Post Doctoral Researcher, Biology

EURAXESS Ireland; Maynooth; À distance; EUR 42 000 - 54 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

Maynooth University invites applications for a Post Doctoral Researcher in the Forest Ecology and Global Change lab within the Biology Department. The project Ancient Woodlands Ireland combines GIS, remote sensing, and paleoecology to map and analyze woodland history across Ireland.

The appointee will work on Task 5, assessing ancient woodland plant and soil indicators, conduct vegetation surveys, and explore soil microbiome data as indicators of woodland age within Ireland.

Qualifications

• PhD in Ecology, Biology, or a related field.
• Experience with GIS and remote sensing methods.
• Strong background in ecology and environmental science.

Responsabilités

• Conduct vegetation surveys at ancient and recent woodlands across Ireland.
• Evaluate soil microbiome data as indicators of woodland ancientness.

Connaissances

GIS analysis

Remote sensing

Paleoecology

Formation

PhD in Ecology or Biology

Outils

GIS

Description du poste

Organisation/Company MAYNOOTH UNIVERSITY Research Field Biological sciences Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Established Researcher (R3) Application Deadline 23 Nov 2026 - 00:00 (UTC) Country Ireland Type of Contract Other Job Status Full-time Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Department: Biology
Vacancy ID: 044723
Closing Date:23-Nov-2026

Maynooth University is committed to a strategy in which the primary University goals of excellent research and scholarship and outstanding education are interlinked and equally valued.

The Forest Ecology and Global Change lab at Maynooth Biology Department is seeking a Post Doctoral Researcher to work on the "Ancient Woodlands Ireland" research project (funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine, and the National Parks and Wildlife Service).

The Ancient Woodlands Ireland project combines existing methodologies with novel approaches to deliver an all-island Ancient Woodlands Inventory for Ireland. The multidisciplinary project is drawing on expertise in GIS and remote sensing, paleoecology, contemporary ecology, and history to assess temporal changes in woodland cover in Ireland over the last 400 years. Ultimately, the project will provide valuable data that can be used to enhance the protection of Ireland's ancient woodlands and help prioritize sites for woodland restoration.

The successful candidate will work primarily with Dr John Devaney and Prof Fiona Walsh on Task 5 of the project - the assessment of ancient woodland plant and soil indicators. The appointee will conduct vegetation surveys at selected ancient and recent woodland sites across Ireland. This new data will be supplemented with information in existing national forest vegetation datasets to generate ancient woodland indicator plant species lists for Ireland. A second goal of the research post is to evaluate the potential use of soil microbiome data as an indicator of woodland ancientness. DNA will be extracted from soil samples collected from ancient and recent woodland sites across Ireland, and soil microbiomes will be compared using phylogenetic cluster analysis.

Appointments will be made in accordance with public sector pay provisions.

Closing Date:

23:30hrs (local Irish time) on Monday, 23rd of November 2026.

Maynooth University is an equal opportunities employer

The position is subject to the Statutes of the University