Postdoctoral Researcher

10 Jan 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

Atlantic Technological University

Department

Marine and Freshwater Research Centre

Research Field

Environmental science » Ecology
Biological sciences » Biodiversity

Researcher Profile

Recognised Researcher (R2)

Country

Ireland

Application Deadline

30 Jan 2024 - 12:00 (Europe/Dublin)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Hours Per Week

39

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

Ocean CLImate variability and PHytoplankton in Irish coastal waters (Cli-PhI) (P230066)

An opportunity has arisen for highly motivated researcher to be part of an exciting partnership between the Marine and Freshwater Research Centre (MFRC) at ATU and the Marine Institute (MI). The phytoplankton communities that fuel marine food webs are undergoing profound changes as a consequence of climate change. The Irish Ocean Climate and Ecosystems Status Report (Marine Institute, 2023) highlights an expansion of the phytoplankton growth season for some species and changes to the occurrence of harmful algal blooms in certain coastal areas since the 1980s. These changes have implications for food provisioning, tourism, the economy and human health.  Addressing this requires improved management and decision support tools to predict how phytoplankton are likely to respond to changing environmental conditions in the future. The Cli-PhI project will build cross-disciplinary national capacity in the analysis and interpretation of data collected through phytoplankton monitoring programmes. The post-doctoral fellow will work with experts in ecology, statistics, harmful algal blooms and oceanography to build comprehensive understanding of spatial and temporal patterns in phytoplankton abundance, diversity, and distribution in Irish coastal waters. The Cli-PhI project will provide advice for management and policy regarding potential future changes in phytoplankton communities and implications for sustainable aquaculture and will inform strategies for future phytoplankton monitoring programmes as part of climate-change mitigation plans.

Requirements

Research Field

Other

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

Essential:

• A PhD in a relevant discipline or, exceptionally, equivalent* research experience (including industrial R&D). *EU defines PhD equivalent as 4 years full-time research after primary degree.
• Previous experience in the manipulation and statistical analysis of large biological or environmental datasets. Desirable Qualifications and Skills

Desirable:

• Previous post-doctoral research experience
• Knowledge of phytoplankton ecology
• Excellent communication skills with an ability to interact with a range of stakeholders (regulatory authorities, state agencies, seafood producers, general public) and to disseminate project objectives and outputs in formats appropriate to the target audience.
• Highly motivated researcher with a strong publication record, commensurate with their career stage and a demonstrated ability to work as part of a dynamic team.
• Experience in time series analysis or machine learning methods and a good knowledge of R, Python, SQL or other programming languages.

Specific Requirements

Key Responsibilities:

• Review and synthesise current knowledge of the impacts of climate change on marine phytoplankton.
• Compile relevant datasets for use in the project in a consistent and accessible format, using appropriate computational processes.
• Develop, compare and apply advanced tailored statistical and machine learning approaches to model spatial and temporal variability in phytoplankton dynamics in relation to relevant drivers.
• Test model performance using suitable predictive tests (over differing time horizons) with and without environmental drivers.
• Evaluate the implications of changing phytoplankton dynamics for aquaculture productivity and provide recommendations for future management and monitoring programmes.
• Lead scientific peer reviewed publications and conference presentations communicating the research outputs from the project.
• Liaise with relevant stakeholders to communicate project outputs and place them within the context of management and climate change mitigation plans.
• Search out and apply for additional topic related research funding and collaborations.

The position will be based at ATU’s Galway campus; the post-doc will also be required to spend short periods at Marine Institute headquarters in Renville, Oranmore.

Languages

ENGLISH

Level

Excellent

Additional Information
Benefits

Salary: IUA PD1 point 1 (€42,783.00) to point 3 (€45,322.00) with annual increments.
Starting salary is dependent on funding availability & experience and will also be market driven and discipline related.
Pension contribution: 20% in addition to salary

Additional comments

In accordance with ATU’s commitment to equality of opportunity for all job applicants you are asked to request any reasonable accommodation in sufficient time to ensure you can participate fully in the recruitment process.
Please contact [email protected] should you require any assistance.

Website for additional job details

https://www.atu.ie/research-jobs

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Atlantic Technological University, ATU Galway City

Country

Ireland

State/Province

Galway

Postal Code

H91 T8NW

Street

Dublin Road

Geofield

Where to apply

Website

https://www.atu.ie/research-jobs

Contact

City

Galway

Website

https://mfrc-atu.ie

Street

Atlantic Technological University, Old Dublin Road, Galway

E-Mail

[email protected]

STATUS: EXPIRED