Post-Doctoral / Senior Post-Doctoral Researcher - APC Microbiome Ireland

University College Cork; Ireland; On-site; EUR 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

University College Cork invites applications for a 15-month fixed-term, full-time Post-Doctoral or Senior Post-Doctoral Researcher to join the APC Microbiome and the School of Microbiology. The role focuses on bioinformatics to develop AI-powered diagnostics for colon cancer within the Microb_AI_ome project.

The appointee will provide senior bioinformatics expertise, contribute to method development, and collaborate with international partners.

Responsibilities

• The appointee will work primarily on the Microb_AI_ome project and related offshoots, contributing senior bioinformatics expertise, and may help with methodological development.

Job description

Organisation/Company University College Cork Department HR Research Research Field Biological sciences Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Positions Postdoc Positions Application Deadline 27 Nov 2026 - 12:00 (Europe/Dublin) Country Ireland Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 39 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

15 Months Fixed Term, Whole-time Post

APC Microbiome and the School of Microbiology are seeking a Post-Doctoral or Senior Post-Doctoral Researcher to occupy a key bioinformatics position in the laboratory to develop AI-powered diagnostics for colon cancer. The appointee will participate in an exciting EU funded project called Microb_AI_ome that is developing microbiome-based detection of polyps and colon cancer ( https://microbaiome.net/home ). Led by Prof. Jan Baumbach in the Univ. of Hamburg, DE, this project is developing a privacy-preserving federated AI platform in collaboration with the national bowel screening programmes of Ireland and France, and including three major hospitals in Ireland, and a network in France. The microbiome analysis pipelines have been co-developed by the O’Toole lab and the EU partner in INRAE in Paris. The core AI technology is developed in Hamburg. Foundation models for other health applications are in the pipeline.

The appointee will work primarily on this project, plus several offshoots that have arisen from our interest in how the microbiome causes colon cancer. They will assume a role in providing senior bioinformatics competence in the group, and may contribute to method development and horizon scanning. The appointment will ideally be at Senior Post Doctoral level, but demonstrably well qualified and published applicants at post-doctoral level may also be short-listed

UCC is an accredited research organisation and as such can form hosting agreements with non-EU/EEA nationals for the purpose of conducting research in the University.

Project: MICROBAIOME: Federated artificial intelligence for colorectal cancer detection

For an information package including full details of the post, selection criteria and application process see https://ore.ucc.ie/ The University, at its discretion, may undertake to make an additional appointment(s) from this competition following the conclusion of the process.

Informal inquiries can be made in confidence toPaul O’Toole, Prof, School of Microbiology & APC Microbiome Ireland, Tel: + 353 (0) 21 4903997; Email: [e-mail]

University College Cork is committed to being a fully inclusive global university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) are core values under our UCC Strategic Plan 2023-2028. UCC holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advancing equality in higher education. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all our employees and the communities they represent.We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from everybody, regardless of age, care-giving status, disability, ethnicity, gender and/or gender identity or expression status, nationality, marital status/civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion/creed, and/or sexual orientation. We are committed to supporting all staff through flexible working schemes, family-friendly policies, training and development, and staff networks. We value the enrichment that comes from a diverse community and seek to promote equality, prevent discrimination and protect the human rights of each individual in line with equality legislation. We encourage applicants to consult our Dignity and Respect Policy andlearn more about our EDI related initiatives

Salary placement on appointment will be in accordance with public sector pay policy.

We encourage you to reach out to us directly should you require assistance or reasonable accommodation during the recruitment process.

Please note interviews will be conducted either online via Microsoft Teams or in person in the first instance. Candidates may also be required to attend interviews in person if an interview takes place online. Candidates will be notified as appropriate

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE CORK IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES EMPLOYER

Please note that an appointment to posts advertised will be dependent on University approval, together with the terms of the employment control framework for the higher education sector.