- Postdoctoral researcher in Marine Natural Products Chemistry and Omics
SCHOOL OF BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL SCIENCE
Ref. No. 011444
JOB ADVERTISEMENT
The RestOAre project is the first initiative funded under DTIF Call 7, led by Relevium Medical in collaboration with the University of Galway. It will have significant impact on knee osteoarthritis patients, providing immediate long-lasting pain relief and reducing disease progression. The University of Galway in the Ireland is seeking to hire a highly motivated full-time postdoctoral researcher for 2 years to advance our understanding of seaweed and sponge chemical diversity and explore their potential for biodiscovery in the field of osteoarthritis. We are particularly interested in applicants with expertise in marine natural product chemistry and their synthesis and a strong interest in marine biodiversity and environmental metabolomics. The candidate will join an interdisciplinary team focused on the intersection of biodiversity, and biodiscovery of marine algae and invertebrates. You will contribute to research in marine biodiscovery while addressing global challenges in sustainability and health as part of the Marine Biodiscovery under the mentorship of Prof. Olivier Thomas and assisted with other postgraduate students and a research assistant. You will work in a dynamic research environment, with access to state-of-the-art facilities, and be part of a supportive, collaborative team. The position also offers excellent opportunities for career development in the rapidly growing field of marine science.
This position is funded by Enterprise Ireland and is available from 01-01-2026 to contract end date of 31-12-2027.
Information on project/centre. Seaweeds and sponges are a largely underexplored yet invaluable resource in the quest for novel bioactive compounds with significant pharmaceutical applications. This project is a key component of the RESTOARE project funded by the Enterprise Ireland through the DTIF Call 7, which employs cutting-edge techniques to unlock the potential of marine species, including seaweeds and sponges, for discovering new solutions aimed at pain relief for osteoarthritis. The post-doctoral researcher will be based in the Marine Biodiscovery laboratory in charge of the Irish marine biorepository.
Salary: Postdoctoral Researcher salary scale €46,305- €59,063 per annum, (subject to the project’s funding limitations), and pro rata for shorter and/or part-time contracts. The default position for all new public sector appointments is the 1st point of the salary scale. This may be reviewed, and consideration afforded to appointment at a higher point on the payscale (subject to the project’s funding limitations), where evidence of prior years’ equivalent experience is accepted in determining placement on the scale above point 1, subject to the maximum of the scale.
(Research Salary Scales – University of Galway)
Closing date for receipt of applications is 17:00 (Irish Time) on 04-12-2025. It will not be possible to consider applications received after the closing date.
Interviews are planned to be held online on 19-12-2025
*Please review full job description for further details and essential requirement
JOB DESCRIPTION
Job Description:
The successful candidate will contribute to interdisciplinary research at the intersection of marine biodiversity and biodiscovery including chemical synthesis. You will contribute to research in marine biodiversity and biodiscovery while addressing global challenges in sustainability and health as part of the Marine Biodiscovery laboratory led Prof. Olivier Thomas with the support of Dr Maggie Reddy.
Duties:
• Collect and curate specimens along with associated metadata in a biorepository.
• Develop and use a workflow to identify the species of high interest for antiinflammation
• Purify and identify the structure of the hits natural products identified in the selected species.
• Manage a research assistant to help in the process of purification and structure elucidation
• Produce analogues using medicinal chemistry on the identified scaffold/natural products
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams of biologists, chemists, and biomedical scientists (Leo Quinlan and Relevium) in the search for bioactive molecules.
• Publish research findings in high-impact journals and present at international conferences.
• Contribute to the development of research proposals and grant applications.
• Oversee lab management and supervise postgraduate students and research assistants.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Essential skills:
• PhD in Natural Product Chemistry or a related field.
• Proven experience in the purification of small molecules by HPLC and their structure elucidation by Mass Spectrometry and NMR
• Proven experience in the assessment of the configurations of small molecules
• Proficiency in dereplication tools by MS/MS and molecular networking tools.
• Excellent communication and writing skills, with a demonstrated record of publications in reputable, peer-reviewed journals.
Desirable Skills:
• Proven experience/interest working with marine macroorganisms.
• Experience in student supervision, mentorship, and/or laboratory management.
• Experience in chemical synthesis or semi synthesis
• Experience in SCUBA diving, as well as curating diversity collections.
• Experience in grant search
CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Continuing Professional Development/Training:
Researchers at University of Galway are encouraged to avail of a range of training and development opportunities designed to support their personal career development plans. University of Galway provides continuing professional development supports for all researchers seeking to build their own career pathways either within or beyond academia. Researchers are encouraged to engage with our Researcher Development Centre (RDC) upon commencing employment – see HERE for further information.
Please submit your CV, a cover letter outlining your research experience and interest in the project, and the contact details of two referees to mageshneem.reddy@universityofgalway.ie.
FURTHER INFORMATION/LINKS
•TO APPLY: Search Current University of Galway vacancies Applications must be submitted online.
How to apply guide E-Recruit – University of Galway
•For informal enquiries, please contact Prof Olivier Thomas, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Email: Olivier.thomas@universityofgalway.ie
•Strategy | Straitéis 2020-2025 – University of Galway
•Research & Innovation – University of Galway
• EURAXESS |
•E-Recruit – University of Galway
•We reserve the right to re-advertise or extend the closing date for this post.
