Offer Description
Description: One fully funded three-year PhD studentship is available in the UCD School of Civil Engineering, starting in May 2026. The main research topic is the valorisation of sewage sludge to produce value-added bioproducts, including but not limited to fatty acid production, biostimulants, nutrient recovery, novel feedstock pretreatment methods, and integrated processes for enhanced product recovery. The PhD project is part of the EU Water4All Joint Transnational Project entitled “Increasing circularity of urban WWTPs through valorisation of sewage sludge and advanced polishing of treated effluent” (Acronym: CIRC-WWTP). Partner organisations include the Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology (INCT, Poland) and the University of Borås (Sweden). The PhD student will be based at UCD but is expected to carry out research tasks at INCT (Poland) for a period of 6-12 months.
Funding and Fees: The successful candidate will receive an annual stipend of €25,000 and full funding for UCD tuition fees for both EU and non-EU applicants. The funding also includes a travel budget to visit partner organisations and attend conferences.
Application procedure: Applicants should submit the following documents in a single PDF file to yuansheng.hu1@ucd.ie by the application closing date: (1) A cover letter (max. 1 page), including a statement of motivation to complete PhD; (2) A Curriculum Vitae, including educational background, research and work experience, technical competencies, publications, and the names of 2two referees; (3) A research plan, including research questions or hypothesis, main objectives, novelty, and a brief outline of methodology (max. 2 pages); (4) Supporting documents, including academic transcripts, and an IELTS certificate or equivalent (if applicable).
Where to apply
E-mail: yuansheng.hu1@ucd.ie
Skills/Qualifications
Applicants should hold a first- or upper second-class honours bachelor’s or master’s degree in water, environmental, or microbial engineering, or in a closely related field. The candidate should be highly motivated and capable of working both independently and within a team. Experience and knowledge on microbial and bio-electrochemical processes (e.g., anaerobic fermentation, electrodialysis), along with strong analytical skills, are desirable, as is the ability to communicate scientific research findings effectively. If English is not the applicant’s first language, a certificate of English language proficiency is required. For the IELTS Academic Version, a minimum overall score of 6.5 is required, with no individual band below 6.0
