Would you like to support research that makes a contribution to European climate adaptation policy and action? Applications are invited for a research support officer position in the MaREI Centre in University College Cork (UCC), based at Environmental Research Institute’s (ERI) Beaufort Building in Ringaskiddy. MaREI is the SFI Research Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine, coordinated by UCC’s ERI / UCC Futures Sustainability Institute, which is an internationally recognised Institute for environmental research dedicated to the understanding and protection of our natural environment and to developing innovative technologies, tools and services to facilitate a transformation to a zero carbon and resource efficient society.

 

The MaREI Centre is headquartered in the ERI and includes 13 other academic institutions, as well as industrial partners. It combines the expertise of a wide range of research groups and industry partners, with the shared mission of solving the main scientific, technical and socio-economic challenges across the climate, energy and marine spaces. Researchers in the MaREI Centre have over 30 years of experience in conducting fundamental and applied research supported by competitively won national and international funding, and commercial contracts with government agencies and industry. MaREI’s strengths lie in the multi-disciplinary nature of its research teams, allowing it to combine insights across a number of thematic areas (see www.marei.ie for more information).

 

We are seeking a research support officer with experience in climate adaptation, coastal ecosystems, risk perception, governance and engaged research particularly in relation to funding organisations, public bodies and EU partners. The role will include collaborating with project partners and peers in the scientific community in making a significant contribution to EU climate policy, actions, and future research directions. The successful candidate will be part of a research team contributing to several projects in the centre including the MAGICA project, a landmark initiative funded under EU Horizon programme. The MAGICA project aims to accelerate the development, provision and exchange of knowledge from research and innovation to inform and support policy-making and climate actions. It will do this via improved coordination of on-going and future climate initiatives at transnational, national, regional, and municipal levels and more efficient use of resources. Specifically, the successful candidate will work across the scientific and societal components of climate and environmental research with emphasis on the physical and socio-economic impacts of climate change.

 

The main tasks include but are not limited to: Providing specific research skills to support the on-going development of the research team, Assessing existing and exploring new ways of collaboration between EU Members States and associated countries, investigating and promoting the role of science in recent and emerging climate policy framings, decision support for climate action, innovating climate knowledge exchange and transfer to enable societal transformation (i.e. specifically regarding sea level rise, coastal ecosystems and flood risk), explore case studies related to regionalized contributions of past and future drivers of sea level; impacts of sea level rise on European coasts, coastal erosion and marine habitat loss, risk perception and socio-economic impacts of sea level rise.

 

This role provides the opportunity to join an exciting transdisciplinary team of researchers in MaREI, and to work at a pan-European scale to deliver an innovative programme of research. The candidate should have relevant experience and knowledge of both physical and societal aspects of climate adaptation and coastal ecosystems, as well as risk perception, governance mechanisms, stakeholder/community engagement and the European policy landscape. Candidates should have a track record in working in project-based environments, and preferably be familiar with the European funding ecosystem. They will be self-motivated with ability to conduct independent research to a very high level and will be expected to contribute to the development of new research efforts, grants, and publications. The appointee will have significant experience of working with diverse teams including external actors.

 

Project Title: MAGICA 

 

Post Duration: 19 Months

 

Salary:  €54,965 p.a. (Personal Rate)

 

For an information package including further details of the post see https://ore.ucc.ie/.  

 

Informal enquiries can be made in confidence to Cathal O’Mahony, EU Grant Manager, ERI/MaREI, Tel: + 353 (0) 21 486 4332; Email: c.omahony@ucc.ie  

 

Applications must be submitted online via the University College Cork vacancy portal (https://ore.ucc.ie/). Queries relating to the online application process should be referred to recruitment@ucc.ie, quoting the job-title and project name.

 

Candidates should apply, in confidence, before 12 noon (Irish Local Time) on Friday, 3rd May 2024. 

 

UCC is committed to creating and fully embracing an inclusive environment where diversity is celebrated. As a University we strive to create a workplace that reflects the learn from one another, share ideas and work collaboratively . UCC is committed to being an employer recognises the values of diversity amongst its staff. We encourage applicants to consult our policies at https://www.ucc.ie/en/edi/policies/ and initiatives at https://www.ucc.ie/en/edi/implementation/ and we welcome applications from everyone, including those who are underrepresented in the protected characteristics set out in our Equal Opportunities & Diversity Policy.

 

 

4 Years, Fixed-term, Whole-time Post

 

Position summary

 

Would you like to work with a world-leading research group on a project directly contributing to the development of Ireland’s future climate and energy policy? Applications are invited for the post of Research Fellow in Energy Systems Modelling to join the MaREI Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine, based at the Energy Policy and Modelling Group (EPMG) in UCC. The researcher will develop and support the evidence base for Irish climate and energy policy, working directly with the Irish Department of Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) through the Climate Action Pathways & Absorptive Capacity (CAPACITY) project.

