Postdoctoral Researcher
Closing Date: 12pm, 10th May 2023
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We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher to join our team. This three year postdoc is based in the University of Limerick as part of an ERC Advanced Grant awarded to Prof Muldoon.
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For full details and application materials see: http://www.ul.ie/hrvacancies/
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Below is a synopsis:
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TITLE OF POST: Post Doctoral Researcher (level 1) - Health Psychology of Trauma (Re-advertisement)
LOCATION: University of Limerick
REPORTS TO: Project Leader
CONTRACT TYPE: Specific Purpose
SALARY SCALE: €42,033 - €48,427 p.a. pro rata (maximum starting salary €42,621 p.a. pro rata)
JOB DESCRIPTION
QUALIFICATIONS
Doctoral degree (level 10NFQ) health or social psychology (or near completion please give date of viva in application).
Primary degree (level 8NFQ) in psychology or closely related subject.
OVERALL PURPOSE OF THE JOB
The purpose of this research training role is to conduct a specified programme of research under the supervision of a Principal Investigator while developing skills and competencies with respect to the role and future career options. This work will be performed in accordance with the university’s research integrity policy and all other relevant policies.
Post-Doctoral Researchers employed on a Researcher Career Framework Contract will have dual goals in terms of a particular research project and responsibility for their own career development. The training and development relevant to this position will be completed within the period of the contract in which time the researcher will continue to develop skills and competencies with respect to the role and their future career options.
This Post Doctoral Researcher will bring essential skills to a large scale project made possible by a European Research Council Advanced grant to Professor Orla Muldoon. This project is an exciting opportunity to join a team aiming to develop a new social paradigm for trauma research that will allow us to understand post-traumatic stress and facilitate resilience and growth.
Three Post Doctoral Researchers will bring essential skills to the project and occupy distinct roles in the project. This post doctoral position will have primary responsibility for the core biometric component of the project. The successful candidate will manage the development and analysis of experiments and longitudinal elements of the project that will explore how social identity resources can mitigate the impact of trauma and adversity on biometric makers of stress. A particular aim of this strand of the project is evidence that the impact of adversity on health is mitigated by connections to political, social, familial groups.
The successful candidate’s primary responsibilities will be to provide project management and support of activities required to achieve the project goals and deliverables. The Post Doctoral Researcher will inter alia engage in administration, project management, grant-writing, ethics review, data collection, data management, statistical modelling, writing up papers, liaising with collaborators, records management and other research activities to achieve the successful completion of the project.
The project will provide ample opportunities for training and skills transfer. We are looking for a curious and creative person willing to try new things. This is a specific purpose contract with a duration of almost 5 years. The successful candidate will be given time and support to develop their own research trajectory within the scope of the project and will be offered opportunity to mentor junior researchers. The project will have a strong open science ethos.
DESCRIPTION
Post-Doctoral Researchers will be expected to carry out the below list of responsibilities together with any additional duties requested by the Principal Investigator/Head of Academic Unit:
Research
Conduct individual and/or collaborative research producing excellent research outputs to the highest ethical standards in a variety of settings.
Carry out any administrative work associated with your programme of research.
Be involved in preparing grant proposals.
Engage in the dissemination of the results of the research in which you are engaged for the relevant research stakeholders in the appropriate form.
Contribution to Research Group and University
Engage in the wider research and scholarly activities of your research group, centre or unit and contribute to its profile by participating in promotional activity.
Participate in internal networks for the exchange of information and to form relationships for future research collaboration.
Mentoring
Provide day-to-day advice and assistance to research graduate students associated with your research group, centre, or unit.
Personal Development
Engage in appropriate professional training and development opportunities to develop own transferable skills, career, and reputation.
May participate in limited teaching in furtherance of your own development and contribute to your unit’s teaching and tutoring approaches where appropriate. The extent of this must not adversely impact the primary research role and must be with the agreement of your manager and Head of Department/School.
Knowledge and Expertise
Demonstrates knowledge of a research discipline and field, and the operational requirements of a successful research project.
Demonstrates the ability to generate new ideas and link and build upon existing ideas to generate unique concepts and solutions with integrity.
Demonstrates knowledge and understanding of the policy, practices and procedures that are relevant to the role. This will include knowledge and understanding of Good Research Practice (including but not limited to ethics, research integrity, data management) & Integrity, and may also include broader University, sector, and external sponsor or funder policies.
Research Environment
Demonstrates evidence of research activity and a commitment to ongoing research and publications.
Demonstrates a thorough understanding of the research environment both nationally and internationally and the ability to contribute to grant applications.
Demonstrates an understanding of research impact as appropriate to their discipline, including the commercialisation process where applicable.
Interpersonal Skills
Demonstrates good communication and interpersonal skills with the capability of working within a project team to achieve results.
Personal Skills and Effectiveness
Demonstrates an ability to manage self, time, and own resources to enable a high level of personal effectiveness.
Career Development
Demonstrates a commitment to develop own transferable skills, profile, and reputation to advance own career beyond the end of the contract period.
The researcher will be responsible for engaging in and availing of appropriate professional training and development opportunities via the Researcher Career Development Programme to develop their own transferable skills, career, and reputation.
Essential Criteria
Doctoral degree (level 10NFQ) health or social psychology (or near completion please give date of viva in application).
Primary degree (level 8NFQ) in psychology or closely related subject.
At least one relevant publication in a reputable peer reviewed journal.
Excellent interpersonal and communication (both oral and written) skills.
Demonstrated capability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
Desirable Criteria
Demonstrable expertise in the biometric measurement of health.
Strong quantitative skills including causal designs of experiments and surveys.
Good knowledge of the field of psychological stress and trauma and social identity approach to health.
Demonstrable expertise in the social identity approach to health.
Strong quantitative skills including understanding of design and analysis for surveys and experiments.
Publication record commensurate with stage of career, especially as primary or corresponding author.
Competence in statistics in at least one specific-purpose statistical package (e.g., SPSS).
Knowledge of, and competence in, open science principles.