Funded Postgraduate Research Positions | University of Limerick

Current Postgraduate Research Vacancies are listed below.

Applicants interested in applying for a research masters or PhD should also check individual Faculty webpages for information on current research projects.

Date Published	Position
16/11/2012	PhD Student Research Position in Reproductive Physiology	more
08/03/2013	PhD Scholarship: The Impact of Peer Learning on Developing Students Professional, Personal and Transferrable Skills in ICT-related Undergraduate Courses	more
08/03/2013	PhD Scholarship: An Investigation of the Use of Visualisation tools in Teaching and Learning Computer Programming	more
13/03/2013	AHSS Postgraduate Research Scholarship	more

Position Title	AHSS Postgraduate Research Scholarship
Project	A two year scholarship is available for an MA by research or PhD in any of the following schools/departments: Department of History School of Languages, Literature, Culture and Communication School of Law Department of Politics & Public Administration Department of Sociology.
Faculty	Arts Humanities & Social Sciences
Entry Requirements	First Class Honours or 2:1 Honours degree in a suitable discipline such as History, Law, Languages, Politics and Sociology.
Salary/Stipend	The studentship is €12,000 per annum + 2 years EU fees
Closing Date	April 26 2013
Contact	Niamh Lenahan niamh.lenahan@ul.ie
Additonal Information	Applicants must include ALL of the following A completed Postgraduate Studies Research Application Form A research proposal Original transcripts for all third level degrees. Two academic references. A 200 word statement outlining reasons for applying for a scholarship

Position Title	PhD Scholarship: The Impact of Peer Learning on Developing Students Professional, Personal and Transferrable Skills in ICT-related Undergraduate Courses.
Project	The project aims to investigate the impacts, benefits and limitations of a number of different peer-learning models and paradigms on the development of practical and core professional skills of students of undergraduate ICT and engineering courses. The project will specifically focus on the development of software and hardware skills of these students, such as computer programming and electronic design and development.
Faculty
Entry Requirements	Essential First or upper second class degree (Level 8 - National Qualifications Authority of Ireland or equivalent) or a Master's degree in computer/electronic/software engineering, computer science or cognate discipline. Strong computer programming skills and demonstrated experience in at least one high-level language, such as Java and C++. An interest in learning support, student-centred learning and collaborative learning, particularly in relation to ICT teaching and learning. Strong verbal and written communication skills Ability to write concise and accessible reports for both specialist and non-specialist audiences. Desirable Experience of research in an academic environment. Familiarity with qualitative and quantitative research methods. Tutoring/mentoring/teaching experience in ICT related discipline. Personal attributes A strong team player with good interpersonal skills able to build and sustain effective working relationships both with students and teaching staff. A self-motivated researcher willing to develop their technical and analytical skills and to contribute to the overall aims of this ICT teaching and learning initiative in innovative ways. Strong organisational skills with high level of attention to detail in working methods
Salary/Stipend	The studentship covers a stipend of €16,000 per annum and tuition fees at EU rate.
Closing Date	April 30 2013
Contact	For further details or to apply please email Hussain.Mahdi@ul.ie. Applications should include a cover letter and a curriculum vitae giving full details of qualifications and experience, along with the names of two referees.
Additional Information	This project is part of our Research and Practice in ICT Teaching and Learning activities. The successful student will be joining UL's ICT Learning Centre and Regional Peer-Supported Centre team and will be supervised by the two directors of these centres: Dr Hussain Mahdi (ECE Dept) and Dr Michael English (CSIS Dept).