 

Role of the Researcher 

 

The Research Fellow will play an integral role in the CAPACITY project and in the Energy Policy and Modelling Group by coordinating the development of the TIMES-Ireland Model (TIM), an energy systems optimization model which plots pathways for the national energy system to meet challenging climate mitigation targets in the period to 2030 and 2050. The model has been developed at UCC for a decade and has been used extensively for academic research and for supporting national policy development, and played an underpinning role in the evidence base for Ireland’s carbon budgets. The researcher will build on these foundations, working with academics, other researchers and PhD students in the Energy Policy and Modelling Group to design and implement updates and develop energy system studies. The researcher will also regularly engage with civil servants and policymakers in DECC and other stakeholders to communicate results and solicit feedback on studies.

 

In addition to the criteria included in the Candidate Information Pack, the ideal candidate should have:

Working location: The successful applicant will be based in UCC’s Ellen Hutchins Building, at the Environmental Research Institute (ERI) (https://www.ucc.ie/en/eri/), which is an internationally-recognised institute for environmental research dedicated to the understanding and protection of our natural environment and to developing innovative technologies, tools and services to facilitate a transformation to a zero-carbon and resource-efficient society. Overlooking a protected natural reserve and the River Lee, the ERI is a welcoming, diverse and modern workplace.  

 

The MaREI Centre of Energy, Climate and Marine (www.marei.ie) is the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) centre of excellence in Energy, Climate and Marine research in Ireland.  The MaREI Centre includes 13 Universities, Third Level Institutes and Research Organisations, has 103 industrial partners and has research funding of approximately €60m.  It combines the expertise of a wide range of research groups and industry partners, with the shared mission of solving the main scientific, technical and socio-economic challenges across the energy, climate and marine domains.  Researchers in the MaREI Centre have over 30 years of experience in conducting fundamental and applied research supported by competitively won national and international funding, and commercial contracts with government agencies and industry.  MaREI’s strengths lie in the multi-disciplinary nature of its research teams, allowing it to combine insights across areas such as Marine Renewable Energy Technologies, Materials & Structures, Observations & Operations, Coastal & Marine Systems, Bioenergy, Circular Economy, Energy Policy & Modelling, and Renewable Energy Management. 

 

CAPACITY project: The Climate Action Pathways & Absorptive Capacity (CAPACITY) project is funded by the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC). The objectives of the project are to i) develop and maintain a suite of energy system models to contribute to the evidence base for Irish climate and energy policy and ii) to support absorptive capacity building across relevant government departments, agencies and semi-state bodies. The CAPACITY project combines technical modelling expertise with engagement and capacity building activities in a unique way. It provides an opportunity for motivated and ambitious researchers to see their research make a difference in the policy domain. UCC and the CAPACITY project are members of the Climate Action Modelling Group (CAMG) within the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications. CAMG was established in 2015 to support the development of short-term and long-term evidence-based climate and energy policy in Ireland. The CAMG is a high-level technical group comprised of experts from a cross-section of relevant Government Departments and State Agencies as well as representation from academic institutions, including UCC.

 

Research Group: MaREI’s Energy Policy and Modelling Group (EPMG) in UCC has been engaged in energy policy and energy modelling research for over 20 years. The results of this research have been published in journal papers, conference proceedings and reports which have directly informed the development of national and European energy and climate mitigation policy. EPMG are very engaged in disseminating research findings and have won research awards for impact, engagement, and communications of research findings. The focus of research in the Energy Policy and Modelling Group is on integrated energy systems modelling comprising i) sectoral energy demand and efficiency, ii) integrated electricity, gas and water modelling and iii) full energy systems modelling. EPMG is led by Prof. Brian Ó Gallachóir (Chair of Energy Engineering; Chair of the Executive Committee of the IEA Technology Collaboration Programme on energy systems modelling (IEA-ETSAP)), Professor Hannah Daly (Professor of Sustainable Energy), Dr Paul Deane (Senior Research Fellow in Energy Futures) and Dr Fionn Rogan (Senior Research Fellow in Energy Systems Modelling).  

 

Post Duration: 4 years

 

Salary: €59,227 - €64,537 p.a. (IUA Salary Scale) 

 

Project Title: CAPACITY 

 

For an information package including further details of the post see https://ore.ucc.ie/.  

 

Informal enquiries can be made in confidence to Dr Fionn Rogan at f.rogan@ucc.ie    

 

Applications must be submitted online via the University College Cork vacancy portal (https://ore.ucc.ie/). Queries relating to the online application process should be referred to recruitment@ucc.ie, quoting the job-title and project name.

 

Candidates should apply, in confidence, before 12 noon (Irish Local Time) on Friday, 17 February 2023. No late applications will be accepted.

 

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.

 

UCC is committed to creating and fully embracing an inclusive environment where diversity is celebrated.  As a University we strive to create a workplace that reflects the diversity of our student population where people from a wide variety of backgrounds learn from one another, share ideas, and work collaboratively. UCC is committed to being an employer that recognises the value of diversity amongst its staff.  We encourage applicants to consult our policies at https://www.ucc.ie/en/edi/policies/ and initiatives at https://www.ucc.ie/en/edi/implementation/ and we welcome applications from everyone, including those who are underrepresented in the protected characteristics set out in our Equal Opportunities & Diversity Policy. 

 

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE CORK IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES EMPLOYER