Post-Doctoral Researcher School of Pharmacy

12 Months, Fixed-Term, Part-Time Post 

Position Summary

Applications are invited for the position of Post-Doctoral Researcher in the School of Pharmacy for the All-Island Vaccine Research and Training Alliance (AIVRT). Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is among the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity (World Health Organisation, WHO). AMR bacteria cause death, disability, prolonged illness, longer hospitalisation and increased healthcare costs. Few antimicrobial options exist to treat AMR infections. Vaccination is the paramount medical intervention in human history to fight infection. Vaccines, unlike antibiotics, do not select for antimicrobial resistance, hence hold the key to overcome AMR infections and reduce antibiotic usage.

AIVRT hub brings together researchers from, UCD, QUB, UCC and TCD in an ambitious four-year alliance to better human health through vaccination and to train the next generation of all-island researchers in vaccine design, development, testing and deployment research.

This project will use a mixed-methods approach to examine how individuals’ capabilities, opportunities, and motivations influence their decision-making behaviour, and how the setting including societal, community, sociodemographic factors, and healthcare service impact on vaccine confidence and complacency. We will use the Intervention Mapping to identify interventions for subsequent implementation that will improve vaccine uptake in key populations across the island of Ireland. This will support ongoing Doctoral research to (i) Identify determinants of COVID-19 vaccine uptake (ii) Prioritise existing interventions to increase vaccine coverage (iii): Identify behaviour-based determinants in vaccine decision-making across the island and (iv) Tailor interventions to increase COVID-19 vaccine.

Our aim is to develop a set of implementable guidelines to aid national and regional health authorities to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake.

This will improve population-based protection against infectious disease across the island of Ireland. 

This position will be aligned to Work Package 5 - Develop Tailored Interventions to Address Vaccine Uptake across the Island of Ireland.

 Project Title: All-Island Vaccine Research and Training Alliance (AIVRT)

Post Duration: 12 Months 

Salary: €45,847 - € 52,339 p.a. IUA PD1 Scale (pro rata 0.5 FTE)

For an information package including further details of the post see https://ore.ucc.ie/

Informal enquiries can be made in confidence to Professor Laura Sahm, Professor of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Tel: + 353 (0) 21 4901688; Email: L.Sahm@ucc.ie

Applications must be submitted online via the University College Cork vacancy portal https://ore.ucc.ie/ Queries relating to the online application process should be referred to recruitment@ucc.ie quoting the job-title and project name.

Candidates should apply, in confidence, before 12 noon (Irish Local Time) on Thursday 8th May 2025

No late applications will be accepted.

Please note that an appointment to posts advertised will be dependent on University approval, together with the terms of the employment control framework for the higher education sector.

UCC is committed to creating and fully embracing an inclusive environment where diversity is celebrated.  As a University we strive to create a workplace that reflects the diversity of our student population where people from a wide variety of backgrounds learn from one another, share ideas, and work collaboratively. UCC is committed to being an employer that recognises the value of diversity amongst its staff.  We encourage applicants to consult our policies at https://www.ucc.ie/en/edi/policies/ and initiatives at https://www.ucc.ie/en/edi/implementation/ and we welcome applications from everyone, including those who are underrepresented in the protected characteristics set out in our Equal Opportunities & Diversity Policy. 

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE CORK IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES EMPLOYER