Overview of the Role:
Rapid detection of pathogenic infections in aquaculture enables effective disease-management practices to be implemented. However, current diagnostic methods are largely confined to laboratory settings and rely on labour-intensive, time-consuming protocols. Reliable point-of-care devices are currently lacking within the fish-health sector, yet such tools would enable rapid responses to infectious agents and greatly improve treatment outcomes. We are seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Researcher to join our multidisciplinary team developing novel molecular diagnostics for the rapid detection of viral and bacterial pathogens. This role focuses on the end-to-end design, optimisation, and validation of pathogen-specific Recombinase Polymerase Amplification (RPA) assays, including sample-to-answer workflow development and the integration of these assays into lateral-flow diagnostic platforms. The successful candidate will contribute to the full assay-development pipeline—from target identification and primer/probe design, through laboratory optimisation and analytical validation, to in-field testing and performance evaluation at aquaculture sites. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to next-generation point-of-care tools that will directly support rapid pathogen detection and improved disease management in aquaculture. The successful candidate will be expected to take up the role as soon as possible.
This post may be offered on a 12-month specific purpose contract with the possibility of an extension to a suitable candidate. Applicants should note a panel may be created from which future vacancies may be filled.
Essential Qualifications and Skills - Minimum Requirements
• Minimum of PhD in Molecular Biology / Biotechnology / Microbiology / Biochemistry or related life science discipline or exceptionally, equivalent* research experience (including industrial R&D).
• Hands-on molecular biology proficiency, including nucleic-acid extraction/handling and PCR/qPCR and/or isothermal amplification (e.g., RPA, LAMP).
• Primer/probe design and optimisation experience for PCR/qPCR and/or isothermal assays, with evidence of improving specificity, sensitivity (LoD), and robustness.
• In-silico assay development competence: use of sequence databases and alignment tools (e.g., BLAST, Clustal Omega, MAFFT) and primer/probe design tools (e.g., Primer3, Primer-BLAST or equivalent).
• Proficient in IT and digital communication platforms.
Desirable Qualifications and Skills:
Experience in several of the following is desirable:
• Bioinformatics experience beyond basic alignment (variant analysis, thermodynamic modelling, primer/probe interaction prediction).
• Demonstrated ability to identify conserved regions and evaluate sequence variability (e.g., SNPs, strain diversity) to ensure assay inclusivity (target coverage) and exclusivity (off-target avoidance).
• Experience applying primer/probe thermodynamics and secondary-structure analysis (e.g., GC%, Tm, ΔG, hairpins, homo/hetero-dimer formation, 3′-end stability) and performing comprehensive in-silico inclusivity/exclusivity and cross-reactivity assessments against target panels, near-neighbour and host genomes.
• Experience with isothermal amplification assay development, particularly RPA.
• Experience developing point-of-care or lateral flow molecular assays.
Duties / Key Responsibilities:
The duties and responsibilities of the position include, but are not restricted to, the following:
● Conduct the specified programme of research under the supervision and direction of the Principal Investigator.
● Report regularly to the Principal Investigator on the status of the research programme and follow the timeframe for the programme agreed with the PI.
● Engage in the dissemination of the results of the research in which he/she is engaged with the support of and under the supervision of the Principal Investigator.
● Supervise and/or assist junior team members working in this area with their research.
● Engage in appropriate training and development opportunities as required by the Principal Investigator, the School or Research Centre, or the University.
● Liaise with both internal and external stakeholders including industry and academic partners/collaborators. Engage in occasional on-site collaboration with project partners and stakeholders across Ireland and internationally to facilitate knowledge transfer and process integration.
● Assist in identifying and developing future research and funding initiatives.
● Carry out administrative work associated with the programme of research as necessary.
Location: Galway City Campus
Travel to aquaculture sites, including overnight stays, in the north, west and south of Ireland as well as to collaborators in Dublin City University (DCU) will be required.
Further information for this role can be accessed through the ATU Research Vacancies webpage at
https://www.atu.ie/connect/jobs/research-jobs and clicking on "Apply Here" to see the full research job listing.
The application can be accessed by searching by Job Title "Postdoctoral Researcher – Rapid Pathogen Detection – Molecular Assay Development
Job Reference: 027727
**Applications must be submitted through the ATU Vacancies portal as detailed above. **
Any applications sent via email through the informal enquiries channel on FindAPostDoc will not be considered, and communication through FindAPostDoc should only be used for informal enquiries.
