Research Scientist: Sustainable Development of Green Biorefinery Systems Green Biorefinery is a key area of research being conducted at Munster Technological University led by the Circular Bioeconomy Research Group (CircBio).
In green biorefinery systems grasses, legumes and green plant/crops and residues can be converted into an of products including ruminant and monogastric feeds, human food proteins, fibrebased biomaterials, chemicals, fertilisers and many more.
These models can support a more efficient and sustainable use of primary/secondary bioresources while allowing farmers to diversify markets and create additional incomes.
The potential of these systems have demonstrated through various MTU collaborations including Biorefinery Glas, Farm Zero and Bio4Africa, alongside other research and commercial developments in this space over recent years.
CircBio are currently recruiting a Research Scientist in Sustainable Development of Green Biorefinery Systems to join its growing green biorefinery research team.
The successful candidate will join a team working towards the development of Irelands first pilot/demonstration scale green biorefinery.
The position will be based on two funded European projects: Rural BioReFarmeries funded by the Circular Bio-Based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) will advance the development of farm-centred bioeconomy approaches through the deployment of cascading green biorefineries across grassland regions of Europe.
Through the project two primary green biorefinery and anaerobic digestion demonstration sites in Ireland and Denmark will optimise the conversion of grasses, clover and green biomass residues sourced from local farms into value-added products such as human and animal grade protein, bio-based food packaging, flavours, anti-microbials, fertiliser and energy, in collaboration with upstream research and industrial sites in Netherlands, Ireland, Denmark and Poland.
EMBEDED funded by Horizon Europe will work explore synergies between green biorefinery and biochar production facilities to transform green biomass and residues to produce low-emitting biomaterials.
The position will be placed within the diverse CircBio Research team, a multi-disciplinary team of almost 30 researchers based at the Centre for Applied Biosciences at MTU.
Description of Work This position of Research Scientist: Sustainable Development of Green Biorefinery Systems will help to oversee and implement the research activity at Irelands green biorefinery and anaerobic digestion demonstration platform at Farm Zero C, Cork Ireland.
The researcher will work closely with the MTU project team, based at Kerry (Tralee) and Cork.
In the addition the researcher will collaborate closely with Irish collaborators including BiOrbic, University College Dublin, Carbery Group, University of Galway, Aarhus University, Barryroe Cooperative, in addition to many more national and international collaborators.
Tasks and Responsibilities include: Work under supervision of PIs and in collaboration with members of the green biorefinery research and engineering team to optimize the development of demonstration scale green biorefinery, including day-to-day operational and analytical aspects Support the green biorefinery team in efforts to scale activities from bench/pilot to demonstration scale settings, including supporting the technical and logistical aspects of the farm-scale demo plant Implementation and project management of research project tasks Characterise feedstocks of interest for green biorefinery processing to determine their suitability, considering key parameters like DM, sward length, crude protein (CP), carbohydrate, lignin and ash content Analyse green biorefinery processing co-products at pilot/demo scale considering key parameters for downstream use (e.g., as products or ingredients in other processes) Investigate feedstock and co-product stability and preservation under different circumstances Co-develop a data collection method for comparison of pilot/demo plant data to support feedstock selection and process optimisation Liaise closely with the biorefinery team of sister biorefinery demo sites Analyse green biorefinery processing co-products at bench and later demo scale considering key parameters for upstream use Investigate feedstock and co-product stability and preservation under different circumstances Work with additional partners on the efficient analysis, management and distribution of product samples Contribute to relevant colleagues project tasks such as data supply for LCA, TEA, dissemination, exploitation etc.
Participate in, contribute to and co-organize project related external events such as demonstration days, workshops, training and promotional events, as well as internal project meetings Support in delivery of designated project management and reporting activities on funded projects Writing technical reports and peer-reviewed publications Mentoring of PhD students involved in the field of green biorefinery Contributing to the broader activities of CircBio Candidates must demonstrate the following: PhD or MSc in a related area (e.g., biology, biochemistry, biotechnology, food technology, biorefinery product feedstock or project analysis) Relevant technical background with experience in characterisation and analysis of biomass-related feedstocks or products Relevant training and experience in process analytics related to key parameters in biomass/biobased product characterisation (e.g., mass, DM, ash, elemental analysis, protein and carbohydrate analysis) Familiar with extraction technologies of bioresources Experience of biomass-related sample preparation, scheduling and management Experience in capturing, comparing and analysing data related to biomass-related samples Experience in working as part of a multi-disciplinary team Genuine enthusiasm about working on an innovative bioeconomy project in a farmbased environment Strong leadership capability Excellent track record of delivering technical reports and/or publications Self-motivated and strong ability to work on own initiative will be essential to the role Ability to follow instruction of project PIs and collaborate with other team members is also a requirement Excellent interpersonal, communication, presentation and organizational skills A full drivers license is required in order to access the farm and other relevant sites The following is desirable: Knowledge and experience of biorefinery process systems and extraction of products (e.g., proteins/sugars) from biomass Any experience of grassland or other green biomass feedstocks (legumes, green crop wastes) suitable for green biorefinery Any experience of bio-based processes in a pilot or demonstration scale Previous experience of research and demonstration in a farm-related environment Strong technical background, including track record of publishing related research is highly desirable Experience of project management, and demonstrable ability to plan and implement tasks in a timely manner Salary:The position is at Point 1 of the Postdoctoral Researcher Scale and has a salary of €45,847 per annum.The post is of 18 months duration and may be extended.
Application Procedure:All applications to be made online.
Location:This post is based within the Circular Bioeconomy Research Group (CircBio) at Munster Technological University in Tralee however, travel to the demonstration facility at Farm Zero C at Shinagh Estates Farm in Bandon, Co. Cork will be required at various points for research, supervision and meeting purposes.
Occasional national and international visits will be essential for training and to collaborate with project partners and funders Citizenship Requirement:Candidates should note that eligibility to compete for posts is open to citizens of the European Economic Area (EEA) or to non-EEA nationals with a valid work permit.
The EEA consists of the Member States of the European Union, United Kingdom along with Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
Swiss citizens under EU agreements may also apply.
It is an offence under the Employment Permits Acts 2003 and 2006 for both an employer and an employee if a non-EEA National is in employment without an appropriate employment permit.
Employment permit holders can only work for the employer named on the permit.
Informal Queries only:contact Funding:This project has received funding from the European Unions Circular BioBased Europe Joint Undertaking under Grant Agreement No.
and the Horizon Europe EMBEDED project.
Closing date for applications is 1.00pm Monday, 24th March 2025 Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted.
MTU is an Equal Opportunities Employer Skills: experience of project management strong leadership skills self motivated