Call for Applications: Research Ireland Public Service Fellowship 2026 (Award Amount Max. €130,000 direct costs)

Ednah Carrick March 18, 2026

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Closing Date: 16 April 2026

Call for Applications: Research Ireland Public Service Fellowship 2026 (Award Amount Max. €130,000 direct costs)

Research Ireland Public Service Fellowship 2026

This is a unique opportunity to apply advanced analytics to one of Ireland most strategically important environmental datasets and directly inform national climate and nutrient management policy.

Project Title: Using the National Fertiliser Database to Inform Policy on Climate and Environmental Targets

The project will undertake a comprehensive analysis of national fertiliser sales and use, and their environmental and policy implications. It will be organised in three components:

• Trend analysis
• Policy relevance
• Scenario modelling and forecasting

Description of the Research Project

The National Fertiliser Database (NFD), established under the Fertilisers, Feeding Stuffs and Mineral Mixtures Act 1955 (as amended), records fertiliser sales, exports, imports, transfers, alongside annual closing stock declarations. With over one million transactions recorded to date – logged by product, quantity, economic operator, and end user – the database provides a robust foundation for data analysis and policy insights. The NFD, complemented by historical sales data from economic operators, allows to identify long-term trends and to analyse fertiliser use/sale at transaction-level for the first time.

This dataset provides the evidence base to:

Track fertiliser sales and use across regions and product types.
Monitor compliance with agri-environmental obligations (conditionality, eco-schemes, nitrate derogation) and new legal requirements.
Support meeting Ireland’s Climate Action Plan 2024 targets (i.e. reduce nitrogen fertiliser use to 300,000 tonnes by 2030, increase inhibited urea uptake to 90-100% by 2030) enabling the reduction of nitrous oxide and ammonia emissions, and nutrient losses through efficient fertiliser practices and improved nutrient use efficiency.
Underpin measures in the Food Vision 2030 strategy (climate-smart and competitive agri-food sector).
Enable the DAFM Statement of Strategy 2023–2026 commitment to environmental sustainability, evidence-based policymaking, and digitalisation.

This research project will investigate how the NFD can be used to analyse and forecast fertiliser use and sale trends, identify environmental risks, and inform evidence-based interventions. The project will apply advanced statistical, forecasting and geospatial techniques to generate insights that DAFM can use in regulation, policy design, and negotiations at EU level.

Skills/Expertise Required

Strong analytical skills, including the ability to:
- collect, organise and analyse significant amounts of information with attention to detail and accuracy
- extract key messages and identify underlying trends.
Expertise in data modelling would be a significant advantage.
Advanced statistical/data analysis skills (R, Python, or equivalent).
Geographical analysis expertise (GIS, R, Python).
Ability to work independently and as part of the Fertiliser team.
Agricultural/environmental science background is desirable but not mandatory.

Expected Outputs of Project

Technical report on fertiliser use, trends, and predictions, with emphasis on nitrogenous fertilisers.
Technical reports to assist monitoring the Climate Action Plan including:
- Regional prioritisation of nutrient reduction efforts
- Impacts of fertiliser type substitution on emissions
- Trends and predictions in urea/CAN/lime use upon policy changes.
Interim short report at month 6 providing early findings on fertiliser sales trends and, if needed, recommendation on adjustments of the project.
Optional development of a prototype of a geographic dashboard combining NFD data with land use, soil fertility, fertiliser use, farm management practices, water quality, GHG, and ammonia indicators.

Research Ireland Public Service Fellowship Eligibility

In summary, applications will be accepted where the Applicant satisfies the following eligibility criteria:

PhD Qualification: Applicants must hold a PhD or equivalent qualification at the time of application.
Employment Status: Applicants must be a permanent member of the academic staff (“Faculty Researcher”) of an Eligible Research Body (with a contract at the time of application), or a current contract postdoctoral researcher (“Postdoctoral Researcher”) based in an Eligible Research Body at the submission deadline.
Under review: Applicants who are currently under review for other Research Ireland Programmes are not eligible to apply.
Individuals Holding Existing Fellowship Awards: Specific criteria apply for individuals holding Fellowship awards.
Individuals who have previously held a Public Service Fellowship award: Specific criteria apply for individuals who have previously held Public Service Fellowship awards.