Post Doctoral Fellow Level 1/2 - Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Dairy Urine
Location: Teagasc, Crops, Environment and Land-Use Programme, Johnstown Castle, Wexford
Research
Salary: Post Doc (Combined) with a Salary Scale of €44,128 to €52,340
Closing Date: 07/07/2025 12:00 PM
Funded Full Time
Job Description
Duration:
Temporary Post-Doctoral Appointment. This is an externally funded non Grant-in-Aid contract post, the indicative duration of which is 42 months, 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 Function:
The position involves the monitoring of greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions from a range of experimental treatments to identify new mitigation measures. The Post Doctoral Fellow will be responsible for carrying out experiments, starting from data acquisition and analysis to writing of scientific papers and disseminating of project’s findings at national and international forums. The Post Doctoral Fellow will co-ordinate the project tasks involving the characterization of gaseous emissions from Irish soils and the impact of management on these emissions.
The successful candidate will organise the daily operations of the project work at Johnstown Castle, and will assist the project co-ordinator and PI in collating reports and arranging project meetings. They will take the lead in data analysis and in writing progress reports, presentations and publication of scientific/technical papers.
As this is a joint project with collaborators based at AgResearch in New Zealand, regular virtual meetings are required. A minimum of one face-to-face project team meeting in New Zealand is also envisaged.
Background:
DREAMFactors stands for DisaggRegatEd dAiry urine eMission Factors and is a project newly funded by the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine under its joint NZ-IE research call. This project aims to provide experimental evidence on the effects of pasture composition and urine nitrogen (N) load on dairy urine nitrous oxide (N2O) emission factors. Ireland is committed to achieving a 51% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 2021 to 2030, and to achieving net-zero emissions no later than 2050. Currently agriculture accounts for over 38% of national greenhouse gas emissions and thus there is a need to a) dramatically reduce emissions. Methane and nitrous oxide account for approx. 2/3 and 1/3 of national agricultural emissions, respectively. Additionally, ammonia is an air pollutant impacting natural habitats, animal and human health and leads to indirect greenhouse gas emissions. Nearly 99% of ammonia comes from agriculture and the expanding sector is facing pressure to reduce emissions.
This position will be based in Teagasc Environment, Soils and Land-use Department in Johnstown Castle, Wexford. Teagasc - Johnstown Castle is Ireland’s leading research institute on soils and environment related research, and conducts both fundamental and applied research on a wide range of subjects, e.g. soil quality, nutrient efficiency, water quality, gaseous emissions, agro-ecology, and land use. Johnstown Castle is a home to the National Agricultural Sustainability Research and Innovation Centre (NASRIC) with state-of-the-art laboratories, greenhouse and field facilities to support research as well as 190 hectares of farmland.
This is a research focused training role, the primary purpose of which is to provide early career scientists with the opportunity to develop their research skills and competencies. The Post Doctoral Fellow will, while working in conjunction with senior research staff, gain insight and experience into a variety of areas including the processes of project and budgetary management, publishing in peer-reviewed academic journals, presentations at conferences, development of active collaboration with relevant national and international research communities; the development of communication and presentation skills, leadership and management skills, and overall career development
The Teagasc post-doctoral programme provides training and development opportunities for early career scientists that enhances their experience of learning and equips them with the necessary skills for the next stage of their chosen career in research. Appointees to a Teagasc Post-Doctoral Fellowship will be required to undertake a Level 9 Professional Diploma in Researcher Development delivered by University College Dublin (UCD).
This professional diploma is a flexible, modular programme which embraces a blended learning approach to align with the Post-Doctoral Fellow's role in Teagasc. It is designed to develop competencies and transferable skills in research, professionalism, communication and career development. The majority of the programme is delivered online with the remaining elements delivered in-person at Teagasc locations. This blended approach affords the Post-Doctoral Fellow the opportunity to meet and network with other Teagasc colleagues. During the course of the diploma Post-Doctoral Fellows will have access to a full range of supports including the UCD library, writing centre and careers centre.
This is a research focused training role, the primary purpose of which is to provide early career scientists with the opportunity to develop their research skills and competencies.
The Post-DoctoralFellow will, while working in conjunction with senior research staff, gain insight and experience into a variety of areas including the processes of project and budgetary management, publishing in peer-reviewed academic journals, writing grant applications, and attracting external funding; the development of active collaboration with relevant national and international research communities; the development of communication and presentation skills, leadership and management skills, and overall career development.
Modules will be conducted under the supervision and direction of the Project Leader or other designated manager in conjunction with the Head of Department.
Job Objectives
Duties & Responsibilities specific to this project:
* To interpret research findings and lead the preparation of scientific publications.
* Conduct experiments quantifying greenhouse gas emissions from various pasture sward types receiving dairy urine.
* Operate and maintain gaseous emissions monitoring equipment in good condition and co-ordinate relevant laboratory analysis/experiments.
* Assist in coordination of the research team.
* Produce project reports for the funders and a range of other stakeholders.
* To disseminate research findings to a variety of audiences as appropriate.
* Work closely with Teagasc Knowledge Transfer Specialists/Advisors to ensure effective dissemination of research findings to advisers and stakeholders. Supervise, in conjunction with university partners, postgraduate students to Masters and PhD level.
Additional Duties & Responsibilities:
* To disseminate research findings to a variety of audiences as appropriate.
* To assist Teagasc in meeting the commitments of the Quality Customer Service Charter and Action Plan.
* To comply with all relevant Teagasc policies and procedures.
* 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.
* To actively participate in the Teagasc Post Doctoral Fellowship programme and review processes, and to undertake all Post Doctoral fellowship training and associated duties as agreed in the Training & Development Plan.
* To take up additional duties as they may arise and be assigned by management.
Skills Requirement
This section outlines the qualifications, skills, knowledge and/or experience that the successful candidate would be required to demonstrate for successful discharge of the responsibilities of the post. Applications will be assessed on how well candidates satisfy these criteria.
* PhD in botany, soil science, engineering, physics or environmental science or related discipline
* Relevant research experience not to exceed 3 years’ post-PhD
* Demonstrated research and technical expertise in agricultural gaseous emissions (nitrous oxide, ammonia)
* Evidence 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
* An 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
* Full Drivers License
* Experience in designing and carrying out experiments quantifying gaseous emissions and required ancillary data
* Experience in operating field equipment (i.e. manual and / or automatic static chambers, dynamic chambers)
* Ability to manage concurrent tasks, work independently, take initiative, prioritise and deliver agreed objectives
* Experience in setting own research agenda
* Evidence of teamwork and collaboration with relevant partners
Note: Alternative location(s) may be considered solely at the discretion of Teagasc management.
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