Location: Food Research Centre, Teagasc, Moorepark, Fermoy, Co Cork, P61 C996ResearchSalary: Research Officer with a Salary Scale of €41,996 to €79,618Closing Date: 21/10/2025 12:00 PMFunded Full TimeJob DescriptionDuration:Temporary externally funded non Grant-in-Aid contract post, the indicative duration of which is 14months, subject to contract. A panel may be formed from which future similar vacancies may be filled; such a panel will remain active for a maximum period of 12 months.Basic FunctionTeagasc seeks to recruit an enthusiastic research officer as part of the VistaMilk research centre. The successful candidate will have experience in the study of fermented food microbiomes and the harnessing of that knowledge to develop pitched or defined starter communities of microbes that are optimised with respect to the production of fermented foods with specific attributes.BackgroundThe Teagasc Food Programme is located at two sites, Moorepark Food Research Centre (Fermoy, Co. Cork) and Ashtown Food Research Centre (Dublin 15). The programme is based on applied research which involves significant industry engagement. In addition to its own programme, Teagasc participates in many large research initiatives (VistaMilk Centre, APC Microbiome Ireland, the Dairy Processing Technology Centre, Meat Technology Ireland, Food for Health Ireland) with industry partners and other research providers in the university sector. The current role will be located at the Moorepark research site, where significant food and health related research takes place and which hosts relevant infrastructure such as the Moorepark Technology Ltd. pilot plant, a dedicated food safety laboratory, the Teagasc DNA Sequencing Centre, The National Food Imaging Centre and a Food Biotest facility.The VistaMilk Research Ireland research centre ), which has been operating out of Teagasc Moorepark since 2018, is in its second 6-year phase The VistaMilk Research Ireland Centre aims to be an agent of growth for the Irish dairy industry by being a world leader in fundamental and translational research for precision pasture-based dairying. VistaMilk represents a unique collaboration between 14 Agri-Food and ICT research institutes and leading Irish/multinational food and ICT companies. The Centre is hosted by Teagasc, the national agency with responsibility for agriculture and food research.Job ObjectivesAnalysis of shotgun metagenomic data from different sources to investigate the microbial composition (assembly-dependent and -independent) and functional potentialCombining shotgun metagenomic-derived outputs with metadataCulturing of microorganisms from fermented foodsPreparation and screening of defined communities of fermented food strains for enhanced featuresTo prepare scientific and popular press publications.To disseminate research findings.Liaising with other partners from VistaMilkEngage in Education and Public Engagement activitiesTo assist Teagasc in meeting the commitments of the Quality Customer Service Charter and Action Plan.To actively participate in the annual business planning and Performance Management Development System (PMDS) processes.Fully co-operate with the provisions made for ensuring the health, safety and welfare of themselves, fellow staff and non-Teagasc staff and co-operate with management in enabling Teagasc to comply with legal obligations. This includes full compliance with the responsibilities outlined in the Safety Statement.Any other duties as may be assigned from time to timeThis job specification is intended as a guide to the general range of duties and is intended to be neither definitive nor restrictive. It will be reviewed from time to time with the post holder.Skills RequirementEssentialDesirableQualificationsAn honours Level 8 degree, (as recognised on the National Framework of Qualifications or equivalent), in Bioinformatics, Molecular Biology, Microbiology or a related discipline.A postgraduate degree and/or research experience in (name) would be a distinct advantageSkills/KnowledgeDemonstrated research and technical expertise in analysis of shotgun metagenomic data from fermented foodsDemonstrated experience of culturing fermented food strainsEvidence of research activity (publications, conference presentations, awards) and future scholarly output (working papers, research proposals etc)Excellent project management, analytical, report writing and data analysis skills.Experience in setting own research agenda.Evidence of teamwork and collaboration with relevant partners.Behavioural CompetenciesAn ability to collaborate with team members and PhD students to help build research knowledge and skill and to guide professional development.Commitment to teamwork and collaborating with colleagues as per our Teagasc Together ethos.Excellent communication skills (oral, written, presentation) with an ability to enable effective knowledge and technology transfer.Ability to generate new ideas, unique concepts, models and solutions.EligibilityThis is an open public competition. Should a current serving Teagasc staff member be successful in their application through open public competition for this post, their current contract of employment with Teagasc will come to an end on taking up this post.Note: The 'essential' qualifications, knowledge, skills and behavioural competencies outlined above are 'must-have' which will be used in the selection process.