Post-doctoral Researcher - Hip Surveillance

Post Date : 16-Jan-2026 Close Date : 02-Feb-2026 Job Title: Post-doctoral Researcher/Senior Post-doctoral Researcher Department: CP-Life Research Centre/School of Physiotherapy Reporting to: Dr Jennifer Ryan Location: 123 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2 Contract/Duration: Specified purpose contract for 12 months with potential to extend Remuneration: IUA PD1 or PD2 scale depending on experience Closing Date: Monday 2nd of February 2026 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 first in the world for “Good Health and Well-being” in the Times Higher Education #SDG #SDG Impact Rankings 2025. 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. About Cerebral Palsy Lifespan Health and Well-being (CP-Life) Research Centre Cerebral palsy (CP) is caused by damage to the immature brain and primarily affects motor skills. CP is the most frequent cause of permanent motor function difficulties in children. People with CP often experience associated impairments such as vision, hearing, cognition, and communication impairments. CP is a non-progressive neurological condition; the brain damage itself cannot be cured and does not change over time. However people with CP may experience changes in their motor skills and complications, such as pain and bone and joint disorders, throughout life. CP-Life Research Centre is located in the School of Physiotherapy in RCSI. The mission of the CP-Life Research Centre is to generate and translate evidence into improvements in services and supports for people with CP through high quality research and innovation. Summary of Post We are seeking to recruit a Post-doctoral Researcher to lead a mixed-methods research project evaluating the implementation of musculoskeletal surveillance programmes for children with cerebral palsy. Surveillance programmes have been introduced for children with CP in several countries, with the aim of preventing secondary complications such as hip dislocation. The project involves collecting and analysing quantitative data to describe current surveillance programmes on the island of Ireland, explore barriers and facilitators to implementation of surveillance programmes, and explore the acceptability of these programmes to families. This project is funded by a Health Research Board (HRB) Investigator-Led Project grant. The candidate will lead the initial set-up of the project including developing the project plan, obtaining approvals designing the protocol and collecting data. The candidate will also support other projects within CP-Life Research Centre focused on stakeholder engagement and knowledge translation. Specifically, the duties of the post are: Co-ordinate the project including developing a project plan, communicating with project team, organising meetings Obtain approvals from several organisations Support quantitative data collection and descriptive analysis Develop topic guides for semi-structured interviews Lead Public Involvement Contribute to the supervision of undergraduate students, postgraduate students and research assistants Qualifications – (Essential): PhD in a relevant field (e.g. psychology, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, health services research, social science, public health) Knowledge & Experience – (Essential): Strong communication skills (verbal and written) to engage with all stakeholders Experience of qualitative research Experience of obtaining approvals including from Research Ethics Committees Excellent administrative and IT skills Experience of working on projects with multiple stakeholders Can operate flexibly within a busy environment, shift focus when required, prioritise conflicting demands Ability to work as part of a team Experience of writing reports or research publications Knowledge & Experience (Desirable): Experience of conducting research with clinical populations Experience of conducting research with children or adolescents Evidence of project and team leadership Experience of Public Involvement 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 can be directed to Dr Jennifer Fortune: jenniferfortune@rcsi.ie All applications for this post must be made through the career's webpage www.rcsi.com/careers. Please note that we do not accept CVs directly. Garda vetting and occupational health review may be required for this role, depending on the nature of the duties and responsibilities. Further information will be provided during the recruitment process. Eligibility to Work in Ireland Visa sponsorship is available for candidates who fully meet the essential criteria of the role. Candidates who require a work permit or hosting agreement are welcome to apply. Proof of eligibility documentation will be required at a later stage in the recruitment process. Please note that sponsorship is subject to approval by the relevant Irish authorities and role-specific eligibility. Click on the link(s) below to view documents Filesize JD_Post-doc - Hip surveillance -CP-Life Research Centre - Physiotherapy 499.2 Return to Search Apply for Job