Jobs

Background

Water quality and quantity are under rising pressure from agricultural activities that may cause overexploitation of natural waters and pollutants runoff. These stresses are also compounded by climate change effects. To address the complex challenges of agri-water management, this EU-funded project, entitled UNIVERSWATER, will adopt a ‘system of systems’ approach by developing and improving technologies designed to optimise water resources uses in a fully integrated way. A dedicated interdisciplinary and intersectoral consortium of 15 partners from six European countries will: a) develop innovative portable and in-situ sensors for a number of parameters and pollutants (salinity, nutrients, CEC, microbiological indicators), b) couple them with earth observation imaging and advanced explainable and robust artificial intelligence techniques, c) develop cost-effective, sustainable methods based on nature-based and technology-based solutions for water remediation at the point of need, and d) promote the adoption of the developed methods through pricing incentive provision. These technologies will be integrated into decision support systems (DSSs) that will be tested at three case studies, including one in Ireland which aims to tackle on-farm treatment of dairy soiled water, while others investigate the mitigation of soil salination through water reuse and the optimisation of fertiliser/pesticide application for freshwater preservation. Going beyond, UNIVERSWATER will upscale these local DSSs into a common platform where a suite of DSS tools can be adapted to different situations after being tailored to the local factors, thereby developing a modular, extensible and holistic universal DSS.

Working in collaboration with the UNIVERSWATER project partners, the successful PhD candidate will be tasked with designing, operating and evaluating a suite of water treatment technologies (which may include: solid separation techniques, nutrient attenuation phases, hybrid constructed wetlands, advanced oxidation processes, filtration systems, UV disinfection). Thereafter, they, along with colleagues, will be tasked with monitoring the performance of treatment systems for a range of water quality parameters (including nitrogen, phosphorus, organics and antibiotics), conducting experiments evaluating the reuse potential of the residual sludge from the system as fertiliser, and developing a DSS to guide recommendations on the operation of an optimised the hybrid constructed wetland and advanced oxidation processes.

Requirements

Applications are invited from graduates holding a first or upper second-class primary degree or equivalent or M.Sc. in a relevant discipline (Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering, Water Resource Management, Agricultural Science, etc.). The successful candidate should be practically minded and self-motivated.

Award

The PhD Fellowship is a joint research project between the Teagasc Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Moorepark, and the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences and Civil Engineering at University of Galway. The student will be based at Teagasc Moorepark and will be registered at University of Galway, working under the direct supervision of Dr Pat Tuohy and Prof Owen Fenton (Teagasc) and Dr Alma Siggins and Prof Mark Healy (University of Galway). The Fellowship provides an annual stipend of €22,000 (excluding fees) tenable for 3 years.

Application Procedure

Applicants should submit a CV and covering letter detailing their qualifications and experience to Dr Pat Tuohy (patrick.tuohy@teagasc.ie) and Dr Alma Siggins (alma.siggins@universityofgalway.ie)

Closing Date

Friday November 15^th, 2024.

ROSETTA is an innovative fellowship programme co-ordinated by the University of Galway and will involve four other universities (Implementing Partners): University College Cork, University College Dublin, University of Limerick and Trinity College Dublin. The programme is co-funded by LERO, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software, the Horizon Europe Marie Skodowska Curie Actions programme and the University of Galway. ROSETTA fellows will be provided with the highest quality research environment and a training programme where they will critically examine the development, use and regulation of technology from a time perspective across all aspects of life from children, people with disabilities, people in the workplace, to healthcare and social inclusion for older people.

ROSETTA will be recruiting 19 fellowships, each with a duration of 2 years, providing an unparalleled opportunity for Postdoctoral Researchers to delve into the critical intersection of time and technology in our rapidly evolving digital landscape. 

We are seeking fellows with an interest in the broad research area of ‘the true impact of technology on our time’ to bring fresh perspectives and innovative approaches to this research. Whether you're passionate about information systems, business, law, computer science, medicine, sociology, biomedical engineering, psychology, or any other related discipline, we want to hear from you!

