Queen's University Belfast is advertising 45 posts in the first tranche of a £259 million investment in staff, students and facilities.

Some £28 million has been earmarked as part of the five-year plan for a recruitment programme aimed at attracting 140 academics from around the world.

The posts span a range of disciplines, from history and anthropology to bioinformatics and aeronautical engineering.

Peter Gregson, the vice-chancellor, said the university had a responsibility to offer a broad range of courses in Ireland, particularly in science.

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"Unlike the many reports of closures of chemistry departments, we have a new combined School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering," he said. The school is advertising for two chairs and a lecturership.

The university is seeking senior and junior staff, from readers and professors to teaching fellows and lecturers. It is investing a further £10 million in new centres of excellence to build on expertise in sustainability, health, Irish studies and child protection and welfare.

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Some staff would be in post for the forthcoming research assessment exercise, Professor Gregson said, but the recruitment programme was a long-term investment and not driven by the RAE.

"This major investment is to secure Queen's position as a global leader in research and education," he said. "We are offering salaries that are competitive nationally and internationally."