Job Description

Research Fellow – FILM Systems Lead, Multimodal Photonics Integrated Circuit Endoscope
(Rinn Semiconductor — Ireland’s Centre for Semiconductor Innovation. CARE Theme (Digital Healthcare) CARE 1: Multimodal Photonic Integrated Circuit Endoscope – 1.0 FTE)

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 Rinn Semiconductor

Rinn Semiconductors is part of a constellation of seven major new centres 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.

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.

About the Role

The CARE (Digital Healthcare) theme at Rinn Semiconductor — Ireland’s Centre for Semiconductor Innovation, hosted at Tyndall National Institute (a research flagship of University College Cork, UCC), is seeking a Research Fellow (1.0 FTE) to lead the Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging (FLIM) research within CARE 1, which aims to develop a compact, single-use multimodal photonic integrated circuit endoscope for colorectal inflammation and early-stage cancer diagnostics.

Antimicrobial resistance and cross-contamination from reusable endoscopes are major global health burdens, while current gastrointestinal endoscopes remain bulky, costly, and limited to surface-level RGB imaging. By combining innovations in integrated silicon photonics and heterogeneous semiconductor integration, CARE 1 will deliver a low-cost, ultra-compact, single-use endoscope that adds FLIM-based molecular and metabolic imaging to conventional RGB imaging — giving clinicians transformative diagnostic insight in vivo, with clinical demonstration in the advanced endoscopy unit at Cork University Hospital.

As the FLIM systems lead, the Research Fellow will drive the scientific and technical direction of the FLIM platform — from pulsed laser integration with the chip-on-tip endoscope through to time-resolved detection and image reconstruction — and will provide the system-level coherence that connects the underlying PhD workstreams, the wider iCHIPS effort, and the clinical partners.

In line with the expectations of the Research Fellow grade, the post also offers the professional development opportunity to demonstrate the capacity for independent and self-directed research, to lead a small research team, and to build a portfolio of independent achievement, including securing external research funding, that positions the Fellow competitively for future Principal Investigator, tenured academic, or senior industry roles.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

• Manage CARE 1 FLIM system development: pulsed laser integration with the chip-on-tip endoscope.
• Oversee the time-resolved SPAD detection and FLIM image-reconstruction pipeline.
• Develop the RGB+FLIM multimodal endoscopy system for colorectal inflammation and early-stage malignancy diagnostics.
• Co-supervise, support and coordinate across PhD 1 (PIC/laser), PhD 2 (chip-on-tip integration), and the PIC-design postdoc to ensure system-level coherence.
• Interface with Cork University Hospital clinical partners to capture application-driven requirements.
• Coordinate scientific activities with the wider iCHIPS centre, and contribute to publications, reporting, and student mentoring.
• Identify funding opportunities and manage funding proposals: take a management role in identifying research goals and potential funding sources, and in preparing and writing competitive bids to national and international funders to sustain and grow the FLIM / multimodal imaging research line beyond CARE 1.
• Supervise/co-supervise postgraduate research students, support and mentor early-stage researchers and engineers within the CARE theme.
• Disseminate research outcomes through peer-reviewed publications of international standing, conference presentations, and research demonstrators.
• Participate fully and support in the wider research and scholarly activities of the CARE theme, the Rinn centre, and the Tyndall National Institute, including seminars, outreach, and centre-level events.
• Contribute to teaching, training, and demonstrating activities as may reasonably be required by the Principal Investigator.
• Manage the administrative and management tasks associated with the FLIM research programme, including budget oversight, milestone tracking, risk management, and funder reporting.
• Engage in appropriate training and continuing professional development as required by the Principal Investigator.
• Carry out any additional duties as may reasonably be required within the general scope and level of the post.

Indicative Research Outputs

• FLIM system architecture (M6): Define system-level requirements for pulsed laser integration and chip-on-tip FLIM — setting the scope for PhD 1 and PhD 2.
• Chip-on-tip FLIM demonstrator (M18): First working FLIM system with time-resolved SPAD detection on chip-on-tip — bridging PhD 1 laser work and PhD 2 integration.
• Foundry PIC design input (M24): Provide FLIM system-level requirements to PhD 1 for the first-generation foundry-compatible PIC design.
• RGB+FLIM clinical ex vivo validation (M30): Ex vivo colorectal tissue validation of the multimodal endoscopy system, supporting PhD 2’s phantom (M36) and in vivo (M42) milestones.