Position Title	PhD Scholarship: An Investigation of the Use of Visualisation tools in Teaching and Learning Computer Programming
Project	The project will investigate the usefulness of visualisation support tools in teaching and learning computer programming, a subject area that is accepted as difficult to teach and learn and that has historically resulted in high attrition rates from undergraduate ICT programmes. This project will enhance existing support tools or build new tools to support teaching and learning in this area. These tools will then be evaluated to determine their impact on student outcomes.
Faculty	Science and Engineering
Entry Requirements	Essential First or upper second class degree (Level 8 - National Qualifications Authority of Ireland or equivalent) or a Master's degree in computer/electronic/software engineering, computer science or cognate discipline. Strong computer programming skills and demonstrated experience in at least one high-level language, such as Java and C++. An interest in learning support, student-centred learning and collaborative learning, particularly in relation to ICT teaching and learning. Strong verbal and written communication skills Ability to write concise and accessible reports for both specialist and non-specialist audiences. Desirable Experience of research in an academic environment. Familiarity with qualitative and quantitative research methods. Tutoring/mentoring/teaching experience in ICT related discipline. Personal attributes A strong team player with good interpersonal skills able to build and sustain effective working relationships both with students and teaching staff. A self-motivated researcher willing to develop their technical and analytical skills and to contribute to the overall aims of this ICT teaching and learning initiative in innovative ways. Strong organisational skills with high level of attention to detail in working methods
Salary/ Stipend	The studentship covers a stipend of €16,000 per annum and tuition fees at EU rate.
Closing Date	2013
Contact	For further details or to apply please email Michael.English@ul.ie. Applications should include a cover letter and a curriculum vitae giving full details of qualifications and experience, along with the names of two referees.
Additional Infromation	This project is part of our Research and Practice in ICT Teaching and Learning activities. The successful student will be joining UL's ICT Learning Centre and Regional Peer-Supported Centre team and will be supervised by the two directors of these centres: Dr Hussain Mahdi (ECE Dept) and Dr Michael English (CSIS Dept).

Position Title	PhD Student Research Position in Reproductive Physiology
Project	To conduct high quality research on evaluating the effect of reducing the sperm number per insemination dose on the function of fresh bull semen stored for up to 5 days post collection. The research will contribute towards the synthesis of a Ph.D. thesis, internationally peer reviewed scientific manuscripts and ultimately a standardised protocol for the use of fresh semen in the Irish dairy industry.
Faculty	Faculty Dept of Life Sciences in the Faculty of Science and Engineering in UL in collaboration with researchers in UCD and Teagasc Grange and Moorepark
Entry Requirements	High honours grade in a Biological Science degree (e.g Animal/Dairy Science, Veterinary Medicine, Physiology, Biotechnology, Biochemistry or Biomedical Science). Basic laboratory, computer, data handling skills. Knowledge of Agricultural/Dairy systems. Self motivated, Organised, Meets Targets
Salary/Stipend	The fellowship provides an annual stipend of €21,543. University fees are paid by the student from the stipend which is tenable for 4 years. The Fellowship will start as soon as possible after the 1st of January 2013.
Closing Date	30th Nov 2012
Contact	Dr Sean Fair, Department of Life Sciences, University of Limerick Phone +353-61-202548 email: sean.fair@ul.ie. Submit an electronic copy of your CV, including the names and addresses of at least two referees as well as a letter of interest to: Dr S. Fair (sean.fair@ul.ie)
Additional Information	The use of fresh bull semen currently accounts for only approximately 5% of all dairy insemination doses used nationally, however, this may rise to approximately 20% during the peak breeding season in April and May. Given that over 60% of all dairy inseminations occur in a 6 week period in April/May, the increased usage of fresh semen is a viable option. The successful PhD candidate will work as part of a highly motivated internationally renowned team of scientists, on this Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine funded research project. They will conduct a series of experiments to (1) determine the optimum temperature for the storage of fresh bull semen 2. examine the effect of reducing the sperm number per insemination dose on the level of reactive oxygen species generated, lipid peroxidation and in vitro fertilising ability of sperm (3) investigate the role of seminal plasma as well as the addition of specific antioxidants on the inhibition of oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation in fresh stored semen and (4) conduct a large scale field trial to determine the effects of using low dose fresh semen at first AI on subsequent reproductive performance in Irish dairy cows managed under a seasonal-calving pasture-based system.