Background
Ireland is recognized as a leading global exporter of dairy products, including butter, cheese, and dairy powders, with the sector valued at approximately €6.3 billion. The consistently high quality of these products reflects both the rigorous standards and best practices applied by primary producers (e.g., farmers) and by downstream milk processors. However, milk production is influenced by a range of complex and interrelated factors (e.g. weather events, feed variability, animal genetics, and seasonality) while the global dairy trade is subject to significant volatility. These combined uncertainties can affect both the compositional characteristics of raw milk and the market value of the products derived from it. Consequently, optimizing processing strategies poses challenges at multiple time scales. In the short term, processors must maximize the value extracted from incoming milk (with potentially variable composition) while in the medium to long term, they must make strategic decisions regarding investments in processing capacity.
This project, undertaken within the VistaMilk research program, will develop a comprehensive decisionsupport model that captures the full complexity of milk’s journey from farm production through industrial processing and into product distribution. The model will integrate data from existing milk production models with current and forecasted market values to identify optimal product portfolios for processors. In addition, the system will enable bidirectional information flow, feeding insights back to upstream production models to enhance predictive accuracy and decision-making. Finally, the optimized framework will be implemented into an efficient, user-friendly interface that allows processors to input plant-specific constraints and capacities, thereby tailoring the model’s outputs to individual operational contexts. This project is funded by Research Ireland and the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine on behalf of the Government of Ireland under Grant Number [21/RC/10303_P2].
Project Description
The successful candidate will:
- Develop (and/or optimise existing) sub-models for the various elements of milk’s post-farm gate journey e.g. collection, transport, milk intake, processing, storage and distribution
- Connect sub-models into coherent and validated overall model
- Integrate data from milk production model and market to optimise product portfolio
- Design and develop a flexible user interface suitable for site-specific product optimisation and scenario testing
Required Qualifications
- Honours degree in a relevant discipline relating to operations research, business analytics, data science, computer science, food science, agricultural/food engineering or system engineering.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Proficiency in Python for predictive and prescriptive (optimisation) modelling
- If English is not your first language you will need to satisfy the English language requirement:
- IELTS: 6.5 - with no individual section lower than 6.0
- TOEFL: 90 - with minimum scores as follows: Listening- 20; Reading - 19; Speaking - 21; Writing – 20
Desirable Qualifications
- Knowledge of dairy processing operations
- Experience with machine learning techniques and applications
- Experience developing graphical user interfaces (GUIs) or decision-support dashboards.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills • Ability to work independently and as part of a team
- Ability to take initiative
Award
The PhD Scholarship is a joint research project between Teagasc Moorepark and Cork University Business School, University College Cork. The student will be primarily based at the Teagasc Food Research Centre (TFRC), Moorpark, Fermoy, Co. Cork, with frequent visits required to UCC to complete coursework. It is envisaged that the student will spend year 3 of the PhD at UCC working on development of the user interface. The PhD will be awarded by University College Cork. The scholarship funding is €25,000 per annum and University fees of up to a maximum of €5,500 per annum. We offer a 4-year PhD position starting as soon as possible. The PhD student will become part of a team that includes other PhD students, postdocs, and research technicians.
Further Information/Applications
- Dr Eoin Murphy, Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, Co. Cork, Ireland: [email protected]
- Dr Huanhuan Xiong, Cork University Business School, University College Cork: [email protected]
Application Procedure
Applicants should submit a CV and cover letter detailing their qualifications, experience and contact details for at least two referees to Eoin Murphy and Huanhuan Xiong at the email addresses listed above.
Closing date
Wednesday 29 th October 2025