Basic Function:

Teagasc is seeking to recruit an enthusiastic and ambitious Post Doctoral Fellow to a Research Ireland funded position, the aim of which is to assess how maternal dietary components impact on early life growth. The successful candidate will be responsible for undertaking pre-clinical studies (i.e., murine and porcine), measuring physiological, biochemical and cellular parameters and finding how these parameters interact and influence early life growth in response to specific maternal dietary components. The post-doctoral fellow is expected to have the knowledge and skills to design experiments, generate date and publish results.

Background:

Early life is a critical window during which nutrition can program growth trajectory and long-term metabolic health. Although maternal diet substantially influences early growth, the impact of specific dietary components and their mechanisms remain poorly defined. Closing these knowledge gaps will both inform human health—by clarifying how maternal nutrition shapes lifelong growth and metabolic outcomes—as well as benefit livestock production, where optimizing early-life nutrition can enhance growth efficiency, productivity and farm profitability. To address these questions, Teagasc is recruiting a post‑doctoral researcher to apply cutting‑edge physiological, biochemical, cellular and microbiome-tools to characterize how variation in maternal diet alters growth in early life and beyond. The successful candidate will work closely with a research assistant and PhD students, receive mentorship from Teagasc scientists with complementary expertise, and have opportunities to contribute to collaborative projects with European and non‑European partners.

Appointees to a Teagasc Post-Doctoral Fellowship will be required to undertake a Level 9 Professional 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.  Most 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 diploma post-doctoral fellows will have access to a full range of supports including the UCD library, writing centre and careers centre.

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 Professional 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 the Dr. Kanishka Nilaweera or other designated manager in conjunction with the Head of Department. 

Gain first-hand insights into the Teagasc Post-Doctoral Fellowship Programme from those who've lived it.  Click here to explore their stories.

Duties & Responsibilities specific to this project:

• Undertake pre-clinical studies (i.e., murine and porcine)
• Determine the composition and functional pathways in the gut microbiota
• Measure gene expression in host tissues
• Measure biochemical parameters
• Measure parameters related to gut physiology

 
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 complete all time records on SmartSimple in a timely manner.
• 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.

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 animal science, nutrition, microbiology, molecular biology and/or related discipline
• Relevant research experience not to exceed 3 years’ post-PhD
• Demonstrated research and technical expertise in pre-clinical studies
• Evidence of gut microbiota quantification/analysis
• 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 murine and/or porcine studies
• Experience in metagenomic and/or metatranscriptomic sample preparation, library construction and/or bioinformatic analyses
• Experience in bulk RNA-seq sample preparation and bioinformatic analyses of RNA-seq data
• Experience in measuring circulating factors and parameters related to gut physiology
• Experience in correlation analyses linking nutrition, gut microbiota changes and host responses
• Experience in setting own research agenda