RINN Semiconductors Senior Postdoctoral Researcher position in advanced opto-electronic methane sensors based on heterogeneously integrated devices
Ireland
Full Time
Research
Experienced
RINN Semiconductors Senior Postdoctoral Researcher position in advanced opto-electronic methane sensors based on heterogeneously integrated devices
Rinn Semiconductors is part of a constellation of seven major new centres funded by Research Ireland, which collectively represent an investment of €460M in advanced research by the Government of Ireland. Rinn Semiconductors aims to lead Ireland’s response to the end of Moore’s Law scaling, the point where traditional improvements in computer chips slows down or ends, by pioneering modular integrated circuit-based (chiplet-based) semiconductor design and integration. With deep expertise in the areas of Heterogeneous Integration and Advanced Packaging, the Rinn Semiconductors team propose to enable transformative advances in these technologies and to apply them in three main application areas: Future Internet, Sustainable Energy and Environment, and Digital Healthcare. A key objective of the Rinn is to foster deep collaboration across the seven universities and institutions involved, by leveraging the semiconductor fabrication facilities at Tyndall, ultimately creating a cohesive “atom to systems” value chain in Ireland, connecting everything from basic materials research through to complete technology solutions. The Rinn will operate in close collaboration with Ireland’s vibrant semiconductor industry sector which supports 20,000 high skilled jobs and includes world leading multinational companies, small and medium sized enterprises and start-ups.
It is within this context that we are recruiting a senior postdoc for the position in advanced opto-electronic methane sensors based on heterogeneously integrated devices, primarily based at Tyndall National Institute, Cork, and working in collaboration with researchers at University College Cork, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin City University, Munster Technology University and industrial partners.
The successful candidate will join the Photonic Systems Group at Tyndall, who are leading researchers in optical fibre communications and networks, short-wave infrared environmental sensing and in distributed acoustic sensing.
About Tyndall
Tyndall National Institute is an international leader in semiconductors, photonics and deep-tech research and innovation. As a leading collaborative European research institute, Tyndall is a key actor and hosting partner in the delivery of the ‘Chips for Europe Initiative’ (EU Chips Act).
Tyndall is Ireland’s leading research and innovation organisation and it is the national focal point for excellence in deep-tech research, development and graduate training at the convergence of nanotechnology, microelectronics, photonics, electronics and AI. Tyndall is recognised as an international research leader in semiconductor, chip and digital technologies, particularly as applied to the fields of Information & Communications, Health & Life Sciences, Agritech & Food Security, Energy and Climate Mitigation, emerging fields such as quantum, and novel computing paradigms.
The Institute’s key objective is to see frontier research activities having a significant impact on economic development and societal challenges in Ireland, Europe and beyond. Central to Tyndall’s mission is delivering economic impact through research excellence in partnership with industry and academia. With an annual turnover of more than €50m, the Institute has a community of over 600 researchers, engineers, support staff, postgraduate students, interns and industry researchers-in-residence.
With significant committed Irish government support, Tyndall will grow to be 1,000 people by 2030, with approximately 750 researchers, including 250 PhD students. A new 17,000 m2 research building is under development adjacent to the Cork headquarters and there are developing plans to expand Tyndall’s existing Dublin research labs and to establish other research sites within Ireland.
Tyndall’s expansion is also supported by recent national and EU funding wins for significant (M€10’s) additional research equipment across a range of areas such as semiconductor processing, microscopy, quantum technologies, heterogeneous integration, ultra-high speed optical communications and RF through THz characterisation.
About the Role
The senior postdoctoral role will be aligned with RINN Semiconductor’s Sustainable Energy and the Environment theme, and, in particularly, working and overseeing the work in RINN Semiconductors on gas sensing technologies requiring heterogeneous integration, including own research, building and managing the sensing testbed, in addition to assist in supervising postgraduate students and undergraduate projects. It is expected that the successful candidate will also support and assist in continue collaborations with industry and through EU projects.
The successful applicant will:
Apart from offering a position in a very successful and positive research environment, with a collaborative ethos full of diverse competencies to boost your career, we offer the following:
Contract Category: Full-time
Contract Type: Fixed Term for 18 months, renewable depending on funding and acceptable performance.
