Post Doctoral Researcher Sustainability Institute

Further Vacancy Details Post Doctoral Researcher Sustainability Institute 12 Months, Fixed Term Whole-Time Post Position Summary Applications are invited for the post of Post Doctoral Researcher to join the Intelligent Efficiency Resource Group (IERG) within the Sustainability Institute at University College Cork. UCC invites applications for a Postdoctoral Researcher with strong expertise in fault detection, diagnostics (FDD), and preventative/predictive maintenance for industrial systems. The role is part of the EU-funded FLARE project, which focuses on improving industrial resilience, flexibility, and sustainability through digitalisation and advanced analytics. The successful candidate will lead the technical development and validation of equipment-level FDD and preventative maintenance methods, leveraging digital twins, data analytics, and reliability engineering. In parallel, the role includes project oversight responsibilities, supporting effective coordination of consortium activities, organisation of meetings, and management of industrial site visits required for case study implementation and validation. This position is well suited to a candidate seeking to combine advanced applied research with hands-on EU project coordination and industrial engagement. The Intelligent Efficiency Research Group (IERG) The Intelligent Efficiency Research Group (IERG) at University College Cork is an award-winning team of PhD and master’s researchers advancing the next generation of energy efficiency and intelligent systems for industrial applications. Based within the School of Engineering and Architecture, IERG develops and applies cutting-edge analytics, modelling, and decision-support methodologies that improve how energy and resources are managed in complex industrial systems. The group’s research spans four core areas: the development of intelligent analytics systems for industrial energy management; the incorporation of fault detection and diagnostics (FDD) into industrial energy systems; building energy performance simulation; and the application of next-generation renewable and sustainable energy technologies to industrial processes. With a strong track record of collaboration with industry and international research partners, IERG’s work underpins real-world improvements in energy performance, operational resilience, and sustainability. The group’s projects combine data-driven methods, digital twins, reliability engineering, and advanced simulation to deliver solutions with tangible impact for both organisations and policy contexts UCC Sustainability Institute The Sustainability Institute, formerly the Environmental Research Institute (ERI) at University College Cork was established in 2000 as a flagship University Institute to bring together researchers to address complex global sustainability challenges using a transdisciplinary approach. The Sustainability Institute is a UCC Futures Institute. UCC Futures is an ambitious new programme of research prioritisation coupled with an innovative academic recruitment strategy across ten indicative areas of strategic importance that will build a foundation for economic, societal and cultural resilience and prosperity. The Sustainability Institute constitutes an important part of UCC’s strategy to develop interdisciplinary research institutes that have a critical mass of world-class researchers in prioritised research areas to enable a more strategic approach, create an interdisciplinary research environment, develop capacity, and engage coherently with industry and society. The Sustainability Institute is recognised for its expertise in environmental, marine, energy, sustainable materials, and sustainable food research, and is focused on addressing three global environmental challenges: Climate Action, Circular Economy, and Healthy Environment. The Institute currently has over 400 researchers from 20 disciplines and incorporates a number of research centres including: MaREI Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine, Centre for Research on Atmospheric Chemistry (CRAC), the Cleaner Production and Promotion Unit (CPPU) and Centre for Law and the Environment (CLE). The Sustainability Institute has a unique and outstanding physical space for conducting research with substantial research facilities at its two dedicated buildings, the Ellen Hutchins Building on the Lee Road, Cork and the Beaufort Building, Ringaskiddy which houses the Lir National Ocean test Facility (NOTF) along with research facilities across UCC campus. The FLARE Project FLARE (A Decision Intelligence Platform for FLexible, Agile, Resilient, and Energy-aware Processes) will enhance the resilience of energy-intensive industries by fusing flexibility with AI-driven decision intelligence, and proactive energy orchestration into a single platform, providing a system that can withstand, adapt and recover from the volatility and fluctuations in energy supply, cost and operational needs. Next-generation process flexibility goes far beyond the ability to switch production lines quickly; it requires the ability to embed realtime intelligence, reconfigurability, and energy-awareness into the core of manufacturing workflows, dynamically adapting to shifting conditions with enhanced human decision making. FLARE's mission is to create an adaptive, self-optimising manufacturing ecosystem where production lines can reconfigure in real-time, in collaboration with domain experts (e.g. operators, planners, designers) that are supported by digital twins, AI, and predictive analytics. Process equipment will seamlessly switch between energy sources, aligning operations with renewable availability, market demand, cost & energy efficiency. Energy-aware scheduling, self-healing control systems, and human–machine collaboration will ensure that factories remain productive, sustainable, and resilient even in the face of volatility. FLARE addresses significant challenges related to process design, system complexity and integration, flexibility vs. efficiency, holistic sustainability and investment assessment, workforce readiness and change management, focusing on multiple energy-intensive sectors, including chemical, steel and cement. Specifically, FLARE will demonstrate a significant impact on these sectors, including energy cost reductions of 10–15%, CO2 emissions reductions of 15–20%, waste reductions of 10–15%, and improved flexible response times of 10– 15 minutes. These three high-impact European example sites will act as living laboratories, creating a blueprint for the design, testing, and validation of cutting-edge tools, tailored initially for sector-specific challenges but transferable across industries. A pan-European Community of Practice will guide the work from start to finish, ensuring rapid adoption, real-world relevance, and a clear pathway from prototype to market deployment. Achievement of the expected progression within Post Doc and Senior Post Doc is transferable between the Irish HEI’s.  This can be reflected in the starting pay of a PD researcher.  Similarly, as the PD scheme is an intergenerational training scheme completion of PD1 or PD 2 levels in one HEI will normally render that researcher ineligible for appointment at a similar level in another Irish HEI Researcher Career Development Framework | Irish Universities Association Project Title: FLARE Post Duration: 12 Months, Whole-Time Post Salary: €46,805 - €53,391 p.a. (IUA PD1 Salary Scale) For an information package including further details of the post see https://ore.ucc.ie/ Informal enquiries can be made in confidence to Dr Ken Bruton Email: ken.bruton@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 6th March 2026. Interviews will be held online the week after the closing date for application 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 Contact Person : Ken Bruton Contact Email : ken.bruton@ucc.ie Job ID : 094613 Contact Number : 0214205061 Close Date : 06-Mar-2026 12:00 Click on the link(s) below to view documents Filesize Notes Guide for UCC Applicants 926 Guide For External Applicants 1672.6 Candidate Brief 3989.9 Apply for Job Return to Search