Royal College of Surgeons

Job Title: Postdoctoral Researcher Department: Cameron Programme Reporting to: Dr Claire Timon and Dr Angela Flynn Location: RCSI School of Population Health, Beaux Lane House, Dublin 2 Contract/Duration: 3 years Remuneration: IUA Post Doc Level 1 point 1 (with increments) Closing Date: 12th of January 2025 RCSI is a community of academic, research, clinical 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. Summary of Post The WiseFood project was recently funded through an EU Horizon Europe Cluster 6 project application. The project aims to develop smart digital applications to empower citizens in making healthier and more sustainable food choices. By leveraging advanced AI techniques, we plan to create tools that offer reliable, personalised, and contextually relevant food information. It is hoped that these applications will be user-friendly and seamlessly integrate into everyday life, without requiring specialised IT skills. A human-in-the-loop approach, involving nutrition experts, will ensure our solutions align with national policies and guidelines. Our project will involve Living Labs in Ireland, Hungary, and Slovenia, supporting people eat healthier, make environmentally friendly food choices, and become more informed and conscious about their food habits. Two postdoctoral researchers will be recruited to coordinate the WiseFood Living Lab activities in Ireland, lead participant recruitment and co-design process, and manage the feasibility trial of developed tools. Specifically, the duties of the post are: Lead and manage the coordination of Living Lab activities in Ireland, maintaining regular communication with project partners, ensuring adherence to the project timeline and milestones. Develop and implement Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for trial coordination and data collection. Establish and manage a multi-actor stakeholder panel, recruiting diverse participants from various demographic and social backgrounds. Facilitate data collection and analysis. Coordinate the WiseFood feasibility trial, recruitment of participants, trial enrolment, data collection etc. Prepare reports and publications, summarising project findings and progress. Present research findings at consortium meetings and conferences. Deliver lectures and tutorials and be involved in student feedback, and assessment. Supervision/co-supervision of BSc, MSc and PhD students. Undertaking administrative duties to facilitate the smooth running of teaching and research activities. Any other duties commensurate with the grade of the post as directed by line manager. Qualifications - (Essential): PhD in a relevant field (e.g. nutrition, dietetics, psychology, social science, public health) Knowledge & Experience - (Essential): Experience working on research projects with a particular focus on population health. Record of peer-reviewed publications in journals of international standard. Proven experience in a diverse range of research methods. Proficiency in using statistical software (e.g., SPSS, NVivo) for data analysis. Demonstrated experience working as part of a project team. Strong communication skills, communication style appropriate to audience and situation, experience in writing research reports and publications. Excellent time-management and organisational skills. Knowledge & Experience - (Desirable): Experience in managing stakeholder engagement activities and recruitment for research studies. Understanding of ethical guidelines in research, including informed consent and data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR). Expertise in mixed methods research. 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 Dr Claire Timon .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 Note: This job description may be subject to change to reflect the evolving requirements of the Department and RCSI. Similar vacancies that arise in the next 6 months may be filled from the pool of applicants that apply for this position. RCSI is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability or race. RCSI is committed to embedding equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) across everything we do. This ensures we can all work and learn in an environment defined by dignity and respect. Eligibility to work in Ireland is a requirement of this role, Proof of eligibility documentation will be required at a later date. Under limited and specific circumstances (research/ specialist roles) RCSI may be in a position to seek a hosting agreement and/or work permits. Employees are required to undertake 6 months service in their current role before applying for other internal opportunities, unless agreed in advance by the SMT representative