Department: Computer Science
Vacancy ID: 030501
Closing Date: 15-Sep-2024

Maynooth University is committed to a strategy in which the primary University goals of excellent research and scholarship and outstanding education are interlinked and equally valued.

We are seeking an energetic and enthusiastic senior postdoctoral researcher to carry out innovative research and development on how innovative crowdsourcing and co-creation approaches can be used, in Ireland and beyond, to collect knowledge on SME engagement with CE practices. The postdoctoral researcher will manage the organization of co-creation workshops with SMEs the overall delivery of knowledge from the CSCEE project.

The Crowdsourced Knowledge to drive SME Circular Economy Engagement project (CSCEE – Pronounced ‘see see’) is a project funded by the Irish Environmental Protection Agency. CSCEE has three core objectives:      

• To deliver a comprehensive review of current Irish SMEs engagement with the Circular Economy (CE)
• Design, develop and deliver an innovative and scalable crowdsourced-based co-creation approach to understanding Irish SME engagement in Circular Economy practices.
• To identify barriers and opportunities to Irish SME Circular Economy activities and practices

It is not easy for SMEs to engage in circular economy (CE) practices or change their business models and strategies to undertake transformation to circular economic operations. The potential benefits of the CE are clear and are stated widely but achieving those benefits is not straightforward because activities aimed at driving the CE forward means businesses face many barriers which inhibit their ability to implement these approaches. SMEs often have lack of information, time, or expertise to deal with adapting to changing processes and environments, including regulation. As a result, this can have a disproportionate effect in terms of the SMEs ability to compete and adapt to changing landscapes such as the CE. There is also an urgent need for policy makers to better understand the complex challenges faced by SMEs which hamper or slow down CE activities. Therefore, as time is of the essence, it is crucial to devise a systematic, scalable and efficient approach to identifying the barriers and opportunities for Irish SME circular economic practices. The CSCEE Crowdsourced Knowledge to drive SME CE Engagement project will deliver an innovative approach to gaining this knowledge.

CSCEE will undertake the design, development, and delivery of a web-based crowdsourcing-based approach to obtaining feedback, knowledge and experiences from many SMEs in Ireland. During the project a number of co-creation workshops will be organised with SMEs allowing those stakeholders to participate in carefully designed co-creation activities to shape the overall crowdsourcing approach. It is likely that the web-based crowdsourcing tool will be developed, as open-source software, from within the CSCEE project based on the outcomes of the co-creation workshops.

Salary:

Senior Post-Doctoral Researcher (2024): €52,194 p.a. (1 point with increment)

Post-Doctoral Researcher (2024): €44,347 – €50,805 p.a. (6 points with increment)

Appointments will be made in accordance with public sector pay provisions.