Patient Representative Researcher

Post Date : 14-Jan-2026 Close Date : 27-Jan-2026 Job Title: Patient Representative Researcher Department: School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences Reporting to: Prof Michelle Flood or nominee Location: RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, St Stephen’s Green Contract/Duration: Specified purpose contract, up to six months (depending on start date) Remuneration: €21,673 for 0.4 FTE (two days per week) Closing Date: 27th January 2026 Starting Date: As soon as possible 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 2025-2029” 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. In 2024, RCSI was delighted to be named one of the Sunday Times Best Places to Work in Ireland. At RCSI, our core values of Respect, Collaboration, Scholarship, and Innovation are at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to creating an inclusive and supportive environment where every colleague is valued and empowered to thrive. Our dedication to these values ensures that we foster a culture of mutual respect, open collaboration, continuous learning, and innovative thinking. Join us at RCSI, where your contributions will be recognised, and you will be part of a dynamic team making a real impact on global health. 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. Summary of Post The SYNERG-IE Programme is an ambitious five-year programme supported by a €2.5m Applied Programme Grant (APRO) award from the Health Research Board in Ireland. Projects funded under this programme are designed to have an impact on the health and social care of individuals, population health, and the health system in Ireland and beyond. SYNERG-IE is a multidisciplinary research programme designed in partnership with Sjögren’s Ireland that aims to address longstanding challenges in the recognition, diagnosis, and management of Sjögren's (pronounced ‘show-grins’). Sjögren’s is a chronic autoimmune disease affecting approximately 1 in 200 people that is associated with significant illness for some people who live with it, affecting quality of life. Although relatively common, its complexity means that early signs and symptoms are often missed, leading to delays in diagnosis of ten years or longer for many people. This programme will adopt a collaborative and inclusive approach, combining the skills of multidisciplinary researchers, the expertise of patients, and the needs of healthcare professionals and policymakers to bring about transformative change in Sjögren's care and research. Through involving people living with Sjögren’s and healthcare professionals, the research will reflect the real-world experiences of Sjögren’s and the findings will have maximum impact, leading to tangible improvements in care. The SYNERG-IE Programme aims to make a difference to the lives of people affected by Sjögren's in many ways. By optimising prescribing practices and medicines use, people will experience more personalised and effective treatments. Co-design approaches will be used to develop improved care pathways to enhance care experiences. National guidance and policies will provide a clear framework for care, reducing the current delays in diagnosis and treatment. Furthermore, the increased knowledge stemming from undergraduate and postgraduate education initiatives will improve awareness. The Patient Representative Researcher will be a critical programme team member, working closely with the researchers, clinicians, Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Panel members, and Sjögren’s Ireland. PPI is integral to the programme, and the Patient Representative Researcher will provide a PPI perspective on all aspects of the research. Please note that no formal training or background in research is expected, as this will be provided to the successful candidate if needed. This role will focus on providing day-to-day PPI input on the project, and may be suited to a professional with expertise in PPI in research. Specifically, the duties of the post will include: Ongoing: Work closely with the programme team and collaborators to ensure the success of the project and timely completion of deliverables. Coordinate PPI activities for the research project e.g. PPI advisory panel meetings, reimbursement. Contribute to the development communications via traditional and social media. Provide day-to-day PPI advice, support and assistance to postdoctoral researchers, research students, undergraduate students, and others associated with the programme/group. Proactively identify opportunities to share and disseminate findings beyond traditional academic approaches, including preparation of accessible research summaries and policy briefs. Attend national and international meeting and conferences to present findings/share PPI best practices/research/learn from others. Network with and learn from other PPI panels and networks nationally and internationally. From time-to-time: Speak at and participate in facilitation of key programme events such as webinars, knowledge exchange events, and others. Assist with recruitment of participants to the study with help from other team members. Contribute to the design of educational resources for healthcare professionals/students/people living with Sjögren’s and their families. General: Undertake other duties and responsibilities as may be determined by the PI from time to time. Comply with statutory legislation and School rules and requirements in furtherance of your own and general staff welfare and safety. Undergo programmes of training and development as may be required from time to time. Represent the best interests of the Programme/School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences/University at all times. Qualifications – (Essential): Applicants should have a minimum Leaving Certificate (or equivalent) NFQ Level 5. Good working knowledge of Public and Patient Involvement in Research (PPI). Knowledge & Experience – ( Essential): Have a flexible, positive, and co-operative approach to work and working with colleagues. Can work well as a member of an interdisciplinary team. Has excellent organisational and time management skills. Can demonstrate good listening skills and the ability to deal with people in a courteous, professional and helpful manner. Can reflect on and communicate a broad public and patient perspective. Experience of using IT Microsoft office suite including Teams (or Zoom), Outlook (or similar for email), PowerPoint, and Word. A high level of proficiency in English, both written and spoken, is essential for this role. Knowledge & Experience – ( Desirable): Experience in a PPI role. Experience in editing, writing, journalism, or social media. 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. Click here to read our Recruitment and Selection Policy for Researcher. Informal Enquiries: Informal enquiries are invited in the first instance through Clarissa Disconzi, Human Resources Department (email: clarissadisconzi@rcsi.ie). All applications for this post must be made through the career's webpage www.rcsi.com/careers.  Clarissa can arrange for relevant queries on the academic aspects of the role to be addressed by the hiring manager.  Please note we do not accept CVs directly. Click on the link(s) below to view documents Filesize JD_SYNERG_IE RF_PatientRepResearcher Jan26.pdf 332 Return to Search Apply for Job