Water Quality Catchment Scientist - Research Officer

at  Teagasc

Location: Johnstown Castle Environment Research Centre, Wexford, or other major Teagasc Research Centre subject to agreement with the Head of Department/Head of Programme/Director of Research.
Research
Salary: Research Officer with a Salary Scale of €40,080 to €76,519
Closing Date: 26/07/2024 12:00 PM
Permanent Full Time

QUALIFICATIONS

• Candidates must have an honours level 8 degree as recognised on the National Framework of Qualifications in in environmental science, agricultural science, engineering, natural sciences, or a related scientific discipline
• A PhD degree in a relevant discipline

Note: While a PhD is an essential requirement for this post, equivalent research experience may be deemed acceptable solely at the discretion of the Director of Teagasc.

• A postgraduate degree and/or research experience in catchment science would be a distinct advantage

SKILLS

• Experience in water quality monitoring
• Experience in GIS and spatial analysis
• Experience in implementation of field, farm and/or catchment scale research
• Experience in translating research into advice
• Excellent laboratory & field skills, organisation skills, report writing and data analysis skills
• Experience in data analysis using statistics
• Research skills: literature reviewing, experimental design, data management, statistical analysis and experiment implementation
• Dissemination skills: verbal presentation/communication skills, scientific and technical writing skills
• Capacity to successfully develop collaborative research links with national and international organisations
• Excellent communication skills with a demonstrated ability to enable effective knowledge transfer
• Experience in monitoring environmental variables.
• Experience in farm scale water quality mitigation measures
• Proven record of scientific communications.
• Aptitude for multidisciplinary approaches.
• Familiarity with laboratory systems and database software
• Familiarity with field equipment for water quality monitoring

KNOWLEDGE

• Excellent knowledge of nutrient (N, P) and sediment transfer to surface and ground water systems
• Excellent knowledge of agricultural systems
• Knowledge of statistical programmes for data analysis
• Knowledge of water quality monitoring data and trends
• Knowledge of water quality mitigation measures in agricultural landscapes
• Knowledge of the Nitrates Directive and its impact on farm management practices in Irish farm landscapes.
• Knowledge of the requirements of the Water Framework Directive
• Knowledge of agriculture and water quality issues internationally and across Europe

• To lead the design, implementation and monitoring of mitigation measures for agriculture in Irish river catchments.
• Generate new knowledge on the effectiveness of mitigation measures for water quality protection in Irish farming systems.
• Build capacity at Teagasc for the selection of measures under different landscape conditions using the right measure, right place and right time approach.
• Build collaboration with other research groups within and outside Teagasc on catchment science.
• Establish new connections with leading researchers on water quality mitigation measures internationally and nationally.
• Pursue funding opportunities to grow a programme of research from internal and external funding sources.
• Engage with the Knowledge Transfer Directorate at Teagasc to aid in the dissemination and adoption of new technologies at farm scale for water quality protection
• Supervise PhD and post-doctoral scholars and build collaborations with partner universities.
• Publish scientific outputs in peer-reviewed scientific journals and develop research translation tools for dissemination into the KT Directorate at Teagasc.
• Assist Teagasc in meeting the commitments of the Quality Customer Service Charter and Action Plan.
• Actively participate in the annual business planning and Performance Management Development System (PMDS) processes.
• Fully co-operate with the provisions made for ensuring the health, safety and welfare of oneself, fellow staff and non-Teagasc staff and co-operate with management in enabling Teagasc to comply with legal obligations, including full compliance with the responsibilities outlined in the Safety Statement.
• Carry out other duties as may be assigned from time to time.
• This job specification is intended as a guide to the general range of duties and is intended to be neither definitive nor restrictive. It will be reviewed from time to time with the post holder.