Expressions of Interests are now invited for opportunities to join one of Europe’s leading PhD and Postdoctoral Semiconductor (technologies and applications) research and training programmes

Tyndall National Institute and its university partners are excited to announce a range of new research leadership and research training opportunities in semiconductor technologies and applications in Ireland. The opportunities span the disciplines of microelectronics and photonics, with a particular emphasis on the development of advanced heterogeneous integrated semiconductor systems and their applications.

Opportunities include the following, which will be distributed across multiple locations in Ireland including Cork, Dublin, Galway and Limerick:

• PhD Studentships
• Postdoctoral Researchers
• Research Fellowships

Ireland is home to a vibrant semiconductor industry cluster supporting 20,000 high skilled jobs and generating €15.5 Billion in exports, which includes many of the world’s leading multinational companies as well as fast growing indigenous small-to-medium enterprises and start-ups (more info can be found here). This new investment in talent aims to develop the next generation of world-class scientists and engineers who will ensure the future growth of this critical sector of the economy in line with the objectives of Silicon Ireland, Ireland’s national semiconductor strategy.

Successful applicants will:

• Join a vibrant and highly diverse community of PhDs, Postdoctoral Researchers, Research Fellows and Principal Investigators (PIs) to achieve your career goals
• Engage with over 30 industry partners to learn about their work and future career opportunities
• Become an in-house entrepreneur and explore the opportunity to commercialise your research through a Spin-Out company
• Follow in the footsteps of our current trainees where over 86% of PhDs have transitioned into industry with some of the world’s leading semiconductor companies, in Ireland and the EU.

If you aspire to be a future PI and academic research leader our programme will support you to build your research track record and vision, equipping you to take the next steps on your career journey.

Successful applicants will join a vibrant distributed centre of excellence in semiconductor research and training involving more than 100 PhD students, more than a 100 Postdoctoral Researchers and around 35 experienced PIs and Research Fellows, which will expand over the next 5 years, in close collaboration with more than 30 industry partners.

All participants will have the opportunity to engage in one or more of five closely interlinked, cutting-edge collaborative research themes which target some of the outstanding challenges in semiconductor research today. These include:

1. Heterogeneous Integration (HET) – creation of novel chiplets combining silicon photonic circuits (lasers, data modulators, detectors etc.) with electronics (inductors, capacitors, integrated circuits etc.) and other materials.
2. Advanced Packaging (PACK) – major developments in process technologies, equipment automation and advanced packaging design rules leading to new standards, with a focus on glass interposer technology for interconnecting photonic and electronic chiplets to create systems-in-package.
3. Future Networks and the Internet (NET) – transforming the energy efficiency of AI processing clusters in data centres and developing ultra-high speed intelligent air interface technologies for 6G wireless systems.
4. Sustainable Energy and Environment (ENV) – the development of wide area distributed acoustic sensing systems for the protection and optimisation of offshore cables and windfarms and the creation of low power, autonomous, sensors for greenhouse gas and pollutant monitoring.
5. Digital Healthcare (CARE) – The realisation of multi-modal ‘chip-on-tip’ endoscopes for metabolic imaging and precision diagnostics addressing gastrointestinal disease and wearable sensors for precision biomarker monitoring, focusing in particular on neonatal care.

Job advertisements for specific positions will be advertised in the coming months, however in the meantime we now welcome Expressions of Interest

Potential applicants should indicate their areas of interest and availability as follows:

• Post: PhD Studentship (PHD), Postdoctoral Researcher (PDR) or Research Fellow (RF)
• Theme: HET, PACK, NET, ENV, CARE or combinations of.
• Preferred location: Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick or Flexible.
• Availability: earliest and latest start dates, noting that most positions are available from July 1st 2026.

The closing date for expressions of interest is April 14th 2026. Specific roles will be advertised and appointments made over the following few months after this date.  All posts are funded in line with national PhD stipend (€25k per annum, plus applicable fees) and researcher salary scales in Ireland.  UCC salary scales can be found here.

If you have a strong interest in developing a career in the semiconductor sector and are highly motivated to work as part of a large multidisciplinary world-class research team please contact us.