Deadline: 17 June 2022

Teagasc is offering a post-graduate opportunity in microbiology. The ‘No-2-Nitrates’ project (a collaboration   between   Teagasc,   UCD   and   TU-Dublin)   is funded   by   the   Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. This project will develop novel reduced nitrate/nitrite and nitrate/nitrite free meat products including microbial testing and validation for food safety and shelf-life. High pressure processing (HPP) and different packaging systems will be examined as food  safety  and  shelf-life  assurance  technologies.  The  main  output  will  be  safe,  stable  and organoleptically desirable novel meat products.

This  PhD offers  graduates  an  opportunity  to  obtain  comprehensive  training  in  both  culture based and molecular/WGS/bioinformatics and will be of interest to those considering a career in research, the food and pharmaceuticalsectors as well as in the regulatory authorities (FSAI, DAFM, EFSA etc.).This student will be registered in University College Dublin and co-supervised by Professor Declan Bolton (Teagasc) and Professor Paul Whyte (UCD)

I. Requirements

• Applicants should  have  aprimary degree(minimum  2.1)and/or  an  MSc  degree  in  an appropriate  discipline  (Microbiology,Molecular  Biology,  Biotechnologyor  similar discipline).
• Non-native English speakers must have achieved a minimum score of 600in the paper based Test  of  Englishas  a  Foreign  Language  (TOEFL), with  a  minimum  score  of  475in  the  Test  of Written  English, 250  computer based TOEFL  or 90  internet  based  TOEFL  (iBT)or  an  average score of 6.5 over all components and a minimum of 6.0 in each band on the Academic Version of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). All test results must be less than 2 years old.
• All applicants should have a working knowledge of statistics, be highly self-motivated, cheerful, possess  positive  attitude and  be  prepared  for laboratory and  pilot  plant  based  studies with modern analytical/food processing equipment.
• A full driving licence is also an advantage but is not essential

II. Other information

Stipend: €18,000 plus €6,000 in university fees.

Location: The students will be based inTeagasc (Ashtown, Dublin 15).

III. How to Apply?

For more information and application, Please contact Dr.Declan Bolton ([email protected])