•University of Galway is an equal opportunities employer.
•All positions are recruited in line with Open, Transparent, Merit (OTM) and Competency based recruitment.
- Research Assistant in Marine Natural Products chemistry
SCHOOL OF BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL SCIENCE
Ref. No. 011448
JOB ADVERTISEMENT
The RestOAre project is the first initiative funded under DTIF Call 7, led by Relevium Medical in collaboration with the University of Galway. It will have significant impact on knee osteoarthritis patients, providing immediate long-lasting pain relief and reducing disease progression. The University of Galway in the Ireland is seeking to hire a highly motivated full-time research assistant for 2 years to advance our understanding of seaweed and sponge chemical diversity and explore their potential for biodiscovery in the field of osteoarthritis. We are particularly interested in applicants with expertise in natural product or analytical chemistry and their synthesis and a strong interest in the marine biodiversity and environmental metabolomics. The candidate will join an interdisciplinary team focused on the intersection of biodiversity, and biodiscovery of marine algae and invertebrates. You will contribute to research in marine biodiscovery while addressing global challenges in sustainability and health as part of the Marine Biodiscovery under the mentorship of Prof. Olivier Thomas and other Postgraduate students and postdoctoral researchers. You will work in a dynamic research environment, with access to state-of-the-art facilities, and be part of a supportive, collaborative team. The position also offers excellent opportunities for career development in the rapidly growing field of marine science.
This position is funded by Enterprise Ireland and is available from 01-01-2026 to contract end date of 31-12-2027.
Information on project/centre. Seaweeds and sponges are a largely underexplored yet invaluable resource in the quest for novel bioactive compounds with significant pharmaceutical applications. This project is a key component of the RESTOARE project funded by the Enterprise Ireland through the DTIF Call 7, which employs cutting-edge techniques to unlock the potential of marine species, including seaweeds and sponges, for discovering new solutions aimed at pain relief for osteoarthritis. The post-doctoral researcher will be based in the Marine Biodiscovery laboratory in charge of the Irish marine biorepository.
Salary: Research Assistant salary scale €33,291- €43,372 per annum, (subject to the project’s funding limitations), and pro rata for shorter and/or part-time contracts. The default position for all new public sector appointments is the 1st point of the salary scale. This may be reviewed, and consideration afforded to appointment at a higher point on the payscale (subject to the project’s funding limitations), where evidence of prior years’ equivalent experience is accepted in determining placement on the scale above point 1, subject to the maximum of the scale.
(Research Salary Scales – University of Galway)Postdoctoral researcher Position in Natural Products Metabolomics and Computational Mass Spectrometry
Closing date for receipt of applications is 17:00 (Irish Time) on 04-12-2025. It will not be possible to consider applications received after the closing date.
Interviews are planned to be held online on 19-12-2025
*Please review full job description for further details and essential requirement
JOB DESCRIPTION
Job Description:
The successful candidate will contribute to interdisciplinary research at the intersection of marine biodiversity and biodiscovery including chemical synthesis. You will contribute to research in marine biodiscovery while addressing global challenges in sustainability and health as part of the Marine Biodiscovery laboratory led Prof. Olivier Thomas with the support of Dr Maggie Reddy.
Duties:
• Develop and use a workflow to identify the species of high interest for antiinflammation
• Purify and identify the structure of the hits natural products identified in the selected species.
• Produce analogues using medicinal chemistry on the identified scaffold/natural products
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams of biologists, chemists, and biomedical scientists (Leo Quinlan and Relevium) in the search for bioactive molecules.
• Publish research findings in high-impact journals and present at international conferences.
• Contribute to the development of research proposals and grant applications.
• Oversee lab management and supervise postgraduate students and research assistants.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Essential skills:
• BSC or Msc in Natural Product/Analytical Chemistry or a related field.
• Proven experience/interest working with natural product chemistry.
• Proven experience in the use of HPLC, Mass Spectrometry and NMR.
• Proven interest in laboratory/repository management
Desirable Skills:
• Experience in chemical synthesis or semi synthesis
• Experience in SCUBA diving.
• Proficiency in metabolomics analyses.
• Driving licence in Ireland
CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Continuing Professional Development/Training:
Researchers at University of Galway are encouraged to avail of a range of training and development opportunities designed to support their personal career development plans. University of Galway provides continuing professional development supports for all researchers seeking to build their own career pathways either within or beyond academia. Researchers are encouraged to engage with our Researcher Development Centre (RDC) upon commencing employment – see HEREResearcher Development Centre – University of Galway for further information.
Please submit your CV, a cover letter outlining your research experience and interest in the project, and the contact details of two referees to mageshneem.reddy@universityofgalway.ie.
FURTHER INFORMATION/LINKS
•TO APPLY: Search Current University of Galway vacancies. Applications must be submitted online.
o E-Recruit – University of Galway
•For informal enquiries, please contact Prof Olivier Thomas, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Email: Olivier.thomas@universityofgalway.ie
•Strategy | Straitéis 2020-2025 – University of Galway
•Research & Innovation – University of Galway
• EURAXESS |
•E-Recruit – University of Galway
•We reserve the right to re-advertise or extend the closing date for this post.
•University of Galway is an equal opportunities employer.
•All positions are recruited in line with Open, Transparent, Merit (OTM) and Competency based recruitment.