School of Biotechnology
Faculty of Science & Health

• 3-year Fixed Term Contract

Dublin City University

Dublin City University www.DCU.ie is a young, ambitious and vibrant University, with a mission ‘to transform lives and societies through education, research, innovation and engagement’. Known as Ireland’s ‘University of Enterprise and Transformation’, it is committed to the development of talent, and the discovery and translation of knowledge that advances society and the economy. DCU is the Sunday Times Irish University of the Year 2021.

The University is based on three academic campuses in the Glasnevin-Drumcondra region of north Dublin. It currently has more than 18,000 students enrolled across five faculties – Science and Health, DCU Business School, Computing and Engineering, Humanities and Social Sciences and DCU Institute of Education. DCU is committed to excellence across all its activities. This is demonstrated by its world-class research initiatives, its cutting-edge approach to teaching and learning, its focus on creating a transformative student experience, and its positive social and economic impact. This exceptional commitment on the part of its staff and students has led to DCU’s ranking among the top 2% of universities globally. It also consistently features in the world’s Top 100 Young Universities (currently in QS Top 70 Under 50, Times Higher Top 150 Under 100).

DCU is placed 84th in the world, in the Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings – measuring higher education institutions’ contributions towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Over the past decade, DCU has also been the leading Irish university in the area of technology transfer, as reflected by licensing of intellectual property.

Overview of the department

The School of Biotechnology is the academic unit leading life science and biotechnology education and research within the Faculty of Science & Health at Dublin City University (DCU).The school delivers both undergraduate B.Sc and taught M.Sc. postgraduate degree programmes in addition to the education and training of research M.Sc. and Ph.D students under its structured Ph.D programme BioTranslate. It is an active centre of basic, applied andmulti-disciplinary research, supporting a defined cluster of intersecting research themes whichlink closely with the School’s teaching programmes. The School and associated research centres offer core facilities and technical support in the areas of Bioprocessing, Molecular Biology, Bioinformatics, Cell Characterisation, and Proteomics. Research projects fall into thegeneral categories of Life Science or Industry-associated with activity in the domains of Biodesign, Bioengineering, Environmental Science, Health/Ageing/Disease, and Precision Health. They bring together a critical mass of multidisciplinary researchers that are strategically positioned to pursue national and international opportunities for research and innovation. Theexcellence of the school’s research is reflected by funding success from many national and international sources (including direct funds from industry) and the quality of its published andother outputs.

Role Profile

This position is suitable for candidates with a Ph.D who are on a career trajectory that is transitioning to research independence. Their track record should include an excellent publication record detailing first/senior author publications and/or other research outputs as appropriate for career stage; evidence of a pathway to securing independent funding together with an educational background to deliver modules in the area of Bioprocess Engineering.

The duties of the post fall within DCU’s Academic Development and Promotions Framework (https://www.dcu.ie/hr/DCU-Academic-Development-Promotion-Framework.shtml) and the principles of the School’s Academic Workload Model with activity across the domains of teaching, research and administration and are in line with DCU’s strategic plan “Talent, Discovery and transformation: 2017-2022”.

Duties and Responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities of the position include, but are not restricted to, the following:

Teaching and Learning:

The post will support the delivery of the Education mission of the University; specifically the delivery of the two key undergraduate programmes, namely the B.Sc in Biotechnology and B.Sc in Environmental Science and Technology, as well as the M.Sc in Bioprocess Engineering. In addition, the candidate will be required to contribute to the development of new modules within the school’s new BSc in Bioprocessing programme, a programme currently being developed as part of the DCU Futures project. The School is committed to a flexible mode of module delivery across all of its programmes and the successful candidate will be expected to develop on-line components to their assigned modules.

Research:

The post holder will contribute to our strategic goal of advancing our reputation for world-class research by supporting a programme of research that falls within the broad themeof ‘Bioprocessing’, which includes activity in the domains of Bioprocess Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Brewing and Distilling, and Microbial Biotechnology (including within the framework of the relaunched Microbial Bioprocessing Facility (MBF) https://www.dcu.ie/news/news/2019/May/New-microbial-bioprocessing-facility-fuel- innovations-food-agri-food-and-drug).

Service and Contribution to the University and Society

The post holder will be required to undertake administrative roles related to the activities of the School of Biotechnology and the Faculty of Science & Health as assignedby the Head of School. These roles may include but are not limited to the following: Programme Chair; School Executive member; Convenor roles (teaching, research or international), Faculty Management board, Marketing, Safety Committee, Open Days, Conference organisation, Work Placement Tutoring. Participation in courses provided by theUniversity designed to develop skills in such areas as teaching, management and safety will also be expected.

Qualifications and Experience

Essential Criteria:

• Candidates must hold a Ph.D in the area of Bioprocess Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Brewing and Distilling or Microbial Biotechnology.
• Evidence of teaching ability/quality in the area of Bioprocess Engineering at Undergraduate and/or postgraduate level.
• Have a publication record that includes first/senior author peer-reviewed original publications in their research area as appropriate for career stage.
• Have an active research profile that demonstrates a pathway to future research independence such as Fellowship, Co-Investigator, Collaborator and/or Principle grant applications to date.
• Candidates should demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate well with others.

Desirable Criteria:

• Prior experience in the area of Bioprocess Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Brewing and Distilling or Microbial Biotechnology either in academia or industry
• Prior experience in contributing to School or university level committees/projects.
• Prior experience in contributing to School research strategy, School level boards and School based roles
• Prior experience with workplace supervision.
• Prior experience in teaching into multiple programmes in one academic year.

Mandatory Training

The post holder will be required to undertake the following mandatory compliance training: GDPR and compliance. Other training may need to be undertaken when required.