UCD Post Doctoral Research Fellow Level 1, UCD School of Economics (Temporary)

A postdoctoral research fellow in economics is sought to carry out research in energy technology adoption and the societal costs and benefits of a key future energy technology, residential ground source heat pumps (GSHPs), for the case of Ireland. The researcher will be part of the School of Economics in Belfield, UCD. The aim of the project is to carry out an economic assessment of the deployment of GSHPs in Ireland and develop an appropriate policy strategy. The objectives of the project are to: Develop methodologies to model the potential uptake of GSHP in the residential sector; Assess the market and economic value of scenarios of various shares of GSHPs; Advance evidence-based policy recommendations on the development of geothermal energy as part of the renewable energy mix in Ireland. The Irish White Paper on Energy Policy explicitly states the intention to develop policies to “promote the replacement of domestic boilers with air and ground source heat pumps, which have the lowest running costs of any heating and cooling systems”. The core focus of this research is on developing and applying existing economic methodologies to understand the challenges and impacts associated with GSHP deployment in Ireland. This should lead to the proposal of a policy strategy for GSHPs as part of the renewable energy portfolio that takes economic efficiency, environmental effectiveness and societal welfare into consideration. The postdoctoral researcher will develop a model of the future uptake of GSHP in Ireland under various scenarios using technical, energy price, and sociodemographic data. This will be used to examine the potential for GSHPs to reduce emissions and energy from fossil fuels, which is dependent on the marginal resource that is being displaced and the uptake scenario modelled. A second strand of research will develop a societal cost benefit analysis that includes not only the financial costs and benefits such as the cost of the technology and the energy savings, but also the external impacts such as air pollutions and CO 2 emissions savings. A third strand of research will pull together the results of the other strands and develop recommendations on the share of GSHP deployment in renewable energy and develop options for policy instruments to achieve the objectives.  The results of this research should inform a policy discussion on the value of this technology to meeting Ireland's CO 2 emissions, renewable and energy efficiency targets. The successful candidate will join a team of researchers in energy economics within the School of Economics and will be situated within the UCD Energy Institute. The researcher will engage with Irish policy makers on the development of renewable energy strategies in Ireland. This work will benefit from technical input and close collaboration with the Irish Centre for Research in Applied Geosciences (iCRAG), a research centre funded by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and industry partners and hosted by UCD. The postdoctoral research fellow will also work with researchers in the Energy System Integration Project, a multidisciplinary partnership funded by SFI at UCD. This is a research focused role, where you will conduct a specified programme of research supported by research training and development under the supervision and direction of a Principal Investigator. The primary purpose of the role is to further develop research skills and competences, including the processes of publication in peer-reviewed academic publications, the development of funding proposals, the mentorship of graduate students along with the opportunity to develop skills in research led teaching. The post is supported by funding from the Irish Research Council and the Geological Survey of Ireland Salary: €34,975 - €42,181 per annum Appointment on the above range will be dependent upon qualifications and experience Closing Date: 17:00hrs (Local Irish Time), 03 May 2017 Applications must be submitted by the closing date and time specified. Any applications which are still in progress at the closing time of 17:00hrs (Local Irish Time) on the specified closing date will be cancelled automatically by the system. UCD are unable to accept late applications. UCD do not require assistance from Recruitment Agencies. Any CVs submitted by Recruitment Agencies will be returned. Prior to application, further information (including application procedure) should be obtained from the UCD Job Vacancies website: http://www.ucd.ie/hr/jobvacancies .