Postdoctoral Design Researcher

Post Title: Postdoctoral Design Researcher

Grade: IUA Post-Doctoral Researcher Level 1

School/Unit: School of Design

Subject Area: Design Lab: Civic

Post Duration: To end of September 2027, commencing as soon as possible

Contract Type: Specified Purpose Funded Contract

Reports to: Head of School of Design

Salary: IUA Post Doc Researcher Level 1 Point 1 - €47,273 - €53,925 per annum* pro-rata for .4FTE

*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, pro-rata. This leave is exclusive of

public holidays.

Hours of work: FTE .4 - Working hours will be 14 hours per week (net of rest breaks)

Location: National College of Art and Design, 100 Thomas Street, Dublin 8. The staff member will need

to be in attendance in-person at project activities across the consortium location, including Dublin,

London, Dundee, Cardiff and Belfast. Additional project work can be facilitated remotely.

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: Civic brings together designers, researchers, public sector

organisations, communities, and policymakers to advance new approaches to civic participation, public

service innovation, democratic engagement, and systems transformation. Working at the intersection of

research, design practice, and public sector collaboration, DesignLabs: Civic develops and evaluates

design-led approaches that support more inclusive, participatory, and responsive civic systems. The Lab

works across local government, community development, social innovation, and public policy contexts,

engaging with diverse stakeholders to address complex societal challenges through co-design,

participatory research, and design-led inquiry.

Role Description

The Postdoctoral Design Researcher will play a central role in shaping and delivering research within

DesignLabs: Civic, working on DESIGN BRIDGES: Building Research, Innovation and Design Evidence

across the UK and Ireland.

Design Bridges positions design as a core driver of the creative economy in both the UK and Ireland,

aligning ambitions set out in the UK's Industrial Strategy and Creative Ireland's Digital Creative Industries

Roadmap.

Design Bridges establishes the foundations of a UK-Ireland research and innovation network focused on

design as a strategic, systems-level capability. Led by PDR at Cardiff Metropolitan University (UK) and

the National College of Art and Design (Ireland), with partners at Belfast School of Art (Ulster University)

and The Glasgow School of Art, the network brings together researchers, policymakers, design

organisations and industry representatives across Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland to co-

design shared agendas around design strategy, skills, policy impact and systems change.

Design's role, practice and effects are changing rapidly in response to AI, circular economy imperatives

and digital transformation, yet this agility is little understood or measured. Current evidence

frameworks fail to capture design's embedded contribution across sectors such as digital services,

manufacturing, public services and sustainability transitions. Design Bridges will generate better

evidence of how design is adapting and contributing to systemic change.

Design Bridges will:

● establish UK-Ireland design policy and evidence infrastructure; prototype cross-border policy

learning methods between policymakers across UK and Irish jurisdictions;

● develop shared impact and evaluation measurement baselines;

● strengthen research and policy skills pipelines;

● identify priorities for future joint research and large-scale funding.

The role involves balancing academic research with applied design practice, contributing to design-led,

collaborative research which supports knowledge exchange, policy learning and generates new

approaches to evidencing design’s value as a strategic systems-level capability. The researcher will work

in active partnership across the Design Bridges consortium, including with international higher

education institutions, and policy, public sector, and cultural organisation partners to facilitate

collaborative exploration through co-design workshops, structured dialogue and rapid prototyping. The

successful candidate will contribute to research outputs, publications, public engagement activities, and

funding development. The role is based within DesignLabs: Civic, a research centre within NCAD, and

operates under the supervision of the Head of Design (co-PI of Design Bridges).

Key Duties and Responsibilities

Research and Scholarship

- Lead and execute a specified programme of design-led research and scholarship under the

direction of the Design Bridges PIs

- 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 and

providing design direction and methodological expertise across Design Bridges, ensuring rigour,

ethical integrity, and adherence to trauma-informed principles.

- Facilitate co-design and participatory processes with public sector professionals, communities,

and external partners and stakeholders.

- Support project planning, scheduling, and coordination of activities across Design Sprints, Policy

Exchanges and Creative Economy Futures Roundtables and in line with project work plan

Impact Evaluation and Dissemination

- Contribute to the development of frameworks for evaluating and measuring the impact of

design in a range of policy contexts

- 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.

- Engage in professional development opportunities to maintain and expand expertise in design

research and public sector 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 reasonable duties as required by the PI

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,

anthropology, public policy, public administration, 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 public sector professionals,

communities, and external partners 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 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).

*A panel may be formed for this position*

Closing date: 09.11.2026