Basic Function:

Teagasc seeks a highly motivated candidate to work as a Research Officer on the Horizon Europe funded GrassWise project. GrassWise is an international grassland research project which Teagasc is coordinating in collaboration with 20 other organisations across Europe and New Zealand

The objective of GrassWise is to build grassland resilience through sustainability and science with inclusive stakeholder engagement across Europe’s nine pedoclimatic zones. Despite grassland multifunctionality, European grasslands are in decline due to intensification, soil degradation, climate change and land-use change. Grazing intensity also continues to decline, with the reduction of grasslands and grazing accompanied by a loss in farmland biodiversity. Significant Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) spending through eco-schemes and Agri Environment-Climate Measures (AECM) has not been sufficient to halt this trend. A key barrier is the absence of a coherent framework to manage grasslands for their full multifunctionality. Existing data is fragmented, many metrics are now obsolete, and there is a lack of integrated tools to assess grassland multifunctionality.

GrassWise addresses this gap with an ambitious, action-ready initiative designed to deliver real impacts. It will generate and harmonise data across Europe’s nine pedoclimatic zones, integrating farmer networks, satellite observations, and grassland legacy datasets. The project will deliver a new generation of decision-support tools (DSTs), cocreated through a multi-actor approach (MAA), enabling farmers to benchmark multifunctionality, improve grassland management,  and adopt profitable, low-emission, circular practices, in line with the EU Agri Sustainability Compass and responding to one of the gaps outlined by the EC in its Vision for Agriculture and Food.

About the candidate:

The ideal candidate should have some research experience in grassland, animal production or agricultural environmental research.. A proven ability for data analysis, report writing and preparation of articles for Horizon Europe deadlines but also publication and peer review are essential requirements. Experience of farmer engagement is desirable. The successful candidate must be capable to lead and organise workshops and meetings, attending and participating in project meetings both in person (at various locations in Europe) and on-line, paper and report writing. The successful candidate will collaborate with European partners involved in the project.

The role will involve working closely with the project co-ordinator and wider project team. Good organisational skills, project management and a demonstrated capacity to deliver on objectives and research tasks along with effective teamwork skills are essential requirements. A demonstrated ability to communicate the research findings to relevant stakeholders regularly is akey part of the role.

About Teagasc Moorepark: 

This role will be based at Teagasc’s Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation Centre at Moorepark, Fermoy, Co Cork.  The appointee will join the Grassland Science Research Department.   Teagasc has an international reputation for researching and developing pasture-based systems of livestock production. Teagasc Moorepark is the site of the dairy research programme and it investigates aspects of dairy production research such as nutrition and milk composition, grassland and grazing management, breeding and reproduction, health and welfare, milking technology, milk production systems, environmental and economic analysis.

• Manage the project networks in Ireland and in Europe associated with the Horizon Europe Project GrassWise project.
• Complete relevant research experiments and collect and coordinate the data capture from commercial farms to facilitate the data generation requirements for GrassWise.
• Work with project team members to coordinate associated tasks and gather relevant research information for grassland production systems.
• Work with the farmers to measure, monitor and show progress through the GrassWise project.
• Organise and facilitate project meeting and organise national project workshops and multi-actor groups, the role will require to act as the National Facilitator Agent to the project
• Organise and manage multi-actor dissemination events and meetings throughout the project.
• Work closely with the Teagasc Grassland Science colleagues (PastureBase Ireland and Most Model) to ensure effective engagement in the project Nationally and in European.
• Assist the project coordinator in managing and coordinating aspects of the project including staff and resources.
• Organise, attend, participate in and present at project meetings both in person (at various locations in Ireland and Europe) and on-line.
• Disseminate research findings to a variety of audiences as appropriate.
• Develop and maintain active collaboration with the relevant national and international research project partners.
• To prepare written reports, scientific papers and other documents as required to specific timelines.
• To assist Teagasc in meeting the commitments of the Quality Customer Service Charter and Action Plan.
• To actively participate in the annual business planning and Performance Management Development System (PMDS) processes.
• 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.

 Note:  The ‘essential’ qualifications, knowledge, skills and behavioural competencies outlined above are ‘must-have’ which will be used in the selection process.