Royal College of Surgeons

Job Title: Research Assistant Department: School of Population Health Reporting to: Dr Eithne Sexton Location: Beaux Lane House, Dublin 2 Contract/Duration: Full time, specified purpose contact for up to 6 months Remuneration: Aligned to the IUA Research Assistant scale up to a maximum of point 13 (subject to skills and experience) Closing Date: Friday 10th January @ 5pm RCSI is a community of academic, research and professional staff working collaboratively to lead the world to better health. Here, you will thrive in an innovative and inclusive atmosphere and your personal development and wellbeing will be supported. We invite you to join us to help deliver on our exciting mission "To educate, nurture and discover for the benefit of human health". We seek candidates whose experience to date has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to the "Race Equality Action Plan 2021-2024" at RCSI. Our students come from all walks of life and so do we. We hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds. This makes our university stronger and ensures we hire the best talent. Innovating for a Healthier Future 2023-2027 is RCSI's new five-year strategic plan. Through it, RCSI will enhance human health by meeting the health workforce needs of society, creating the insights and inventions that drive health improvements, and working in partnership with patients and the public in support of better health and well-being for all. The strategy unites the RCSI community in supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals - with a particular focus on Goal 3, which targets good health and well-being. For each of the last six years, RCSI has been positioned in the Top 300 of universities worldwide in the Times Higher World University Rankings. We are proud that RCSI ranks fifth in the world for "Good Health and Well-being" in the Times Higher Education #SDG #SDG Impact Rankings 2024. This reflects our commitment to supporting people of all ages to live healthy lives and our work to promote the concepts of well-being and positive health. Our values of Respect, Collaboration, Scholarship and Innovation continue to unite and direct our purpose. About Our Research RCSI recognises that excellence in research is critical to the quality of its educational activities, its credibility, and, overall, to its mission to enhance human health. RCSI's research strategy aims to build upon its strength in translational biomedical and clinical research to deliver transformational, high impact changes in health care. Targeting both Irish national and EU funding, along with increased collaboration with industry, is a major part of the RCSI research strategy. Forging increased collaboration between RCSI PIs and industry is of critical importance to achieving success in this area. RCSI is also committed to provide its researchers with the supports and developmental opportunities to enable them to continuously grow and support their overall career development. The RCSI School of Population Health Established in 2022, the School builds upon the success of the Division of Population Health Sciences since 2006. The School comprises the Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, the Department of Health Psychology, the Data Science Centre, the Healthcare Outcomes Research Centre, the Institute of Global Surgery and SPHeRE, the national, inter-institutional, structured doctoral programme. It includes some 70 academic, research and professional staff, as well as 25 PhD scholars. Population health scientists and researchers at RCSI have an impressive, track record undertaking impactful multidisciplinary research and collaborating with an extensive network of international and national partners. The aims of the School of Population Health are to undertake multidisciplinary research that guides, shapes and monitors the crucial decisions in population health; to deliver comprehensive educational programmes that meet the workforce needs of today and the innovative needs of the future; and to participate in synergistic networks and collaborations that strengthen infrastructure, capacity and financing for education and research. The research programme of the School aims to deliver real societal and economic benefits for population health. Researchers work towards delivering world-class research in population health, including research integrated with education, health policy and practice. The quality and impact of this work can be seen from the fact that 21% of our output is published in the top 10% most cited publications worldwide; more than 56% of our publications involve international collaborators. Reflecting the breadth of population health science, we adopt a balanced, multi-disciplinary approach, connecting and contributing to developments in population health, nationally and internationally. The key enabler in delivering our ambitious programme of growth is the School's multidisciplinary team of academics, researchers, scholars and support staff. Reflecting the people-first approach of RCSI, the School of Population Health provides a diverse, supportive, healthy work environment for its team. Within the school, the Cameron Scholars Programme is a strategic and prestigious