Job Description

Research Centre Law Research Centre, Brexit Institute Horizon Europe Project REGROUP
Post title Postdoctoral Researcher in EU Law & Human Rights
Level on Framework Level 1
Post duration 12 months (Full-Time)

Dublin City University

Dublin City University (DCU) is a young, ambitious and vibrant university, with a mission ‘to transform lives and societies through education, research, innovation and engagement’. Known as Ireland’s ‘University of Enterprise’, DCU is a values-based institution, committed to the delivery of impact for the public good. DCU was named Sunday Times Irish University of the Year 2021.

DCU is based on three academic campuses in the Glasnevin-Drumcondra region of north Dublin. More than 18,000 students are enrolled across five faculties – Science and Health, DCU Business School, Computing and Engineering, Humanities and Social Sciences and DCU Institute of Education.

DCU is committed to excellence across all its activities. This is demonstrated by its world-class research initiatives, its cutting-edge approach to teaching and learning, its focus on delivering a transformative student experience, and its positive social and economic impact. The university continues to develop innovative programmes in collaboration with industry, such as the DCU Futures suite of degrees, which are designed to equip graduates with the skills and knowledge required in a rapidly evolving economy.

DCU’s pursuit of excellence has led to its current ranking among the top 2% of universities globally. It is also one of the world’s Top Young Universities (QS Top 100 Under 50, Times Higher Top 150 Under 100). In the Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings 2021, DCU ranked 23rd in the world for its approach to widening participation in higher education and its ongoing commitment to eradicating poverty, while it ranks 38th globally for its work in reducing inequality and 89th globally for gender equality.

The university is ranked 23rd in the world and first in Ireland for its graduate employment rate, according to the 2020 QS Graduate Employability Rankings. Over the past decade, DCU has been the leading Irish university in the area of technology transfer, as reflected by licensing of intellectual property.

As part of this role the researcher will be required to participate in the DCU Research Career Framework. This framework is designed to provide significant professional development opportunities to Researchers and offer the best opportunities in terms of a wider career path.

The Brexit Institute

The Brexit Institute (http://dcubrexitinstitute.eu/) is a research and policy centre established at DCU in Summer 2017. The Institute is led by Prof. Federico Fabbrini, and has a team of full-time international researchers and affiliates staff from across the University working on both EU affairs generally and Brexit related issues specifically. The Brexit Institute organizes academic events and policy workshops, produces scientific publication and policy contributions and engages broadly with public and private bodies on a topic of great societal relevance. The Brexit Institute also runs a number of international projects, including the Jean Monnet Network BRIDGE (2019-2022) and the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence REBUILD (2022-2025), both focusing on the future of European integration and funded under the Erasmus+ programme of the EU. Moreover, the Institute is part of the Horizon Europe project REGROUP (2022-2025), which is a consortium led by the University of Groningen focusing on the resilience of the EU beyond the Covid-19 pandemic: specifically, DCU leads the REGROUP Work-package (WP) on Legal & Constitutional Issues.

Background & Role

DCU intends to appoint a full-time Postdoctoral Researcher with expertise in the field of EU law and human rights, to work specifically in the framework of the Horizon Europe REGROUP project and produce research on the impact of Covid-19 on human rights and the rule of law. The selected candidate will work under the leadership and direction of Federico Fabbrini (Full Professor of European Law), and work and contribute to the development of the DCU Brexit Institute and its activities. It is envisaged that this appointment will commence in October 2022. The contract will be for a fixed-term 12-month period.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities of the position include, but are not restricted to, the following:

• Undertaking academic research in the area of EU law and the protection of human rights during Covid-19;
• Delivering scientific publications in this field, including a research paper, journal articles, and policy briefs;
• Contribute to the research programme of the REGROUP project, in particular by aiding in the scientific organization of the project’s conferences; Coordinating the work of the academic institutions involved in the work package, fostering the interchange between the main research streams of the project, and promoting the dissemination of the research outcomes to the broader public;
• Contribute to the organization of academic and policy seminars and workshops;
• Contribute to fund-raising, including by applying for externally funded grants;
• Participate in the production of project related deliverables on time and in full;
• Develop or contribute to research proposals in line with research programme in collaboration with the Principal Investigator;
• Lead and collaborate in the production of dissemination material and results of the research (i.e. high quality scientific publications, reports) in which he/she is engaged with the support of and under the supervision of the Principal Investigator; Carry out administrative duties associated with the programme as necessary.

Minimum Criteria

Applicants must have a PhD in Law, with specific expertise on human rights, and a minimum of 1 year’s relevant postdoctoral research experience. The successful candidate must be capable of working in a team and contributing to developing the research and policy agenda of the Centre.

In addition, it is desirable that the candidate has:

• Prior research experience on Covid-19;
• Experience working with multidisciplinary and non-academic stakeholders in European projects;
• Excellent communication and organisational skills;
• Experience of grant writing.

Candidates will be assessed on the following competencies:

Discipline knowledge and Research skills – Demonstrates knowledge of a research discipline and the ability to conduct a specific programme of research within that discipline

Understanding the Research Environment – Demonstrates an awareness of the research environment (for example funding bodies) and the ability to contribute to grant applications

Communicating Research – Demonstrates the ability to communicate their research with their peers and the wider research community (for example presenting at conferences and publishing research in relevant journals) and the potential to teach and tutor students

Managing & Leadership skills - Demonstrates the potential to manage a research project including the supervision of undergraduate students

Essential Training

The post holder will be required to undertake the following essential compliance training: Orientation, Health & Safety and Data Protection (GDPR). Other training may need to be undertaken when required.