Biorefinery Supply Chain Data Analyst Grass is Irelands most abundant land resource and forms a key component of our primary sectors, representing over 90% of total agricultural land.
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Irelands agricultural sector faces challenging environmental targets and market uncertainty.
The emerging bioeconomy offers opportunities for primary sectors to use primary and secondary materials in a more resourceefficient way creating a more diversified product portfolio, with the possibilities of displacing unsustainable products and creating new revenue streams.
The vast scale of Irelands grasslands can offer a particularly strategic and scalable opportunity for developing its bioeconomy potential.
Green biorefineries are seen as a key enabling technology for developing the potential bioeconomic potential of grasslands with the potential to produce fodder, protein concentrates and products, high value sugar streams, technical fibres and platform chemicals.
The green biorefinery sector is an emerging industry in countries such as Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, Sweden, Austria and Germany where commercial or demonstration-scale activity is underway.
However further work is required to optimise these production models for wider uptake, including incorporation of different local feedstocks, improving processes and increasing yields and delivering high quality products while achieving environmental and socio-economic sustainability.
The CircBio Research Group, based at MTU plays a leading role in the development of green biorefinery technologies for processing green biomass feedstocks into sustainable protein, bio-based materials, energy and fertilisers.
This can be seen in the groups previous activities such as Biorefinery Glas, Bio4Africa, Farm Zero C and many more.
The successful candidate will work on some of the groups new and exciting international projects in this domain.
This position will suit engineering candidates with previous industrial experience of bioeconomyrelated domains such as biorefining, bioenergy (e.g., sectors such as anaerobic digestion) and nutrient recycling.
Munster Technological University, through CircBio will lead a new first-of-its-kind decentralised green biorefinery demonstration initiative funded under the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU).
"Rural BioReFarmeries" project will advance the development of farmcentred bioeconomy approaches through the deployment of green biorefineries across grassland regions of Europe.
Two primary green biorefinery and anaerobic digestion demonstration sites in Ireland and Denmark will optimise the conversion of grasses, clover and green biomass residues sourced from local farms into value-added products such as human and animal grade protein, biobased food packaging, flavours, anti-microbials, fertiliser and energy, in collaboration with upstream research and industrial sites in Netherlands, Ireland, Denmark and Poland.
Description of Work This position of Biorefinery Supply Chain Data Analyst will support the biorefinery team in identification and analysis of key parameters related to green biorefinery supply chain for its demonstration facility and simulation of future commercial facilities.
The researcher will work closely with the MTU project team, based at Kerry (Tralee) and Cork and collaborate with Rural BioReFarmeries to simulate biomass supply chains and validate tools currently being developed to enhance the efficiency of biomass supply chain tools.
Consideration will be given to local farm data (e.g., locations, yields), logistics/reverse logistics and market access (e.g., grid connection, protein upgrading facilities, farms for return of fibre/nutrients etc.
Tasks and Responsibilities include: Develop supply chain scenarios to be considered for Irelands green biorefinery demonstration facility Develop future looking supply chain scenarios towards a commercial green biorefinery sector Develop a data collection method for key supply chain components (farm, harvesting, road infrastructure, logistics and reverse logistics, key infrastructure and market locations), and collect data using relevant mixed methods Validation of novel supply chain tools developed with collaboration partners based on Irish data Development of GIS models focused on simulated demonstration and or commercial green biorefineries Preparation of papers and contribution to reports Qualifications and experience: The ideal candidate will have a minimum post-graduate degree (MSc or PhD) in a related science and energy area.
Candidates must demonstrate the following: An MSc or Phd degree in a related area is essential Experience in collection methods and analysis of agri-food or biomass supply chain data Experience in use of relevant tools such as ArcGIS, QGIS etc Proven record in delivery of high-quality report and publications Excellent interpersonal, communication, presentation and organizational skills The following is desirable: Experience of green biorefinery/biorefinery supply chains Experience of simulating biomass inputs and product energy outputs through tools such as TEA, considering feedstock availability and market demand Knowledge on Irish primary production data eco-system (e.g., relevant databases, reports and data sources) Experience working in large-scale collaborative research projects ? Experience in testing and validation of digital tools and models Salary: This post is full time 3 months duration with an annual salary of €54,850.
Position to start on 1st July 2026 Application Procedure:All applications must be made online Informal Enquiries: Informal enquiries ONLY to James Gaffey by email to Location This post is based within the Circular Bioeconomy Research Group (CircBio) located at Centre of Applied Biosciences Research in Munster Technological University in Tralee however, occasional national visits will be essential to collaborate with industrial and academic partners and event participation.
Funding: This project has received funding from the European Unions Circular Bio-Based Europe Joint Undertaking under Grant Agreement No.
and the Horizon Europe Rural BioReFarmeries project.
Citizenship Requirement:Candidates should note that eligibility to compete for posts is open to citizens of the European Economic Area (EEA) or to non-EEA nationals with a valid work permit.
The EEA consists of the Member States of the European Union, United Kingdom along with Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
Swiss citizens under EU agreements may also apply.
It is an offence under the Employment Permits Acts 2003 and 2006 for both an employer and an employee if a non-EEA National is in employment without an appropriate employment permit.
Employment permit holders can only work for the employer named on the permit. xsokbrc
Closing date for applications is 1.00pm Friday, 8th May 2026 Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted.
Skills: Excellent interpersonal skills exp of green biorefinery supply chains exp of relevant tools such as ArcGIS, QGIS etc