Postdoctoral researcher in distributed acoustic sensing for marine monitoring and field trials

The Photonic Systems Group at Tyndall National Institute is seeking a highly motivated candidate to join its research activities in distributed acoustic sensing (DAS), underwater acoustics, and marine monitoring. The position is funded through the Interreg Atlantic Area project ATLAS (Atlantic Tracking with Lightwave Acoustic Sensing - https://www.atlasinterreg.eu/) and focuses on the development, deployment, and validation of DAS-based monitoring methods on submarine fibre infrastructure. Through this work, ATLAS aims to enable real-time, large-scale monitoring of geohazards, marine noise pollution, and cetacean-ship collision risks across the Atlantic. The project combines sensing, validation, and AI-enabled data analysis to support marine observation, environmental protection, and risk prevention.

At Tyndall, the successful candidate will play a central role in the Irish site ATLAS activities, including the connection of dark fibre infrastructure to DAS interrogators for calibration and validation studies, shore-based monitoring of ship and marine mammal underwater noise, and correlation of DAS measurements with hydrophone and AIS/GPS data. The role involves operating DAS and associated sensing systems during field trials and analysing the resulting data to support vessel detection, tracking, and broader underwater acoustic monitoring. The candidate will work closely with ATLAS partners in Ireland, Portugal, and the Canary Islands to support calibration methods, validated datasets, data-product interoperability, and the development of DAS-based signal processing methods.

The successful candidate will also join a growing research programme within the Photonic Systems Group in fibre-optic sensing and advanced photonic systems for marine and environmental monitoring. The group provides a strong experimental environment, combining expertise in DAS instrumentation, optoelectronic system development, field validation, and signal processing. This role offers the opportunity to work at the interface of photonics, acoustics, and real-world marine sensing, while contributing to a wider DAS research programme with strong scope for publications, international collaboration, and future project development.

Responsibilities

• Work with national and international partners in academia, marine monitoring, and industry on research and development activities within the ATLAS project.
• Support the deployment, operation, and validation of DAS interrogator system on submarine fibre infrastructure for marine monitoring applications.
• Design and execute calibration and validation experiments, including DAS data acquisition during vessel passages.
• Process, analyse, and interpret large time-series datasets using software tools such as Python and/or MATLAB.
• Develop and refine signal processing workflows for vessel passage detection, vessel tracking, acoustic event identification, and comparison against AIS/GPS and hydrophone data.
• Contribute to technical reports, project deliverables, and dissemination material, and present results at project meetings and scientific conferences.
• Participate in the good practice of data formatting and metadata management for project-wide sharing and future data-platform integration.
• Ensure all activities are compliant with the Tyndall Quality Management system and Health and Safety standards.
• Carry out any additional duties as may reasonably be required within the general scope and level of the post.

Essential Criteria

• A PhD (or Master's degree with equivalent industry experience) in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Physics, Photonics, Acoustics, Signal Processing, Computer Science, or a related discipline.
• Good knowledge of DAS, fibre-optic sensing, acoustic sensing, or related experimental sensing systems, and a strong orientation to hands-on experimental research.
• Experience in operating scientific instrumentation or sensing systems in laboratory and/or field environments.
• Strong experience in acquisition, processing, and interpretation of experimental time-series data using Python and/or MATLAB.
• Strong practical problem-solving ability, including validation of measurements through comparison with reference sensors or complementary datasets.

Desirable Criteria

• Hands-on experience with commercial DAS interrogators or distributed fibre sensing platforms.
• Experience working with hydrophones or other underwater acoustic reference sensors.
• Understanding of underwater acoustics, passive acoustic monitoring, vessel-radiated noise, or related marine acoustic measurement and analysis.
• Experience handling large experimental datasets and building structured, reproducible analysis workflows.
• Experience contributing to collaborative multi-partner national or European research projects.
• A publication record in relevant journals or conferences in sensing, acoustics, photonics, or marine monitoring.

Terms of Employment

Contract Category: Full-Time
Contract Type: Fixed Term
Duration: Approximately 24 months

Informal enquiries can be made in confidence to Dr. Cleitus Antony

Appointment will be made on the IUA Scale for Post Doctoral Researcher €46,805 - €53,391 p.a. Salary placement on appointment will be in accordance with experience and public sector pay policy.

Closing date for applications for this position is 1pm, 7th May 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.