Basic Function

Teagasc seeks to recruit a Research Officer to a European funded position. The successful candidate will have experience in working with fermented foods/valorised food waste, conducting colon model experiments, performing bioassays to test gut microbiome modulating potential of these fermented foods/valorised foods, and ideally, the analysis of 16S amplicon sequencing data, including generating taxonomic, functional and diversity related outputs using assembly-based and assembly-free approaches.

Background

The EU Just Transition Fund has funded the project entitled ”TRANSFORM.’’ The TRANSFORM project involves several Research Performing Organisations (RPOs) and industry partners across Ireland. The Teagasc component of the project for this particular position is led by Dr Harsh Mathur and is focused on the screening of novel fermented foods/valorised food waste streams and downstream testing of their effects on the faecal microbiota of the healthy population through a series of ex vivo human distal colon model bioassays analysis of microbiome data, generated through 16S amplicon sequencing.The substrates which will be tested will be generated and provided by the aforementioned RPOs and industry partners and will involve techniques such as solid-state fermentation. The project will also involve evaluating the most promising of these valorised foods in human trials towards the latter stages of the project. The successful candidate will be involved in analysing the bioinformatics data from the human trial with a view to evaluating the effects of the novel fermented foods/valorised foods on the human gut microbiome. Teagasc are recruiting a microbiologist/molecular biologist to lead this component of the project and to collaborate with several researchers in TRANSFORM who will be based in the aforementioned RPOs with the ultimate objective of generating novel valorised foods with gut health properties through a fermentation approach

• Screen novel fermented foods and valorised waste streams generated by the collaborating Research Performing Organisations (RPOs) and industry partners through solid-state fermentation.
• Use ex vivo models of the human distal colon to evaluate the effects of these novel fermented foods/valorised foods on the faecal microbiota and faecal metabolome of healthy adults.
• Identify changes in community composition, functional potential and diversity through 16S amplicon sequencing from faecal samples used in the above-mentioned colon model assays.
• Isolate faecal water from the colon model experiments to identify associated metabolites for their gut health promoting properties.
• Analyse the bioinformatics data from a human trial towards the latter half of the project involving the evaluation of the effects of most promising valorised foods on the gut microbiome.
• 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.
• Any other duties as may be assigned from time to time

* This job specification is intended as a guide to the general range of duties and is intended to be neither definitive nor restrictive.  It will be reviewed from time to time with the post holder.

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