Postdoctoral Research Fellow Position at Trinity School of Law
Post Specification
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Post Title: |
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow |
Post Status: |
Specific Purpose Contract, part time 0.5 FTE |
Research Group / Department / School: |
School of Law, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin |
Location: |
School of Law, House 39, |
Reports to: |
Associate Professor Andrea Mulligan |
Salary: |
Appointment will be made on the Post doctoral at point 1 [in line with Government Pay Policy [€46,305 per annum], appointment will be made no higher than point 1 |
Hours of Work: |
Part time 20 hours per week |
Closing Date: |
12 Noon (IST), 24 October 2025 |
Post Summary
The CONTENT Study (Consent for Medically Indicated Interventions in Childbirth) will investigate consent to medical treatment in Irish maternity care. This interdisciplinary study, comprising researchers from law, midwifery, obstetrics and ethics, will investigate whether the legal principles that govern consent to treatment are applied in practice in Irish maternity care.The objective of this project is to investigate the divergence between the legal requirements for consent to birth interventions and the reality of consent practices in Irish maternity services.
The overarching research question is: are the legal requirements for informed and voluntary consent to birth interventions being met in the context of Irish maternity care? Ultimately, the project aims to deliver evidence-based outputs to improve consent practices. Valid consent requires that a person is provided with all the information they need to make a decision and that the decision is truly voluntary, meaning that it is free from coercion of any kind. Negative interactions with caregivers during birth are associated with suboptimal outcomes. Therefore, ensuring informed consent is given is one way to minimise negative birth experiences and to reduce the incidence of traumatic births and childbirth-related post-traumatic stress.
To explore this issue, the team will survey and interview women, obstetricians and midwives, and examine the extent to which the legal requirements for provision of consent are being followed for women in childbirth. The project aims to influence policy and practice in this area. Ultimately, the project aims to deliver evidence-based outputs to improve consent practices.
Standard Duties and Responsibilities of the Post
The post-doctoral candidate will be required to undertake the following activities under the guidance of Dr. Mulligan:- Schedule meetings
- Develop ethics application and DPIA
- Conduct legal research and analysis
- Undertake qualitative and quantitative data collection including assisting in conducting interviews and disseminating the survey instrument
- Analyse qualitative data
- Prepare papers for publication
- Organise research events such as seminars, conferences or workshops
Funding Information
Funding source: Research Ireland COALESCEPerson Specification
Legal training is essential.Experience of writing for publication is essential.
Qualifications
A PhD in law, or in a cognate discipline.Knowledge & Experience (Essential & Desirable)
Legal training is essential.
Experience of writing for publication is essential.
Previous research experience within the field of Medical Law and Ethics or Bioethics is desirable.
Experience using qualitative and quantitative research methodologies is desirable.
Project management skills are desirable.
Skills & Competencies
Excellent IT skillsExcellent legal research skills
Experience of writing for publication
Application Procedure
Applicants should submit a full Curriculum Vitae and cover letter to include the names and contact details of 2 referees (including email addresses), to:-Name – Andrea Mulligan
Email Address – andrea.mulligan@tcd.ie
Further Information for Applicants
URL Link to Area |
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URL Link to Human Resources |
Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin
Trinity is Ireland’s leading university and is ranked 108th in the world (QS World University Rankings 2020). Founded in 1592, the University is steeped in history with a reputation for excellence in education, research and innovation.
Located on an iconic campus in the heart of Dublin’s city centre, Trinity has 18,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students across our three faculties – Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; Engineering, Mathematics and Science; and Health Sciences.
Trinity is ranked as the 17th most international university in the world (Times Higher Education Rankings 2020) and has students and staff from over 120 countries.
The pursuit of excellence through research and scholarship is at the heart of a Trinity education, and our researchers have an outstanding publication record and strong record of grant success. Trinity has developed 19 broad-based multidisciplinary research themes that cut across disciplines and facilitate world-leading research and collaboration within the University and with colleagues around the world. Trinity is also home to 5 leading flagship research institutes:
- Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute (TBSI)
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience (TCIN)
- Trinity Translational Medical Institute (TTMI)
- Trinity Long Room Hub Arts and Humanities Research Institute (TLRH)
- Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN)
Trinity is the top-ranked European university for producing entrepreneurs for the past five successive years and Europe’s only representative in the world’s top-50 universities
(Pitchbook Universities Report).
Trinity is home to the famous Old Library and to the historic Book of Kells as well as other internationally significant holdings in manuscripts, maps and early printed material. The Trinity Library is a legal deposit library, granting the University the right to claim a copy of every book published in Ireland and the UK. At present, the Library’s holdings span approximately 6.5 million printed items, 400,000 e-books and 150,000 e-journals.
With over 120,000 alumni, Trinity’s tradition of independent intellectual inquiry has produced some of the world’s finest, most original minds including the writers Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett (Nobel laureates), the mathematician William Rowan Hamilton and the physicist Ernest Walton (Nobel laureate), the political thinker Edmund Burke, and the former President of Ireland Mary Robinson. This tradition finds expression today in a campus culture of scholarship, innovation, creativity, entrepreneurship and dedication to societal reform.