Phd Studentship

Trinity College Dublin; Dublin; On-site; EUR 36,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Trinity College Dublin, Ireland’s leading university, invites applications for a 3-year PhD Researcher position funded under the PANDORA MSCA Doctoral Network. The researcher will be employed as a researcher and registered as a PhD student at Trinity College Dublin, working on a project focusing on therapeutic approaches targeting mitochondria in age-related macular degeneration.

The position offers training across international partners, access to state-of-the-art facilities, and integration

Job description

Trinity is Ireland’s leading university and is ranked 75th in the world (QS World University Rankings 2026). Founded in 1592, the University is steeped in history with a reputation for excellence in education, research, and innovation, which has been inspiring generations of thinkers for over 400 years. Thrive: Trinity College Dublin's Strategic Plan 2025 - 2030

This post is for 1 PhD Researcher position as part of the PANDORA Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Network project. PANDORA includes 8 academic institutions, 3 industrial partners, non-profit organisations and a cohort of 13 PhD Researchers; the research network is focused on age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and translational vision research. The successful candidate will be employed as a Researcher (for three years) and registered as a PhD student at Trinity College Dublin.

The position focuses on, “Therapeutic approach targeting the mitochondria”. The PhD position is part of the new MSCA Doctoral Network PANDORA on discovering Pathomechanisms and Novel Drug Optimisation for AMD (Age-Related Macular Degeneration). Notably, AMD is the most common cause of blindness in people over 65 years affecting about 10% of that population globally; however, treatment options are significantly limited. About 85% of AMD is termed dry AMD, the target disease for PANDORA.

Perturbed cellular bioenergetics has been highlighted as a key feature of many disease pathologies including dry AMD. The PhD student will have an exciting opportunity to evaluate innovative candidate therapies targeting mitochondrial function and cellular bioenergetics to explore beneficial effects in disease models of dry AMD. There are clear interactions between multiple dysregulated cellular pathways in dry AMD including complement dysregulation and mitochondrial dysfunction; the student will target dysregulated pathways at the hub of dry AMD pathology.

Our Values - putting our words into action Values matter. They are key to the success of our Strategic Plan. We centre our behavioural values around the importance of belonging. We recognise that the university will thrive by each of us respecting and caring for one another. We know we can achieve much more through working together. We know too that we must take responsibility for our actions and be accountable. We must, and will never stop, imagining. And through being nature positive we connect not just with the environment but with our ambitions for a sustainable future.

At Trinity, we are committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion. Trinity welcomes applications from all individuals, including those applicants with disabilities, those who may have had non-traditional career paths, those who have taken time out for reasons including family or caring responsibilities. We also welcome international applicants including those who have been displaced due to war.

Trinity College Dublin is Ireland’s premier University. We are an EU Sustainable Gender Equality Champion and we hold an Athena Swan Silver award, recognising our ongoing work to advance gender equality both within Trinity and in the Higher Education sector. Trinity is committed to supporting work-life balance and to creating a family-friendly working environment.