Research Fellow

The School of Biological Sciences at Queen’s University Belfast, is currently seeking to recruit a talented Research Fellow.

The School of Biological Sciences and Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s University Belfast is currently seeking to appoint an exceptional candidate to the post of Research Fellow. The appointee will join the Huws group, focused on sustainable livestock production using the disciplines of Microbiology, Animal Science, and Bioinformatics.

The successful candidate will primarily work within a multidisciplinary team undertaking research focused on sustainable ruminant production, with an emphasis on methane mitigation. The post holder will work with industry partners locally and globally to deliver impact for the agricultural and food sector. The successful candidate will work alongside the lead, a bioinformatician and a project manager within the new Centre of Excellence in Agri-Food Microbiomics. The candidate will be expected to perform the research required (for example in vitro testing) and the reports thereafter in a timely and professional manner. In general, the postholder will be an active member of the research project/team assisting in the planning and delivery of research activity. Priority will be given to candidates with research interests and expertise in anaerobic microbiology, particularly with respect to livestock microbiomes.

The successful candidate must have, and your application should clearly demonstrate that you meet the following criteria:

• Hold or is about to be awarded* a PhD in a relevant area (microbiology, animal science veterinary science).*must be obtained within 3 months of commencement of employment.
• Research experience to include:

• • Experience of anaerobic microbiology and in vitro technologies
  • Experience in designing experiments and statistical analysis
  • Demonstrable computational or laboratory experience relevant to microbiology, specifically 16S rDNA microbiome analysis
  • Experience of using programming skills in appropriate languages and software e.g. R.
• Some experience of peer-reviewed publication in a relevant area of research.
• Some experience of supervising undergraduates and/or postgraduate students.
• Experience of working in a team.
• Experience of presenting to the scientific community i.e. conference talks.

Please note the above is not an exhaustive list. For further information about the role including the essential and desirable criteria visit our website.

This post is available on a fixed term contract for 2 years, or available until 30 April 2026, whichever is sooner. Fixed term contract posts are available for the stated period in the first instance but in particular circumstances may be renewed or made permanent subject to availability of funding.

At Queen’s our people are at the heart of everything we do. As a staff member you will become part of a vibrant organisational culture, which will provide you with the opportunity to achieve your full potential and enhance your career through a continuous focus on learning and development.

We offer an excellent employment package that includes:

• Great terms & conditions
• Pension schemes
• Family-friendly initiatives
• Career development opportunities
• Support for health & mental wellbeing
• Generous holiday entitlement of 8.4 weeks a year (made up of 23 days annual leave, 10 closure days and 9 bank holidays)

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