Appointment may be made on the Postdoctoral Researcher scale (new entrants) salary €47,273 - €53,925 er annum. Salary placement on appointment will be in accordance with the public sector pay policy.
Informal enquiries can be made in confidence to Dr Fatima Gunning.
Closing date for applications for this position is 1pm, 31st July 2026
Application Instructions
Please make sure to attach an up-to-date CV/Resume AND a brief motivation letter outlining how you meet the ‘Essential Criteria’ for this role.
Please note that Garda vetting and/or an international police clearance check may form part of the selection process.
Please note that an appointment to posts advertised will be dependent on university approval, together with the terms of the employment control framework for the higher education sector.
Tyndall National Institute does not require the assistance of recruitment agencies.
Tyndall National Institute at University College, Cork is an Equal Opportunities Employer.
Rinn Semiconductors is part of a constellation of seven major new centres funded by Research Ireland, which collectively represent an investment of €460M in advanced research by the Government of Ireland. Rinn Semiconductors aims to lead Ireland’s response to the end of Moore’s Law scaling, the point where traditional improvements in computer chips slows down or ends, by pioneering modular integrated circuit-based (chiplet-based) semiconductor design and integration. With deep expertise in the areas of Heterogeneous Integration and Advanced Packaging, the Rinn Semiconductors team propose to enable transformative advances in these technologies and to apply them in three main application areas: Future Internet, Sustainable Energy and Environment, and Digital Healthcare. A key objective of the Rinn is to foster deep collaboration across the seven universities and institutions involved, by leveraging the semiconductor fabrication facilities at Tyndall, ultimately creating a cohesive “atom to systems” value chain in Ireland, connecting everything from basic materials research through to complete technology solutions. The Rinn will operate in close collaboration with Ireland’s vibrant semiconductor industry sector which supports 20,000 high skilled jobs and includes world leading multinational companies, small and medium sized enterprises and start-ups.
It is within this context that we are recruiting a senior postdoc for the position in advanced opto-electronic methane sensors based on heterogeneously integrated devices, primarily based at Tyndall National Institute, Cork, and working in collaboration with researchers at University College Cork, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin City University, Munster Technology University and industrial partners.
The successful candidate will join the Photonic Systems Group at Tyndall, who are leading researchers in optical fibre communications and networks, short-wave infrared environmental sensing and in distributed acoustic sensing.
About Tyndall
Tyndall National Institute is an international leader in semiconductors, photonics and deep-tech research and innovation. As a leading collaborative European research institute, Tyndall is a key actor and hosting partner in the delivery of the ‘Chips for Europe Initiative’ (EU Chips Act).
Tyndall is Ireland’s leading research and innovation organisation and it is the national focal point for excellence in deep-tech research, development and graduate training at the convergence of nanotechnology, microelectronics, photonics, electronics and AI. Tyndall is recognised as an international research leader in semiconductor, chip and digital technologies, particularly as applied to the fields of Information & Communications, Health & Life Sciences, Agritech & Food Security, Energy and Climate Mitigation, emerging fields such as quantum, and novel computing paradigms.
The Institute’s key objective is to see frontier research activities having a significant impact on economic development and societal challenges in Ireland, Europe and beyond. Central to Tyndall’s mission is delivering economic impact through research excellence in partnership with industry and academia. With an annual turnover of more than €50m, the Institute has a community of over 600 researchers, engineers, support staff, postgraduate students, interns and industry researchers-in-residence.
With significant committed Irish government support, Tyndall will grow to be 1,000 people by 2030, with approximately 750 researchers, including 250 PhD students. A new 17,000 m2 research building is under development adjacent to the Cork headquarters and there are developing plans to expand Tyndall’s existing Dublin research labs and to establish other research sites within Ireland.
Tyndall’s expansion is also supported by recent national and EU funding wins for significant (M€10’s) additional research equipment across a range of areas such as semiconductor processing, microscopy, quantum technologies, heterogeneous integration, ultra-high speed optical communications and RF through THz characterisation.
About the Role
The senior postdoctoral role will be aligned with RINN Semiconductor’s Sustainable Energy and the Environment theme, and, in particularly, working and overseeing the work in RINN Semiconductors on gas sensing technologies requiring heterogeneous integration, including own research, building and managing the sensing testbed, in addition to assist in supervising postgraduate students and undergraduate projects. It is expected that the successful candidate will also support and assist in continue collaborations with industry and through EU projects.