initiative that supports the development and growth of the School of Population Health at RCSI. The Programme funds academic, technical and administrative posts to build and consolidate a comprehensive programme of education and research growth, with significant impact, nationally and internationally. Summary of Post The School of Population Health wishes to hire a Research Assistant to help with two ongoing research projects focused on the epidemiology of stroke in Ireland. The first project, "Stroke in Ireland to 2046: maximising knowledge translation of epidemiological modelling evidence" is funded under a HRB Knowledge Translation Award (KTA). It aims to build an interactive modelling tool to support decision making for stroke service planning in Ireland, drawing on scenarios developed in a previous epidemiological modelling project (SIMI-Stroke). We also aim to develop a study website to host outputs from SIMI-Stroke. The second project is part of the "Co-designing Life After Stroke Support Pathways (CLASP)" study, funded by a HRB Applied Partnership Award (APA). The aim is to develop estimates of stroke prevalence and need for life after stroke care in Ireland, using secondary data analysis and published estimates. The Research Assistant will work closely with the lead researcher, Dr Eithne Sexton, as part of the Cameron Programme team. This will involve preparing datasets for use as inputs to an interactive modelling tool, assisting with the organisation and facilitation of stakeholder co-design workshops, analysing data to inform estimates of stroke prevalence and outcomes, and contributing to developing content and outputs for the study website. Specifically, the duties of the post are: Performing statistical analysis using software such as R or STATA. Preparing and cleaning quantitative datasets to ensure accuracy and consistency. Assisting with evidence synthesis, including data extraction, synthesis and presentation. Assisting with organisation and delivery of stakeholder workshops. Contributing to development of dissemination outputs, including a project website, conference presentations, authored peer-reviewed articles, etc. Co-ordination of own day-to-day work to support ongoing projects. Undertaking duties assigned by the lead researcher or their nominee in support of the projects. Qualifications - (Essential): An MSc or equivalent in health services research or a related discipline. Knowledge & Experience - (Essential): Excellent quantitative data analysis skills. Experience using statistical software such as R, STATA or SPSS. Evidence of the ability to work independently and efficiently, including excellent oral and written communication skills. Excellent organisational, interpersonal, report writing and IT skills. Knowledge & Experience (Desirable): Robust knowledge of quantitative research methods. Experience with R statistical software. Knowledge of epidemiological or economic modelling methods. Experience of conducting evidence synthesis. Experience developing research outputs for diverse audiences. Project management experience. Track record in scientific publication and dissemination. Experience of working in a multidisciplinary & international research teams. Experience in stakeholder engagement as well as synthesis, interpretation and dissemination of outcomes. Content expertise in stroke or other age-related chronic disease. We are all too aware that imposter syndrome and the confidence gap can sometimes stop fantastic candidates putting themselves forward, so please do submit an application - we'd love to hear from you. Application Process Please apply online through the RCSI careers portal on the closing date with your CV and cover letter. Informal Enquiries can be directed to Eithne Sexton, lecturer, School of Population Health . Please note we do not accept CVs directly. Employee Benefits RCSI make sure you have the resources you need to thrive by offering a wide range of benefits in areas including time away, finance, community, health, and well-being and insuring your financial future. Below are some additional benefits available to you as an RCSI employee: Minimum of 20 days annual leave, plus an additional 6.5 Privilege days Flexible/hybrid working options for colleagues across many roles Additional leave options incl. paid maternity leave, paternity/parental leave, study leave 7% Employer pension contribution Onsite gym €10 per/mth incl. classes and PT sessions Childcare support 20% discount at Giraffe Free eye test and annual flu vaccination TaxSaver commuter tickets and Bike to Work schemes A site sustainability team focusing on the environmental initiatives; Green Campus Initiative ' Competitively priced café and restaurant Equality, Diversity & Inclusion forums, and network groups Employee assistance programme with Spectrum Life Learning and Development training programmes incl. LinkedIn Learning for career progression Discounted services incl. GP visits, 10% off dental, staff parking, mobile tariffs, Group Scheme discount on numerous brands Sports and social club incl. yoga, Pilates, fitness classes, Zumba, running club, social evenings, Summer BBQ Ticket Draws for events including; Rugby, Taste of Dublin, Dublin Horse Show, theatre, music & comedy events