Applications are invited for a temporary post of a Process Systems Researcher within UCD School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering. I-Form, the Research Ireland Centre for Advanced Manufacturing in conjunction with Vistamilk the Research Ireland Centre for precision based Dairy Production and Processing are jointly collaborating on a research project, to use AI and Recommender systems to provide operator feedback during milk processing. We are seeking a researcher to work on this collaborative research project. The aim of the research is to optimise the spray drying of liquid milk, by combining data from advanced sensors, analytics, and machine learning, along with the protein content of the sprayed powder. The goal is to enhance the resultant milk powder quality, reduce energy consumption, and improve process control supporting sustainable, efficient. AI tools will be used to increase understanding of the spray drying process and powder product anomaly risks. The goal is to significantly reduce cost and resource usage required for production and precision-driven dairy and food ingredient manufacturing. This research position builds on your previous experience, involving the execution of a defined research programme under the supervision of a Principal Investigator. The role will also involve some time spent at the spray drying facility. The researcher work is a collaboration between the I-Form Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre and the Vistamilk Centre both of which are funded by Taighde ireann - Research Ireland (formerly Science Foundation Ireland) Fixed Salary: €49,000 per annum pro-rata (0.2 FTE, one day per week). Closing date: 12:00 noon (local Irish time) on 27/11/2025. Applications must be submitted by the closing date and time specified. Any applications which are still in progress at the closing time of 12:00 noon (Local Irish Time) on the specified closing date will be cancelled automatically by the system. UCD are unable to accept late applications. UCD do not require assistance from Recruitment Agencies. Any CV's submitted by Recruitment Agencies will be returned. To be considered for this role you will be redirected to and must complete the application process on our careers page. To start the process click the Apply button below to Login/Register.