Job Description
Location: Crops, Environment and Land Use Research Centre, Teagasc, Oak Park, Carlow, R93 XE12 Research Salary: Post Doc (Level 1) with a Salary Scale of €42,628 to €46,911 Closing Date: 23/10/2024 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 26 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: This competition seeks to recruit a post-doctoral researcher to join the AEROBIOMICS project. In collaboration with European and Australian partners AEROBIOMICS aims to develop and validate aerobiome fungicide resistance genomic surveillances for key fungal pathogens of cereal crops. The successful candidate will be directly involved in developing, optimising and trialling the various molecular methods for the detection of fungicide resistance in Zymoseptoria tritici and Ramularia collo-cygni. Background: The fellowship is being undertaken as part of the AEROBIOMICS project, an international collaboration funded under as part of the JPIAMR, with Teagasc’s involvement funded by the Irish Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Using long-read nanopore sequencing the distribution and abundance of fungal species in and around cereal crops will be determined, with subsequent analysis confirming the presence and frequencies of key fungicide resistance alleles. This research will be undertaken at the Crops Research Centre located at Oak Park Carlow, which is part of the Teagasc Crops, Environment and Land Use Programme. The Teagasc Crop Research Centre at Oak Park is internationally recognised as a centre for excellence to conduct crop protection research, with a major focus on monitoring key cereal pathogens for the presence and impacts of fungicide resistance. 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 Professioinal 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-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, 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 Dr. Steven Kildea or other designated manager in conjunction with the Head of Department. Job Objectives Duties & Responsibilities specific to this project: To develop and optimise long-read sequencing methods to detect fungicide resistance in key fungal pathogens of importance to Irish cereal crops, e.g. Zymoseptoria tritici To establish and operate spore samplers to monitor airborne inoculum in and around cereal fields in Ireland. To establish and determine the sensitivity of national collections of Z. tritici and Ramularia collo-cygni. To liaise with international partners involved in the AEROBIOMIC project to ensure coordinated sample collection, analysis and dissemination of findings. Additional Duties & Responsibilities: To interpret research findings and prepare scientific and popular press publications. 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. To 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. Essential PhD in microbiology, plant pathology or related discipline Relevant research experience not to exceed 3 years’ post-PhD Demonstrated research and technical expertise in molecular biology 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 Desirable Experience in monitoring fungicide resistance Experience in long read sequencing (ONT) and subsequent analysis Experience in setting own research agenda Evidence of teamwork and collaboration with relevant partners #J-18808-Ljbffr