Job Title: Research Assistant – Primary Care Research into Cancer (PRiCAN)
Department : PRiCAN
Reporting to: Prof. Patrick Redmond
Location: RCSI University of Medicine & Health Sciences, Dublin 2
Contract/Duration: 12 months
Closing Date: 20th November 2024
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 2021-2024” 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. Our values of Respect, Collaboration, Scholarship and Innovation continue to unite and direct our purpose.
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.
Objective of this Post
The Research Assistant will support PRiCAN's mission of advancing cancer detection and care, with a specific focus on improving early detection for cancers with poor prognoses (e.g., lung, pancreatic, ovarian). This role involves contributing to research across multiple projects, including those focused on optimising diagnostic pathways, leveraging AI and biomarkers, and promoting mobile health (mHealth) initiatives. The successful candidate will work with a multidisciplinary team to coordinate project activities, manage data, and contribute to dissemination efforts. This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic and organised individual to contribute to impactful research that directly informs clinical practice.
This is a full-time position reporting to Prof. Patrick Redmond. The successful candidate will contribute to PRiCAN's early cancer detection projects, with opportunities for professional development in primary care cancer research.
Specific Responsibilities:
Conduct systematic literature reviews, data extraction, and analysis.
Assist in the development and testing of diagnostic tools and recruitment strategies for cancer screening.
Coordinate and manage on-site project activities, including meetings, workshops, and stakeholder engagement, to support team needs.
Serve as a liaison between the PRiCAN project manager and on-site tasks, providing regular updates to ensure seamless project continuity.
Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to ensure timely delivery of project milestones.
Prepare draft reports, presentations, and dissemination materials for publication and conferences.
Support the development of AI models and biomarkers in cancer detection research.
Contribute to drafting research papers and preparing submissions for peer- reviewed journals.
Qualifications – (Essential):
Knowledge & Experience – (Essential):
Proven experience with both qualitative and quantitative research methods.
Project management skills, including experience with communication platforms (e.g., Slack, MS Teams) for managing timelines and deliverables.
Ability to work both independently and within multidisciplinary teams.
Strong organisational and communication skills.
Familiarity with data analysis tools and software.
Knowledge & Experience – (Desirable):
Experience with AI, biomarkers, or digital health solutions.
Technical expertise in statistics, coding (e.g., Python, R), or data architecture.
Previous experience in cancer research or health promotion.
Strong analytical skills and an ability to troubleshoot and escalate issues when necessary.
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.
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 make sure you have the resources you need to thrive. We offer a wide range of benefits in areas including time away, finance, community, health, and well-being and insuring your financial future. In addition to our city centre campus and world-class facilities, there are a wide range of excellent benefits available to our employees, including:
Onsite gym €10 per month
Flexible working arrangements
Automatic enrolment to a pension scheme for all employees (Willis Towers Watson, pension documents outlined below)
RCSI Investment Guide
Pension Scheme Guide
Benefits Schedule
Life assurance/death in service
Long term illness/disability income replacement
Free advice on health/motor and home insurance
Discounted services, including GP
Support for parents and carers
Taxsaver commuter tickets
BiketoWork
Free eye test at the National Optometry centre
€12/day for parking for all RSCI staff in the St. Stephens green/RCSI car park
RCSI's Learning and Development team facilitate and provide training opportunities for all staff
Sports and social club
Opportunities to volunteer in the community
26.5 days leave - 20 days annual leave plus 6.5 days Privilege days - In addition to your annual leave entitlements and public holidays, RCSI also grants privilege days to our employees (paid time off during Easter and Christmas periods). We also offer a number of leave options to support the working lives of our employees.
Paid maternity leave
Paid Paternity leave
Parental leave