SRT-02 PhD Studentship on Electrochemical sensors for animal health and welfare

SRT-02 PhD Studentship on Electrochemical sensors for animal health and welfare

Contract: Full Time/Fixed Term

The Tyndall National Institute invites applications for a PhD Studentship on Electrochemical sensors for animal health and welfare .

The Tyndall National Institute is a world leader in the development of sensors and systems for use in life sciences applications. Working closely with a global range of academic, business and end-user partners, our technology is under evaluation by several multinational corporations and is approaching market readiness in a number of areas. In parallel, Tyndall has an ambitious strategy that will leverage our core strengths in Information and Communications Technologies to develop the next generation of breakthrough sensors and systems for agritech. There is a growing demand for integrated monitoring systems for agritech applications.

Animal health and welfare are issues of high research priority for European aquaculture. In particular, improving animal welfare whilst reducing the use of veterinary drugs are current research priorities in line with minimizing the environmental impact of the industry.

Preventing, or reducing the impact of disease is of prime importance for producers, researchers and stakeholders. In addition, public awareness of aquatic animal health and welfare leads to the increased attention of policy-makers, scientific community and the consumers into new methods for disease prevention.

This project aims to unveil new knowledge regarding animal welfare in the context of climate change and propose new tools to mitigate the adverse effects of stress.

Development of new biosensors is required to detection and quantification of emerging biomarkers for early diagnosis of disease and continuous monitoring of animal welfare, which will in turn allow the development of biosensors. These tools developed will be able to avoid the colonization and spread of pathogenic microorganisms, including multi-resistant microorganisms, among farmed animals and the subsequent spread to humans through the food chain.

Responsibilities

The candidate will be required to :

• Work under the direction of the Principal Investigator (PI) and co-supervisors;
• Review the state-of-the-art in electrochemical sensors technologies on an ongoing basis, and to compile review documents on these topics;
• Publish research in high-impact journals and write reports;
• Develop, characterise, validate the system reliability and performance for the multisensor platform both with buffer samples and real biological fluids;
• Integrate sensors with relevant other aspects of the platform in order to construct prototype assemblies for internal and external showcase;
• Engage in training and professional development opportunities as required;
• Carry out administrative work to support the programme of research and ensure all project deliverables and milestones are achieved in a timely manner;
• Report results to the PI, co-supervisors, and funding agencies;
• Participate and present research in project meetings, conferences, workshops and outreach events;
• Ensure all activities are compliant with the Tyndall Quality Management system and required Health & Safety standards;

Essential Criteria

• Applicants must have a Master s or 2H1 Bachelor s degree in a relevant discipline (e.g. biomedical engineering, materials science, chemistry);
• Laboratory experience and a willingness to adapt to a multidisciplinary field are essential;
• High levels of initiative, self-management, achievement orientation and motivation are encouraged;
• Excellent communication skills.

Desirable Criteria

• MSc, MEngSc, or equivalent postgraduate qualification;
• Experience in areas such as electrochemistry, electrical/electrochemical sensing, nanomaterial fabrication, medical device design and development and biomedical engineering;
• Good laboratory
• Problem-solving skills;
• Prior experience of scientific paper writing, conference presentation and report writing;
• A demonstrated capability in the delivery of research projects at undergraduate or postgraduate level;

The position provides the opportunity to develop innovative solutions for animal health and welfare technology challenges, as well as to gain valuable experience in fabrication and testing of next-generation devices. The successful candidate will experience the excitement of working with a multidisciplinary group and will have the opportunity to build the career profile associated with presentation at international conferences and workshops, and publication of the research in high impact journals.

This is a fulltime Postgraduate student opportunity. An annual student stipend of 18,500 applies for this successful candidate for this position.  In addition, yearly University academic fees will paid by the Tyndall National Institute.

For further information, informal enquiries can be made in confidence to Dr Sofia Teixeira, sofia.teixeira@tyndall.ie

Application Instructions: Please click here to Apply

Postgraduate applicants whose first language is not English must provide evidence of English language proficiency as per UCC regulations (https://www.ucc.ie/en/study/comparison/english/postgraduate/). Certificates should be valid (usually less than 2 years old) and should be uploaded with their application. In special circumstances the panel may consider a prior degree in English (e.g. Master thesis written in English) as evidence of English language proficiency.

Please note that Garda vetting and/or an international police clearance check may form part of the selection process.

The University, at its discretion, may undertake to make an additional appointment(s) from this competition following the conclusion of the process.

At this time, Tyndall National Institute does not require the assistance of recruitment agencies.

Tyndall National Institute at University College, Cork is an Equal Opportunities Employer.