UCC School of Law Expression of Interest for Irish Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship

13 Sep 2024

UCC School of Law encourages prospective applicants to consider applying for the IRC Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme, offering valuable support for innovative and impactful research.

2025 GOVERNMENT OF IRELAND POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME

The IRC Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme is a well-established funding scheme that supports outstanding researchers in making meaningful contributions to knowledge and society.

This programme aims to support suitably qualified applicants to pursue a postdoctoral fellowship at an eligible higher education institution in Ireland for either one or two years. Among its features are:

• individual, prestigious awards for excellent research in the name of the applicant;
• an objective selection process using international, independent expert peer review;
• funding across all disciplines, from archaeology to zoology; and
• awards for bottom-up, non-directed research.

TYPES OF FELLOWSHIPS

There are 2 types of Postdoctoral Fellowships:

• 1-year: To help prepare the applicant's doctoral thesis for publication
• 2-year: To develop a new research project or a project that demonstrates a significant development of the subjPect of the doctoral thesis

Applicant Eligibility

• Postdoctoral applicants must have been awarded their doctoral degree within the 5 years before 31 May 2025, or have completed all the requirements for their doctoral degree (including submission of the corrected hardbound thesis) during this time frame but have not yet graduated.
• Postdoctoral applicants can be from any country/nationality.
• Postdoctoral applicants must have done one of the following 3 options:
1. Authored or co-authored at least 1 published, peer-reviewed publication
2. Demonstratable equivalent IP output to a published, peer-reviewed publication
3. Be able to provide a table of contents and ONE chapter of their doctoral thesis.
• Must have secured a mentor at UCC.

FUNDING

Includes Salary costs (€46,305 in the first year, €47,879 in the second year), PRSI Contribution, and direct research expenses (€5,000 per year)

SCHOOL OF LAW

UCC School of Law is ranked among the top 100 law schools globally, securing 59^th place worldwide and 1^st in Ireland (QS World University Rankings by Subject, 2023). The School's research culture is driven by its diverse community of national and international experts, who are leaders across a wide range of legal fields, including human rights law, environmental law, criminal justice, constitutional law, and corporate governance.

The School is renowned for producing academically rigorous research that has significant impact, shaping policy, legislation, and legal practice at both national and international levels. Faculty members are engaged in high-quality legal research, regularly publishing their work in leading academic journals and monographs and contributing to prominent legal commentaries and public discourse.

The School encourages a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach to research, fostering partnerships with universities, research institutes, and government bodies across the globe. This dynamic environment attracts early-career and established researchers, making UCC a hub for innovative legal scholarship. Additionally, the School's commitment to research is reflected in its support for postdoctoral fellows, offering mentorship and access to extensive resources.

The UCC School of Law is home to five prominent research centres that contribute to its vibrant research ecosystem.

1. The Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights is well-established, with a long-standing reputation for excellence in the areas of criminal law, justice, and human rights.
2. The interdisciplinary Centre for Law and the Environment works closely with the Environmental Research Institute, UCC’s flagship institute dedicated to tackling complex environmental and sustainability challenges.
3. The Centre for Children’s Rights and Family Law is Ireland’s leading research hub in its field, with significant international influence and an active role in shaping policy both nationally and globally.
4. The interdisciplinary Centre for Research in Sports Economics and Law brings considerable expertise in sports law.
5. The Centre for European Integration at UCC (CEI@UCC) focuses on EU law, business, politics, and societal issues.

In addition to these centres, the School’s expertise spans a wide range of legal areas, including European Business Law, Constitutional and Administrative Law, Intellectual Property and Information Law, Technology Law, Medical and Mental Health Law, International Law, Language and the Law, and Private Law. The School also plays a key role in UCC Futures, contributing to its ten thematic areas, focusing on Children, Sustainability, Collective Social Futures, and Artificial Intelligence & Data Analytics.

The UCC School of Law has a strong track record in securing major research grants from prestigious national and international bodies, including two European Research Council grants and two Irish Research Council Laureate awards.

HOW TO APPLY

Potential applicants should read the call documentation carefully to ascertain whether or not they are eligible to apply.

If you are interested in applying for an IRC Postdoctoral Fellowship with UCC’s School of Law please complete the below Expression of Interest Form and send it to Dr Seán Lucey, Research Manager, College of Business and Law (sean.lucey@ucc.ie) and/or Lindie van Rensburg (lvanrensburg@ucc.ie).

Enquires on identifying a potential mentor can be made to individual staff members (see staff profiles) or Dr Seán Lucey (sean.lucey@ucc.ie) and/or Lindie van Rensburg (lvanrensburg@ucc.ie).

Please click the following link to download more information and for Expression of Interest Form: Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme 2025