PhD Scholarship at Crop Science Department, Teagasc

Location

Teagasc Oak Park Research Centre, Carlow

About

This PhD project will be undertaken as part of a new €31.5 million Research Ireland funded Co-Centre which aims to transform food systems in Ireland and the UK. The Co-Centre brings together world-leading researchers from institutions across both countries, working closely with government and industry to deliver innovative solutions to drive societal and political change in the transition to more a sustainable food system, and changing consumer demand for healthier and more diverse foods. The Co-Centre will focus on research expertise in specific areas that are core to food system transformation including food safety, production, nutrition, plant and animal science, behavioural change, data science, food system governance, and the political process of food system transformation.

The PROJECT

Oats is an essential cereal crop for the Irish tillage sector, providing an important break in rotations while delivering a substantial economic return in an expanding marketplace. However, this expansion is challenged by a lack of diverse oat germplasm and variety-specific agronomics. Previous research in Teagasc has identified heritage oat germplasms with attractive nutritional profiles. However, adoption of these varieties is limited as we lack the knowledge about their agronomy and nutrient use efficiency. Understanding nutrient use efficiency is the key to delivering a sustainable and profitable tillage system. Recent work in Teagasc on oats’ nitrogen use dynamics was key for developing the nitrogen response curve and recommendation rates to support the tillage sector. However, similar work is lacking on two important macronutrients, e.g., phosphorus and potassium. To address these issues, this project is designed to address this knowledge gap through the following objectives:

1. Optimising the agronomy to support the nutritional value of selected heritage oats varieties.
2. Investigating the effect of breeding practices on the potassium requirements of oat.
3. Identification of genome location/s associated with root traits for Phosphorus Use Efficiency.

The Applicant

Qualifications:
1. Educational Qualification: Applicants must have a minimum Second Class (2.1) Honours (or equivalent degree, see QQI for details) in an appropriate discipline such as Agriculture, Agronomy, Crop Production or Plant Biology. A Master’s degree or equivalent experience in a related discipline would be highly desirable. Experience in GWAS or related crop plant analysis would be considered an advantage.
2. Language requirement: The candidate must have excellent English communication skills (oral and written) to support stakeholder engagement. Applicants whose first language is not English must demonstrate on the application that they meet an English language requirement with a minimum score of 6.5 IELTS (minimum of 6.0 in each component) or equivalent. For more details, click here
3. Other requirement: This project requires frequent field visits for crop monitoring and sample collections, followed by laboratory analysis of plant and soil samples. The successful candidate is required to hold a valid driving license before the commencement of the project. For more details about driving license requirements in Ireland, click here.

Funding

This PhD Scholarship is part of the Co-Centre program funded by Science Foundation Ireland. The student will be registered with University College Dublin (UCD) under the academic supervision of Dr Cathal McCabe. The student is expected to visit UCD to fulfil academic requirements for doctoral study; however, the successful candidate will primarily be based at Teagasc Oak Park Research Centre, Carlow, under the direct supervision of Dr Atikur Rahman, in association with Dr Ewen Mullins.

The scholarship funding includes a student stipend up to €25,000 plus a University tuition fee contribution at the EU rate tenable for 4 years. Please check here for international tuition fees; the student must pay any difference. Additionally, the project is separately funded for research consumables and travel budget to participate in national and international conferences.

Start Date

September/October

APPLY

Submit an electronic copy of Curriculum Vitae and a single page (as a single PDF file ) detailing how you think your experience to date makes you a suitable candidate for this post, to: Dr Atikur Rahman: atikur.rahman@teagasc.ie.
▪ Please name your file as ‘FirstName_LastName.pdf’.
▪ You must quote the “PhD: Delivering greater sustainability in Irish oat production” in the subject field.
Closing date: 24th July 2025

Submission deadline: 24th July 2025. 

Start Date: September 2025