Postdoctoral Researcher – Bioinformatics in sulfate-stressed anaerobic digestion, School of Engineering, College of Science and Engineering, University of Galway 083-24

21 Mar 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

University of Galway

Research Field

Engineering » Civil engineering

Researcher Profile

Recognised Researcher (R2)

Country

Ireland

Application Deadline

11 Apr 2024 - 17:00 (Europe/London)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Reference Number

University of Galway 083-24

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

No

Offer Description

Applications are invited from suitably qualified candidates for a full-time fixed term position as a Postdoctoral Researcher with Civil Engineering at the University of Galway, Ireland.

 

This position is co-funded by the Science Foundation Ireland and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, and is available from 1st of August 2024 to contract end date of 31st of July 2027.

 

Information on project

Generation of renewable bioenergy from wastewater through anaerobic digestion is a crucial method for confronting two of our most pressing contemporary challenges: energy generation and pollution control. However, the efficiency of anaerobic digestion is low due to the slow growth of anaerobic microorganisms and the complex cooperation among syntrophic microorganisms. Recently, the concept of microbial niche nexus has been proposed to enrich diverse microbial communities for enhancing system resilience and stability. Furthermore, conductive materials have been shown to improve anaerobic digestion efficiency by enhancing electron transfer between syntrophs, which can be affected significantly by oxidation and reduction potentials of liquid solution and conductive materials. Therefore, the objective of this project aims to sustainably generate bioenergy from wastewater by developing a novel high-efficient anaerobic methanogenic biotechnology.

 

Job Description:

The successful candidate will be based at the University of Galway, Ireland and contribute towards a recently awarded project in the field of anaerobic digestion. The postdoctoral researcher will be employed to undertake work in lab-experiments for sulfate-stressed anaerobic digestion, bioinformatics/metagenomics analysis, and data-mining of microbial sources. The successful candidate will work in a multidisciplinary team with colleagues in Civil Engineering at the University of Galway.

 

Duties:

• Conduct research (both independently and as part of a team) in sulfate-stressed anaerobic digestion.
• Develop bioinformatics/metagenomics analysis methodologies, such as those relating to quorum sensing and sulfur metabolism.
• Analysis microbial interactions in sulfate-stressed anaerobic digestion ecosystems.
• Genome mapping of the studied sulfate-stressed anaerobic digestion systems.
• Contribute to the writing of scientific papers for international journals.
• Contribute to project reporting writing.
• Assist with the coordination of research activities and actively contribute to research outputs to meet project milestones.
• Participate in and/or present at conferences and/or workshops relevant to the project as required.
• Assist with the supervision of PhD and research students.
• Any other duties assigned commensurate to this level of post.

 

Qualifications/Skills required:

 

Essential Requirements:

• PhD in Environmental Microbiology, Microbiology, Life sciences, Biochemistry, or related area.
• Demonstrated expertise in using bioinformatics tools.
• Proven ability to work in molecular biology.
• Demonstrated experience in anaerobic digestion or anaerobic microbiology.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a team, collaborate across disciplines and build effective relationships.
• Demonstrate excellent communication skills in English.

 

Desirable Requirements:

• Competence in bioreactor design and optimisation.
• Demonstrated understanding of methods such as cyclic voltammetry testing.
• Demonstrated understanding of mathematical modelling.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct independent research with limited supervision.
• Demonstrated track record of publications and conference presentations relative to opportunity.

 

Salary: Postdoctoral Researcher salary scale €42,782 - €54,965 per annum (subject to the project’s funding limitations), and pro rata for shorter and/or part-time contracts.

 

The default position for all new public sector appointments is the 1st point of the salary scale. This may be reviewed, and consideration afforded to appointment at a higher point on the payscale (subject to the project’s funding limitations), where evidence of prior years’ equivalent experience is accepted in determining placement on the scale above point 1, subject to the maximum of the scale.

 

Research Salary Scales - University of Galway).

 

Start date: Position is available from 1st of August 2024

 

Continuing Professional Development/Training:

Researchers at University of Galway are encouraged to avail of a range of training and development opportunities designed to support their personal career development plans. University of Galway provides continuing professional development supports for all researchers seeking to build their own career pathways either within or beyond academia.  Researchers are encouraged to engage with our Researcher Development Centre (RDC) upon commencing employment - see HERE  for further information.

 

Further information on research and working at University of Galway is available on Research at University of Galway

 

For information on moving to Ireland please see www.euraxess.ie

 

Further information about School of Engineering is available at weblink https://www.universityofgalway.ie/engineering/ .

 

Informal enquiries concerning the post may be made to Dr. Guangxue Wu ([email protected] ).

 

 

To Apply:

Applications to include a covering letter, CV, and the contact details of three referees should be sent, via e-mail (in word or PDF only) to Dr. Guangxue Wu: [email protected]

 

Please put reference number University of Galway 083-24 in subject line of e-mail application.

 

Closing date for receipt of applications is 5.00 pm (Irish Time) 11th April 2024

 

We reserve the right to re-advertise or extend the closing date for this post.

 

University of Galway is an equal opportunities employer.

 

All positions are recruited in line with Open, Transparent, Merit (OTM) and Competency based recruitment

 

Requirements

Research Field

Engineering » Civil engineering

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Additional Information

Website for additional job details

http://www.univeristyofgalway.ie/about-us/jobs/

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

University of Galway

Country

Europe

Geofield

Where to apply

E-mail

[email protected]

Contact

State/Province

Ireland

City

Galway

Website

https://www.universityofgalway.ie/

Street

University Road

Postal Code

H91 TK33

E-Mail

[email protected]

Phone

0857322707

STATUS: EXPIRED