Postdoctoral Researcher, Sonraí Irish Data Stewardship Network

Post Date : 14-Jan-2026 Close Date : 27-Jan-2026 Job Title: Postdoctoral researcher, Sonraí Irish Data Stewardship Network Department: RCSI Library Reporting to: Research Data Coordinator Location: 26 York Street, Dublin 2, Ireland. Contract/Duration: Specified purpose contract, up to 10 months Remuneration: €46,805 per annum Closing Date: 27th January 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 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 Sonraí Irish Data Stewardship Network was established in 2022 to enable the development of data stewardship skills across the Irish research landscape. In this next phase, Sonraí will transition from a grant-funded project, to a self-sustaining network by providing fee-based, professional training in data stewardship to a range of audiences, including data professionals and researchers. The Post-Doctoral Researcher role will coordinate a number of tasks to further the development of the Sonraí network, including the development and launch of a micro-credential in data stewardship; the establishment of a data champions programme; communications and events to further establish the network. The role will involve communication with a range of audiences (users, partners, collaborators, lecturers, support staff, funders and so on), and lots of collaboration with colleagues from across the Irish academic sector, in particular our project affiliates in the TROPIC (TRaining for OPen research in an Irish Context) project in Maynooth University, and the Responsible Use of Research Metrics (RURM) project in UCD. This is an opportunity to develop your academic profile and build relationships with colleagues, peers, and more broadly. You will assist the Sonraí project partners to establish the Sonraí Data Champions programme, highlighting data stewardship excellence across the Irish research landscape and various fields, and driving the recruitment of new members to the Sonraí network. Open Research is an active growth area in the academic, public and private sectors in Ireland and worldwide, and this role will be a great opportunity to develop expertise in this emerging space. You will have lots of opportunities to publish on this topic, via blog posts, articles, and by co-authoring at least one academic journal publication. This 12-month consortium project is led by HEAnet (www.heanet.ie), and partnered by University College Cork (www.ucc.ie) and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (www.rcsi.com). The Post-Doctoral role will be hosted at RCSI Library at the St Stephen’s Green campus in Dublin, with an option for hybrid working. The role will be supervised by Ruth Geraghty, Research Data Coordinator at RCSI Library, while working closely with the project partners in Dublin and Cork. Specifically, the duties of the post are: §  Research and co-develop a comparative report on sustainability models for professional networks, and provide recommendations to Sonraí (WP1) §  Co-develop, curate and edit educational content for the 'Introduction to Data Stewardship' micro-credential, based on the curriculum that has been developed by our Task & Finish group (WP2) §  Organise one in-person event for participants in the Sonraí Data Stewardship micro-credential, to include guest speakers and networking opportunities (WP2) §  Design and carry out an evaluation of the impact of the micro-credential with first cohort of learners on this course (WP2) §  Co-develop a disciplinary data stewardship module curriculum in Health Sciences, through engagement with the Health Sciences research community (WP2) §  Support the project partners with the rollout of our ‘Data Champions’ programme (WP3) §  Support the project partners to develop our Sonraí mailing list, LinkedIn page and website (datastewards.ie/), to raise awareness and drive engagement with Sonraí (WP4). §  Co-author one publication (journal article) on the work of the project, contributing to the global advancement of data stewardship §  Assist with progress reporting to project funders, the Sonraí Committee and Steering Group, and participate in monthly project partner meetings. Qualifications Essential §  PhD in any discipline. We will accept applications from those about to complete a PhD. Desirable §  Postgraduate qualification in library and information studies, or, health sciences, and/or, §  Degree qualification or higher in a subject that includes social science research methods (interviewing, surveying, focus group, desk research). Knowledge & Experience : Essential §  Ability to collaborate and work well with others §  Ability to work independently and take the lead on certain aspects of the project §  Knowledge of open research/open science, data stewardship and FAIR data §  Familiar with the Irish academic research landscape §  Experience of developing and delivering educational content to postgraduate students §  Experience of organising events, both in-person and online Desirable §  Knowledge of curriculum development §  Knowledge of health research data §  Track record in network development / engaging with a stakeholder community §  Experience of developing a similar champions programme 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 Rebecca O’Brien, Human Resources Department (email: rebeccaobrien@rcsi.ie). All applications for this post must be made through the careers webpage www.rcsi/careers.  Rebecca 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. Employee Benefits At RCSI, we help care for our people so they can focus on our mission to Educate, nurture and discover for the                        benefit of human health. RCSI truly goes above and beyond to support its employees, ensuring they have                    everything they need to thrive both personally and professionally. Here's a glimpse of the fantastic benefit                available: Health and Wellbeing: •       Our Inspire Programme promotes the importance of taking care of both our general health and mental health. Inspire manages the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) offered through SpectrumLife. Past events held by Inspire have included, workshops on mindfulness practices, yoga, nutritional advice, financial advice on mortgages, pensions & health insurance from leading experts, fitness challenges, baking competitions, weight loss programmes, annual flu vaccination campaign and many more. •       You can also enjoy access to an onsite gym for just €10 per month. Work –Life Balance: •       Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is crucial for fostering employee well-being, productivity, and overall satisfaction. At RCSI, we offer flexible working arrangements, study leave, and career breaks. In addition to 20 days of annual leave, employees receive an extra 6.5 days of university privilege days, which occur annually around the Christmas and Easter breaks. Family Benefits: •       RCSI offers enhanced family leave to our working parents with fully paid Maternity, Adoptive, Paternity and Surrogacy Leave. We also offer the first two weeks of Parents leave fully paid for, as well as the option to take Parental Leave until your child is 18 years old. We provide access to Platform 55, a new Parents Platform to support staff before, during, and after becoming a parent. We also offer flexible working, discounted Giraffe crèche services of up to 20% and a Parents and Carers’ Network. Financial Security: •       Benefit from automatic enrolment in a pension scheme with Willis Towers Watson with the employer contributions increasing with your length of service, Death in Service of up to 4 times your salary, long-term illness and disability income replacement, and free advice on health, motor, and home insurance. Discounted Services: •       Avail of discounted GP services, Taxsaver commuter tickets, the BiketoWork scheme, free eye tests at the National Optometry Centre, and discounted parking at St. Stephen's Green/RCSI car park. Recognition: •       At RCSI, we value and recognise the contributions of our staff through various awards and events, such as Long Service recognition, the Vice Chancellor Staff Awards, and through Research Day. Professional Growth: •       RCSI’s Staff Learning and Development is committed to providing colleagues with opportunities and support to help them reach their full potential and thrive at work. Offerings include a comprehensive programme of staff training, management and leadership development, mentoring, coaching and funding support for further study. Staff Networks: •       Additionally, we support a range of staff networks, including the Women’s Network, Postdoctoral Staff Network, Parents & Carers’ Network, Project Manager’s Network, LGBTI+ Network, Age Friendly Network etc. These networks help RCSI to foster a sense of community and inclusivity. Sports and Social Club: •       Engage in a variety of activities such as Yoga, Pilates and a variety of different Fitness classes. Enjoy social evenings, Book Clubs, Summer BBQs and one-off events like the Taste of Dublin, Bloom, Dublin Horse Show and Dublin Zoo. We also have a variety of discount tickets for shows and events through the year. 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 . 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