PhD Studentship in Environmental Life Cycle Assessment for technologies in an emerging bioeconomy

This PhD, contributing to the work of the Knowledge Platform for a Sustainable Bioeconomy will be hosted in the UCD School of Biosystems and Food Engineering. It will focus on theoretical development of LCA for use with innovative and emerging bioeconomy supply chains and products, considering issues such as system boundary, function and functional unit, attributional vs. consequential approaches, data and data pedigree, uncertainty and risk. The candidate will work within the team to develop a modelling approach that can evolve with a technology from Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 1-3 up to TRL 7-9. The ideas will be tested ‘in the field’ using case studies of industry partners in the BEACON Centre.

BEACON Bioeconomy Research Centre is a Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre performing both blue skies and industry focused research to build and support the development of Ireland’s bioeconomy. The Centre brings together a team of researchers from across a range of disciplines including biotechnology, systems and synthetic biology, chemistry, chemical and bioprocess engineering, agri-food, agriculture, animal and human nutrition, marine, business and social sciences. The centre represents a national collaboration between University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, Teagasc, National University of Ireland, Galway, University of Limerick and industry partners.

Eligible Candidates should have (1) either a BSc, BE, BAgrSc (or equivalent) 2.1 degree or MSc, ME, MAgrSc (or equivalent degree), (2) Evidence of numeracy (mathematics and / or statistics), (3) Knowledge of agriculture or marine resources and/or biology and/or LCA and/or environmental impact and/or demonstrable interest in sustainable bioeconomy.