Applications are invited from suitable candidates for 19 full-time fixed term Marie Skłodowska-Curie postdoctoral Fellows (PFs) at University of Galway. Up to 10 fellowships may be awarded on the 1st Call.

ROSETTA Fellowships are open to applicants of any nationality who have a PhD degree and comply with the programme’s eligibility criteria and mobility rule. Researchers at Risk are encouraged to apply. All candidates must discuss their research idea and proposal and seek the support of an eligible ROSETTA supervisor for their application.

All fellowships will be based in Ireland where fellows will be hosted by their ROSETTA supervisor’s host institution.

The programme aims to provide exceptional training and career development opportunities to postdoctoral researchers, fostering international mobility, intersectoral collaboration, and interdisciplinary exposure.

Further information can be found in the Guide for Applicants to ROSETTA at https://rosetta.lero.ie/call-for-proposals/

This project has received co-funding from Horizon Europe’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, Grant Agreement No:101126578.

Essential Criteria:

As per the MSCA definition:

• ROSETTA is open to applicants who have a PhD degree at the call deadline. Applicants who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but have not formally been awarded the doctoral degree will also be considered eligible to apply. The successful defence must take place before the call deadline.
• Applicants must comply with the MSCA mobility rule: have not resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Ireland for more than 12 months in the three years immediately before the call deadline. Compulsory national service and short stays such as holidays are not considered.
• Applicants must have working proficiency in English or be fluent in English. Applicants whose first language is not English may be required to provide evidence of their English proficiency.

Please note:

• ROSETTA Fellowships are open to candidates of any nationality.  Please see Employment Permits - University of Galway for further information.
• ROSETTA will support applications from those displaced by conflict or whose situation makes it difficult to pursue research careers. Researchers at Risk are encouraged to apply. Please see: Guidelines for Inclusion of Researchers at Risk | Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (europa.eu) for further information.

Gross Salary:

Remuneration is in line with EC rules for Marie Sklodowska-Curie COFUND grants.

Level 1: €50,124 gross salary* per annum (excluding family allowance) or €57,252 gross salary* per annum (if conditions for family allowance are met).

*Gross salary is inclusive of a mobility allowance of €6,480 annually payable as part of their gross salary which shall be fixed for 24 months during the fellowship period.

Salaries are subject to taxes and deductions, e.g., deduction of PRSI (employee social security), and income taxes. For more information about tax entitlements, please go to https://www.revenue.ie/

Training and Career Development

Fellows are encouraged to avail of training and development opportunities to support their career development plans. All fellowships will include a secondment period. Fellows will have the flexibility to select a secondment with the non-academic or academic sector to suit their research and career development. Researchers are encouraged to engage with our Researcher Development Centre (RDC) upon employment. The RDC is an initiative of the offices of the VPR and Graduate Studies to support the continuing professional development of all our researchers at University of Galway.

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

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

The University of Galway is committed to principles of equality and encouraging diversity and inclusion. Several of the participating academic Institutions and Schools are holders of Athena SWAN awards. We celebrate the diversity of our staff and students and work to support an inclusive environment free from discrimination and harassment.

To Apply: The application process should include an Online application + Administrative Proposal as follows:

• Part A: Administrative Proposal: Max 2000 characters
• Part B: Research Proposal (max. 10 pages)
• Part C: Academic CV: Max 5 pages (With three references)
• Part D: Ethics Issues Table and Self-Assessment Form

Candidates must develop a project proposal in line with ROSETTA Research Themes and submit their complete application via the online application system. The system will remain open for applications until midnight (UTC) on the call deadline of Friday, 27^th September 2024.

See Guidance Documents, Terms & Conditions and https://rosetta.lero.ie/ for more information.

For informal enquiries, contact the University of Galway programme manager at rosetta@lero.ie.  Please put reference number University of Galway 110-24 in subject line of all queries related to this post.

The closing date for receipt of completed applications is Friday, 27^th September 2024 at 23.59 UTC.

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

The University of Galway is an equal opportunities employer. 

All positions are recruited via an internationally advertised open call for proposals. The evaluation and selection process will follow an Open, Transparent, Merit (OTM) and Competency-based Recruitment process and will include an international peer review followed by an interview stage.