Applications are invited for the Research Support Officer in the Energy Policy & Modelling Group to join the MaREI Centre in University College Cork (UCC), based at the Environmental Research Institute, Lee Rd, Cork. MaREI’s Energy Policy and Modelling Group (EPMG) in UCC has been engaged in energy policy and energy systems modelling research for 20 years. This research can support the exploration, development, decision-making and governance of long-term pathways consistent with the long-term Paris Climate Agreement goals. The EPMG have developed a suite of modelling tools together with an internationally recognised expertise in their development and usage. Multiple ongoing projects including CAPACITY and SELFS projects will further develop and update these tools to facilitate insights and robust decision making about the appropriate long-term decarbonisation pathway and to support climate planning in Ireland. The group is also working closely with policymakers in Ireland to enhance the absorptive capacity of the governance system to utilise the insights from these energy modelling tools.
This position will primarily involve providing support to the Energy Policy and Modelling Group in managing modelling tools, databases and building interactive visualisation interfaces to enhance the EPMG’s collaboration with policymakers and stakeholders.
The MaREI Centre of Energy, Climate and Marine (www.marei.ie) is the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) centre of excellence in Energy, Climate and Marine research in Ireland. The MaREI Centre includes 13 Universities, Third Level Institutes and Research Organisations, has 103 industrial partners and has research funding of approximately €60m. It combines the expertise of a wide range of research groups and industry partners, with the shared mission of solving the main scientific, technical and socio-economic challenges across the energy, climate and marine domains. Researchers in the MaREI Centre have over 30 years of experience in conducting fundamental and applied research supported by competitively won national and international funding, and commercial contracts with government agencies and industry. MaREI’s strengths lie in the multi-disciplinary nature of its research teams, allowing it to combine insights across areas such as Marine Renewable Energy Technologies, Materials & Structures, Observations & Operations, Coastal & Marine Systems, Bioenergy, Circular Economy, Energy Policy & Modelling, and Renewable Energy Management.
MaREI’s Energy Policy and Modelling Group (Energy Policy and Modelling Group | University College Cork (ucc.ie) has been engaged in energy policy and energy modelling research for over 20 years. The results of this research have been published in journal papers, conference proceedings and reports which have directly informed the development of national and European energy and climate mitigation policy. The group is very engaged in disseminating research findings and have won research awards for impact, engagement, and communications of research findings. The focus of research is on integrated energy systems modelling comprising i) sectoral energy demand and efficiency, ii) integrated electricity, gas and water modelling and iii) full energy systems modelling. The group is led by Prof. Brian Ó Gallachóir (Chair of Energy Engineering; Chair of the Executive Committee of the IEA Technology Collaboration Programme on energy systems modelling (IEA-ETSAP), Professor Hannah Daly (Professor of Sustainable Energy), Dr Paul Deane (Senior Research Fellow in Energy Futures) and Dr Fionn Rogan (Senior Research Fellow in Energy Systems Modelling).
The successful applicant will be based in UCC’s Environmental Research Institute (ERI), Ellen Hutchins Building (https://www.ucc.ie/en/eri/), which is an internationally- recognised institute for environmental research dedicated to the understanding and protection of our natural environment and to developing innovative technologies, tools and services to facilitate a transformation to a zero-carbon and resource-efficient society. Overlooking a protected natural reserve and the River Lee, the ERI is a welcoming, diverse and modern workplace.
