Europe programme that provide funding for PhD holders to undertake an international mobility experience and carry out an ambitious research project in exclusivity in collaboration with a host institution in Europe or beyond.

The fellowship supports:

  • Salary, mobility, and family allowances;
  • Research, training, and networking costs (to enhance career development prospects through advanced training and interdisciplinary collaboration)

The official deadline for submission to the European Commission is 9 September 2026.

Applicants must:

  • Hold a PhD degree by the call deadline (9 September 2026). Researchers who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but have not yet formally received the degree are also eligible.
  • Have a maximum of 8 years of research experience after the award of the PhD (excluding career breaks, time spent outside research, and certain reintegration periods).
  • Comply with the MSCA mobility rule: applicants must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Portugal for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the call deadline.

Researchers applying with NOVA Medical School are also eligible for additional opportunities under the Widening Fellowships, which aim to strengthen research capacity in widening countries, including Portugal.

NOVA Medical School is one of Portugal’s leading academic institutions in biomedical and health sciences research, education, and innovation.

Its research ecosystem integrates cutting-edge work across a broad range of areas, including:

  • Global Health
  • Longevity
  • Nutrition and Metabolic Health
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Health Strategies and Control of Cardio-Hepato-Renal-Metabolic Diseases
  • Health Strategies and Cancer Control
  • Mental Health and Neurosciences
  • Digital Health
  • Technology and Artifical Intelligence
  • Health Tourism
  • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Healthcare
  • Longevity and Women's Health Troughout Life

Hosted fellows benefit from:

  • Access to state-of-the-art research facilities and technologies;
  • A highly collaborative and international environment;
  • Strong links with hospitals, research institutes, and industry partners;
  • Comprehensive support in grant preparation, value creation and project development from institutional support services.

Developing your MSCA-PF project at NOVA Medical School offers the opportunity to pursue excellent research with a meaningful impact on health and society.

INTERESTED IN APPLYING?

NOVA Medical School is seeking excellent candidates whose research aligns with the institution’s scientific priorities and who demonstrate:

  • A strong publication record
  • Scientific creativity
  • Motivation to develop an ambitious research proposal
  • Commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration

Interested applicants are invited to submit to the prospective supervisor:

  • A detailed CV;
  • A brief statement of why you have an interest in the host supervisor and project, and how you could your know-how/scientific & technical expertise can contribute to the development of the proposed project (see below).

 

KEY DATES

Internal expression of interest deadline: July 11, 2026

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships deadline: September 9, 2026

Choose your opportunity!

SUPERVISOR

PROJECT

EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (pdf to download)

Otília Vieira

 Deciphering Early Atherogenic Mechanisms in 2D and 3D Human Vascular Models Link

Paulo Gameiro

 Nucleotide–Redox Homeostasis in Mitochondrial Disease: Linking TCA Rewiring to mtRNA Quality Control Link

Duarte Barral

 Molecular Mechanisms of Melanin Transfer and Processing in Skin Photoprotection

Link

Sérgio Laranjo / Jorge Mendes

HUMAN-XAI: Human-Centred Design of Explanations for AI-Assisted Clinical Decision-Making

 Link

Sérgio Laranjo / Jorge Mendes

 FED-XAI: Federated and Privacy-Preserving Explainable AI for Multicentre Healthcare Link

Sérgio Laranjo / Jorge Mendes

 CAUSE-DIGI: Causal Evaluation of Digital Technology Adoption and Workflow Impact in Healthcare Link

Sérgio Laranjo / Jorge Mendes

 VAL2USE-AI: From Validation to Uptake: Adoption Pathways for AI and Software as a Medical Device Link

Sérgio Laranjo / Jorge Mendes

 ROBUST-Twin: Multicentre Real-World Validation of Cardiac Digital Twins Link

Sérgio Laranjo / Jorge Mendes

 PEDIA-PASS: Continuous Outpatient Surveillance after Fontan Palliation Link

Sérgio Laranjo / Jorge Mendes

 RECOVER-SYNCOPE: From a Tilt-Table Cohort to a European Decision-Support Tool Link

Sérgio Laranjo / Jorge Mendes

 CHILD-RAG: Conversational Health Literacy for Paediatric CHD Caregivers Link

Sérgio Laranjo / Jorge Mendes

TWIN-OMICS: Genotype-to-Wearable Personalised Risk in Inherited Arrhythmia Syndromes

 Link