Postdoc Clinical Microbiology

Job Title: Postdoctoral Researcher Department: Clinical Microbiology Reporting to: Prof. Deirdre Fitzgerald Hughes Location: RCSI Education and Research Centre, Beaumont Hospital Contract/Duration: Fixed term/1 year Remuneration: IUA Postdoctoral Researcher scale (level 2a PD1, pt1-pt5) Closing Date: 7th February 2025 RCSI is a community of academic, research, clinical and professional staff working collaboratively to lead the world to better health. Here, you will thrive in an innovative and inclusive atmosphere and your personal development and wellbeing will be supported. We invite you to join us to help deliver on our exciting mission "To educate, nurture and discover for the benefit of human health". We seek candidates whose experience to date has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to the "Race Equality Action Plan 2021-2024" at RCSI. Our students come from all walks of life and so do we. We hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds. This makes our university stronger and ensures we hire the best talent. Innovating for a Healthier Future 2023-2027 is RCSI's new five-year strategic plan. Through it, RCSI will enhance human health by meeting the health workforce needs of society, creating the insights and inventions that drive health improvements, and working in partnership with patients and the public in support of better health and well-being for all. The strategy unites the RCSI community in supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals - with a particular focus on Goal 3, which targets good health and well-being. For each of the last six years, RCSI has been positioned in the Top 300 of universities worldwide in the Times Higher World University Rankings. We are proud that RCSI ranks fifth in the world for "Good Health and Well-being" in the Times Higher Education #SDG #SDG Impact Rankings 2024. This reflects our commitment to supporting people of all ages to live healthy lives and our work to promote the concepts of well-being and positive health. Our values of Respect, Collaboration, Scholarship and Innovation continue to unite and direct our purpose. About Our Research RCSI recognises that excellence in research is critical to the quality of its educational activities, its credibility, and, overall, to its mission to enhance human health. RCSI's research strategy aims to build upon its strength in translational biomedical and clinical research to deliver transformational, high impact changes in health care. Targeting both Irish national and EU funding, along with increased collaboration with industry, is a major part of the RCSI research strategy. Forging increased collaboration between RCSI PIs and industry is of critical importance to achieving success in this area. RCSI is also committed to provide its researchers with the supports and developmental opportunities to enable them to continuously grow and support their overall career development. Summary of Post The NoHoW-AMR project is a National Challenge Project funded by Research Ireland and is a collaborative project between RCSI (Dept. of Clinical Microbiology), Beaumont Hospital (Dept. of Infection Prevention and Control) and DCU (Schools of Chemistry and Engineering). Our challenge is to develop innovative photodynamic disinfection (PDD) technology capable of reducing the risk of transmission of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) pathogens in the healthcare environment via sanitaryware (sinks and drain pipework). PDD has the potential to be more effective, sustainable and environmentally-friendly than current disinfection methods. We have developed PDD coatings that effectively kill AMR pathogens and destroy their DNA. In the next phase, we are expanding our team and will further improve the antibiofilm properties of the materials and build a working prototype within a model sink, before performance testing in the hospital environment. Specifically, the duties of the post are: Evaluate the antimicrobial, antibiofilm and DNA damaging properties of photo-activated coating materials. Compare antimicrobial properties of the materials to current disinfectants. Conduct baseline microbial surveillance of hospital sink/shower drains With team members, conduct laboratory and field testing to evaluate the efficacy of the prototype in reducing pathogen burden under a variety of conditions. Record, interpret and manage experimental data Prepare reports for publications and progress reviews for stakeholders and funders Present research findings at team meetings and stakeholder meetings Collaborate with the wider team of chemists, engineers, microbiologists and healthcare staff to achieve the project goals Undertake administrative duties to facilitate the smooth running of research activities Any other duties commensurate with the grade of the post as directed by line manager Qualifications - (Essential): PhD in Microbiology or other relevant field Knowledge & Experience - (Essential) Experience working on research projects with a particular focus on microbiology. Experience in writing research reports and publications. Proven experience in a diverse range of laboratory research methods. Proficiency in using statistical software for data analysis. Demonstrated experience working as part of a project team. Strong communication skills, appropriate to audience and situation. Excellent time-management, interpersonal and organisational skills. Ability to work independently Knowledge & Experience - (Desirable) Comfortable integrating into an inter-institutional, multidisciplinary research team Ability to interact constructively with the team of scientists and healthcare professionals. We are all too aware that imposter syndrome and the confidence gap can sometimes stop fantastic candidates putting themselves forward, so please do submit an application - we'd love to hear from you. Application Process Please apply online through the RCSI careers portal before the closing date with your CV and cover letter. Informal Enquiries can be directed to Prof Deirdre Fitzgerald Hughes (). Please note we do not accept CVs directly. Click here to read our Recruitment and Selection Policy for Researchers. Employee Benefits RCSI make sure you have the resources you need to thrive by offering a wide range of benefits in areas including time away, finance, community, health, and well-being and insuring your financial future. Below are some additional benefits available to you as an RCSI employee: Minimum of 20 days annual leave, plus an additional 6.5 Privilege days Flexible/hybrid working options for colleagues across many roles Additional leave options incl. paid maternity leave, paternity/parental leave, study leave 7% Employer pension contribution Onsite gym €10 per/mth incl. classes and PT sessions Childcare support 20% discount at Giraffe Free eye test and annual flu vaccination TaxSaver commuter tickets and Bike to Work schemes A site sustainability team focusing on the environmental initiatives; Green Campus Initiative ' Competitively priced café and restaurant Equality, Diversity & Inclusion forums, and network groups Employee assistance programme with Spectrum Life Learning and Development training programmes incl. LinkedIn Learning for career progression Discounted services incl. GP visits, 10% off dental, staff parking, mobile tariffs, Group Scheme discount on numerous brands Sports and social club incl. yoga, Pilates, fitness classes, Zumba, running club, social evenings, Summer BBQ Ticket Draws for events including; Rugby, Taste of Dublin, Dublin Horse Show, theatre, music & comedy events