Essential Criteria

• A PhD in Photonics, Optics, Physics, Biomedical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
• Typically 6 years’ experience at Postdoctoral Researcher Level.
• Demonstrated research expertise in fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM), time-domain optical imaging, time-resolved spectroscopy, or closely related biophotonic imaging techniques.
• Experience supervising and mentoring PhD students, research staff, or engineers, with the ability to coordinate multidisciplinary research activities and deliver project milestones.
• Demonstrated experience working with clinicians or industrial partners on translational biomedical research projects.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to prepare technical reports, publications, funding deliverables, and presentations.
• Proven experience in developing complex optical instrumentation and imaging systems, including system integration, optical design, and experimental validation.
• Strong experience in time-resolved optical detection technologies (e.g., SPADs, TCSPC, gated detection, or equivalent).
• Evidence of scientific leadership through conference organisation, key roles in international conferences, summer schools, workshops, collaborative projects, or professional societies.
• Demonstrated experience in scientific programming and data analysis using languages such as Python, MATLAB, C/C++, or similar.
• A strong international research track record, evidenced by high-quality peer-reviewed publications, invited conference presentations, and research demonstrators, commensurate with career stage.
• Demonstrated experience of contributing to, or managing, external research funding proposals, with a clear goal of securing research funding.
• Evidence of the capacity to work independently and to manage a defined research programme, including project management, budget and milestone delivery, and management of a small research team.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience in fluorescence lifetime data processing, image reconstruction, inverse modelling, or computational imaging.
• Knowledge of optical tissue properties, light transport in biological tissue, and diffuse optical imaging techniques.
• Experience working within multidisciplinary teams involving clinicians, engineers, physicists, semiconductor foundries, and industrial partners.
• Experience translating Biophotonics technology from laboratory prototypes to clinically deployment.
• Experience in chip-on-tip imaging systems, endoscopic imaging, miniature optical instrumentation, or catheter-based imaging technologies.
• Experience with silicon photonics, photonic integrated circuits (PICs), semiconductor lasers, or heterogeneous photonic integration.
• Familiarity with CMOS/SPAD image sensors and time-resolved detector technologies.
• Experience in technology transfer, intellectual property generation, or collaboration with commercial partners.
• Experience with AI, machine learning, or advanced computational methods for biomedical image analysis would be advantageous.
• Experience of contributing to broader organisational and management processes within a research centre, institute, or comparable organisation
  

What We Offer

• A full-time (1.0 FTE) Research Fellow position with a competitive salary commensurate with experience.
• A role within Rinn Semiconductor — Ireland’s Centre for Semiconductor Innovation, working at the interface of photonics, semiconductors, and digital healthcare.
• Access to world-class fabrication and characterisation facilities at Tyndall National Institute / UCC.
• Cross-theme collaboration with the HET (heterogeneous integration), NET, and PACK (packaging) themes, alongside clinical and industry partners.
• The opportunity to shape a next-generation medical diagnostic platform with direct clinical translation.

Reporting and Collaboration
Reports to the CARE 1 work package lead, Prof. Stefan Andersson-Engels; works closely with the CARE PIs, the PIC-design postdoc, and PhD students 1 and 2.

Cross-theme links: HET, PACK, clinical partner (Cork University Hospital).

Terms of Employment
Contract: Full Time/ Fixed Term
Contract Duration : Approximately 2 years

Appointment may be on the Research Fellow scale €67,214-€73,239 per annum. Salary placement will be in accordance with the public sector pay policy.

Informal enquiries can be made in confidence to supervisor Prof Stefan Andersson-Engels

The closing date for applications for this position is rolling until it’s filled

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.
The University, at its discretion, may undertake to make an additional appointment(s) from this competition following the conclusion of the 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.

At this time, Tyndall National Institute does not require the assistance of recruitment agencies.
Tyndall National Institute at University College, Cork is an Equal Opportunities Employer.