The successful applicant will:
- Join a world-class and highly diverse community of more than 100 PhD students, more than a 100 Postdoctoral Researchers and around 35 experienced PIs and Research Fellows.
- 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.
- To conduct and lead a specified programme of research under the supervision and direction of a Principal Investigator / Team Leader.
- To secure competitive research funding for research proposals.
- To engage in appropriate professional development opportunities as required by the Principal Investigator.
- To support the Principal Investigator and the research group in the design, development and execution of the research programme.
- To assist and conduct, where appropriate, the administrative and management work associated with the research project.
- To collaborate with the wider team of researchers within the research programme,.
- To assist in the supervision of research students and junior postdocs, potentially across multiple institutions, and also undergraduate projects.
- To engage in innovation, commercialisation and entrepreneurship opportunities, including target collaborative projects with industry.
- To engage and participate in EU collaborative projects.
- To participate in Education and Public Engagement activities.
- To ensure compliance with Tyndall’s Quality Management Systems, Health and Safety standards, and other regulations.
- To carry out any additional duties that may reasonably be required within the general scope and level of the post.
- PhD in Physics or Electrical and Electronic Engineering, where work was focused on optical frequency combs, photonics subsystems and sensing, with over 3 years of experience post-PhD.
- Significant experimental and simulations experience in optical frequency combs, including opto-electronic combs and Kerr combs, from fundamental physics simulations and design to experimental implementation and testing.
- Published track record on frequency combs and their applications, also demonstrating collaborative and interdisciplinary activities.
- Co-supervision experience of undergraduate projects, such as final year projects.
- Ability to work in a team and as an independent researcher.
- Experience in writing and managing successful research project(s).
- Experience working experimentally with SWIR, extending from 1.5µm to 2.1µm, including.
- Experience in photonic-chip characterisation and applications testbed development.
- Successfully awarded with funded postgraduate or postdoctoral research projects, such as IRC, Marie Curie etc.
- Computing skills, such as Python, Matlab, Lumerical, and Microsoft Tools.
Apart from offering a position in a very successful and positive research environment, with a collaborative ethos full of diverse competencies to boost your career, we offer the following:
- Impactful Work: Opportunities to contribute to ground-breaking research and innovation that shape Ireland’s economy and the society at large, as part of a national research centre.
- Continuous Learning: Strong support for formal training, further study and professional development.
- Interdisciplinary Environment: Where academia, industry, and innovation intersect - supported by cutting-edge infrastructure and expert knowledge.
- Blended Working: Flexibility to work remotely and on-site, where the role allows.
- Comprehensive Benefits: Access to UCC pension, long-term illness benefit, life assurance, and more.
- Generous Leave: Competitive annual leave entitlements.
- Equity & Inclusion: Athena Swan Bronze award holder, with ongoing initiatives led by a dedicated People and Culture team to ensure equity for all.
- Core Values: A culture grounded in Ambition, Collaboration, Diversity, Excellence, and Integrity.
- Entrepreneurial Spirit: A proactive, innovation-driven environment that welcomes entrepreneurial and creative thinkers, including those with start-up experience.
- Supportive Onboarding: Structured induction and mentoring to help new hires integrate and thrive.
- Vibrant Culture: A collaborative, people-first workplace with a strong sense of community.
Contract Category: Full-time
Contract Type: Fixed Term for 18 months, renewable depending on funding and acceptable performance.
Appointment may be made on the Postdoctoral Researcher scale (new entrants) salary €47,273 - €53,925 er annum. Salary placement on appointment will be in accordance with the public sector pay policy.
Informal enquiries can be made in confidence to Dr Fatima Gunning.
Closing date for applications for this position is 1pm, 31st July 2026
Application Instructions
Please make sure to attach an up-to-date CV/Resume AND a brief motivation letter outlining how you meet the ‘Essential Criteria’ for this role.
Please note that Garda vetting and/or an international police clearance check may form part of the selection process.
Please note that an appointment to posts advertised will be dependent on university approval, together with the terms of the employment control framework for the higher education sector.
Tyndall National Institute does not require the assistance of recruitment agencies.
Tyndall National Institute at University College, Cork is an Equal Opportunities Employer.
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