Research Vacancies
Funded PhD research Opportunity in Dynamic Life Cycle Assessment
BiOrbic Bioeconomy Research Centre, University College Dublin
BiOrbic is Ireland’s national bioeconomy research centre. We pursue excellence in research, new discovery and innovation for the development of a sustainable, circular bioeconomy. BiOrbic is a national collaboration of over 100+ researchers who work on selectively separating and extracting valued compounds from renewable materials, converting those resources into novel bio-based products and processes, delivering market and industry-scalable sustainable resources. We have one PhD studentship available in the area of Dynamic Life Cycle Assessment within the BiOrbic Life Cycle Assessment Enabling Action. We will provide a unique combination of “hands-on” research training, taught modules, and workshops on research-related and transferable skills. The PhD candidate will work across BiOrbic Powering the Bioeconomy and Digitalisation of the Bioeconomy research challenges.
Project description: Dynamic Life Cycle Assessment
Bioeconomy design strategies must be developed to minimise environmental trade-offs during the transition to sustainability. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a methodology which has been applied to estimate the environmental impacts of bioeconomy processes. The current state-of-the-art in LCA is largely static, ex-post analysis, which is typically carried out after a system has been implemented at either pilot, demonstration or commercial scale. There is a significant opportunity to make use of this data to improve collection of LCI data and the definition of scenarios for LCA which traditionally has relied on static data typically averaged over the period of a year or longer. Based in UCD under the supervision of Dr Fionnuala Murphy in the School of Biosystems & Food Engineering and co-supervision of Dr Eoin Syron in the School of Chemical & Bioprocessing Engineering, the PhD candidate will explore the integration of dynamic LCA, industry 4.0 and renewable energy forecasting for carbon neutral bioprocesses.
Specific objective include development of;
1. A dynamic LCA framework for life cycle sustainability assessment of energy systems based on integrating real-time data and renewable energy forecasting,
2. Blueprint for carbon-neutral biorefinery processes based on LCA scenario modelling.
Relevant disciplines:
The ideal candidate will have an excellent bachelor’s and master’s degrees with a strong focus on; Process/Chemical/Biochemical Engineering, Life Cycle Assessment, Modelling using Python or similar programming languages, and sensor technologies.
Excellent scientific, organisational and project management skills, a commitment to research, excellent problem-solving skills, the ability to work independently and as part of a multi-disciplinary team and excellent interpersonal and communications skills will all be necessary.
Stipend: €25,000 tax-free per annum + contribution to fees of €5,500 per annum for EU PhD programme fees or €9,500 for non-EU PhD programme fees.
PhD Duration: 4 years.
Application Details: To apply please follow the instructions in the following link (opens in a new window)https://forms.gle/MxLAQR2P6EfCWR7q9. Applicants must include their CV, detailed academic transcripts in the form of certified copies of all undergraduate and postgraduate level certificates, a motivation letter and a reference letter from previous professors or mentors. Candidates must have excellent proficiency in written and spoken English (CEFR Level C1) and provide evidence that they fulfil the specific UCD language criteria.
Closing date: 7th March 2025
Interviews: March 2025
Expected start date: May 2025
Informal requests for further details can be made to Dr Fionnuala Murphy ((opens in a new window)fionnuala.murphy@ucd.ie).
This PhD is funded by the SFI BiOrbic Bioeconomy Research Centre