진학프로석·박사 채용 접수 플랫폼

Applications are invited from suitably qualified candidates for full-time funded PhD scholarship starting in February 2027, affiliated to the Ryan Institute at the University of Galway and Teagasc. 

University of Galway 

Located in the vibrant cultural city of Galway in the west of Ireland, the University of Galway has a distinguished reputation for teaching and research excellence  

For information on moving to Ireland please see www.euraxess.ie 

Project Description  

Grass4Value aims to deliver diverse and sustainable circular bioeconomy pathways for management of Ireland’s most abundant agricultural resource, grassland. Ireland faces key sustainability challenges in areas such as climate change, biodiversity and water quality. Diversification of Ireland’s 4.5 million hectares of grassland could make a substantial contribution to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions whilst reducing pressure on water quality and biodiversity associated with livestock farming. Cascading use of grass can deliver low-emission feed, food, energy, material and fertiliser products with potential for displacement of less sustainable alternatives (e.g., soy and fossil energy), while also conferring resilience to rural economies. The Grass4Value project will build on the demonstration biorefinery plant at Farm Zero C, centred on anaerobic digestion (AD). The advertised PhD will apply prospective life cycle assessment (LCA) and foresight analyses to evaluate the sustainability and resilience of grass biorefinery value chains in a future context.  

The successful candidate will be jointly supervised by Professor David Styles in the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences at University of Galway and Professor James Gaffey, co-Director of the CircBio research group in Munster Technological University. 

The PhD student will be registered in the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences at University of Galway, and affiliated with the University’s Ryan Institute, a world-class centre for sustainability research. Through a multi-disciplinary supervisory team and their research groups, the successful candidate will have access to the breadth of expertise necessary to apply cutting-edge sustainability and resilience assessment. The student will apply, and if necessary adapt, a state-of-the-art AD-biorefinery LCA model (LCAD2.0) to evaluate the environmental sustainability of various feed, food, material and energy value chains derived from grass. They will explore these value chains under various scale-out scenarios and future contexts, considering key performance indicators pertinent to Ireland’s sustainability and resilience under uncertain futures. The student will join a dynamic, world-class group of sustainability researchers, and will have access to postgraduate training and skills modules available across the College of Science and Engineering. They may avail of opportunities to present research at national and international conferences. 

Candidate Profile and Eligibility 

Candidates should be able to demonstrate the following: 

•Hold a first or second class honours degree (2.1 equivalent) or a masters degree in environmental science, engineering, agriculture, sustainability or a related and relevant discipline 

•Experience with life cycle assessment or systems modelling  

•A strong interest in biorefineries and/or sustainability evaluation 

•Excellent written and verbal communication skills (in the language of English) 

•Capacity to work as part of a research team 

•Willingness to travel to national and international meetings   

Living allowance (Stipend): €25,000 per annum, [tax-exempt scholarship award]  

University fees: ​up to €6000 per annum (covered by scholarship) ​ 

Start date: 01.02.2027 (or soon after) 

Academic Entry Requirements: First or good Second Class (2:1) primary degree or MSc in a related discipline (Science, Engineering, Agriculture) 

To Apply for the Scholarship:  

Applicants should submit the following to Prof. David Styles ([email protected]) - with the subject line: “PhD Application – Grass4Value”, including the following required documents:  

• • CV (including two referees)   
• • 1–2 page personal statement outlining: Why you are interested in this project; Why you are a strong candidate for this PhD

Contact Name: Professor David Styles 

Contact Email:[email protected] 

Application Deadline: 28/08/2026by 17:00 

Primary Supervisor name: David Styles