Post Doctoral Researcher Design Labs Health

Job Title: Post Doctoral researcher Design labs health

School/Unit: School of Design

Post Title: Design Researcher

Post Duration: Specified Purpose Funded Contract linked to Targeted Enhancement Funding until August 2028

Grade: IUA Post-Doctoral Researcher Level 1

Reports to: Head of Department of Product Design

Salary: NCAD IUA Post Doc Researcher Level 1 Point 1 - €46,805 - €53,391 per annum* per annum

*Candidates should note that as per Department of Finance guidelines, entry will be at the first point of the salary scale and the rate of remuneration may be adjusted from time to time in line with government pay policy. Candidates should note that different pay and conditions may apply if, immediately prior to appointment, the appointee is a serving civil or public servant.

Annual Leave: Annual Leave will be 25 working days per annum. This leave is exclusive of public holidays.

Hours of Attendance: Working hours will be 35 hours per week (net of rest breaks).

Location: This position is based at NCAD, 100 Thomas Street, Dublin

Role Purpose:

This role is a specified purpose role funded by the Targeted Enhancement Fund (TEF), this funding is time-bound and the objectives of the funding are to:

• Provide targeted support for initiatives that are critical to the strategic development of NCAD.
• Contribute towards enhancement initiatives that will strengthen the performance of NCAD.
• To consolidate NCAD's position in the higher education landscape.
• Facilitate the development and/or continuation of initiatives that further national policy and priorities.

Background

NCAD DesignLabs are a series of collaborative design-led research spaces, whose shared focus is on the positive impact that applied design research can have on societies, cultures, economies and environments. NCAD DesignLabs: Health is home to a diverse group of designers and researchers dedicated to advancing the field of design for health. Working at the intersection of research, design practice and clinical expertise, we research, design and evaluate interventions across health and social care systems and community contexts. Researchers within NCAD DesignLabs: Health work closely with hospital, academic, industry, and community collaborators, including HSE Spark, Mater Hospital, Design Innovation Lab at St James’s Hospital, RCSI, and Tympany Medical. Through these partnerships, the Lab advances innovation and service transformation in health and social care, demonstrating the wider impact of design-led approaches. The Design Researcher will be joining DesignLabs: Health at an exciting time of growth in the Lab, and will join a broader team of researchers who work across large-scale national projects, including Better By Design: A HSE Spark X DesignLabs Health Collaboration, and Co-Create Ireland: Art and Design Research Network for Inclusive Futures.

Role Description

The Design Researcher will play a key role in shaping and delivering research within DesignLabs Health, working closely with the lab lead and other researchers within the lab. The role involves balancing academic research with design practice, contributing to design-led projects in health and social care settings and generating evidence of their impact through research and evaluation. The researcher will collaborate with health and social care professionals and other stakeholders to co-design, prototype, and evaluate design-led interventions, while disseminating impact through research outputs, publications, events, and public engagement. This position provides an opportunity to advance and apply expertise in design for health and social care within a design-led interdisciplinary environment. The role is based in DesignLabs: Health, a research centre within NCAD and operates under the supervision of the lab lead for DesignLabs Health.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

Research and Scholarship

• Lead and execute a specified programme of design-led research and scholarship under the direction of the DesignLabs Health lead.
• Contribute to the conceptualisation, development, and delivery of funded research projects within DesignLabs Health.
• Lead defined work packages or project strands, ensuring high-quality design research outputs, delivered on time and within scope.

Applied Design Research

• Lead and contribute to applied design projects, operating as a senior design practitioner.
• Supervise and mentor research assistants, designers, and postgraduate researchers engaged in project work.
• Provide design direction and methodological guidance across projects, ensuring rigour, ethical integrity, and adherence to trauma-informed principles.
• Support project planning, scheduling, and coordination of activities within applied design projects.
• Facilitate co-design and participatory processes with health and social care professionals, patients, communities, and external partners and stakeholders.

Impact Evaluation and Dissemination

• Contribute to the development of frameworks for evaluating and measuring the impact of design in health.
• Prepare peer-reviewed publications and contribute to project report writing to relevant funders, partners and government agencies as necessary.
• Present research findings and project insights at local, national, and international venues, including community forums, academic conferences, and policy workshops.

Team and Institutional Contribution

• Actively contribute to team meetings, workshops, and knowledge exchange activities, fostering a collaborative and innovative research culture.
• Mentor, support and oversee the work of junior researchers, research assistants, and postgraduate students within DesignLabs Health.
• Lead and contribute to the preparation of research grant proposals.
• Engage in professional development opportunities to maintain and expand expertise in design research and healthcare innovation.
• Contribute to broader research, scholarship, and dissemination activities within NCAD DesignLabs and the institution.
• Carry out administrative work related to your programme of research.

Undertake any other such appropriate duties, which may be assigned from time to time by their Line Manager.

Selection Criteria

Selection criteria outline the qualifications, skills, knowledge, and experience required to successfully fulfil the responsibilities of the post. Applications will be assessed on how well candidates meet these criteria.

Essential:

• A PhD (or equivalent professional experience) in design, design research, social sciences, health sciences, human-computer interaction, or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated experience in conducting applied, interdisciplinary, or design-led research.
• Proven ability to plan, manage, and deliver research projects to completion.
• Strong skills in qualitative and quantitative research methods, evaluation, and evidence generation.
• Ability to work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams, including health and social care professionals and stakeholders.
• Evidence of research outputs such as peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, or design-led artefacts.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with experience disseminating research.
• Strong interpersonal skills and experience engaging with diverse stakeholders, demonstrating an awareness and commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion practices.

Desirable:

• Demonstrable record of developing successful research funding applications and/or industry or public sector partnerships.
• Experience in developing and applying evaluation frameworks for measuring the impact of applied design research.
• Experience working within healthcare or public service contexts, with an understanding of system-level challenges and opportunities for design-led innovation.
• Evidence of mentoring or supporting early-career researchers, students, or collaborators.
• Experience leading or contributing to publications, toolkits, or resources aimed at translating research into practice.
• Experience contributing to knowledge exchange or public engagement activities that communicate research to non-academic audiences.
• Proficiency in relevant design or research tools (e.g. Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, Miro).

Closing date: 8th April 2026