Applications are invited for the position of Research Assistant on the Precision ALS Research Programme. The successful candidate who should personable, self-motivated and highly organised, will work with Irish ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis)/MND (Motor Neurone Disease) Research Group, hosted in the Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute's Academic Unit of Neurology and will be based across a hybrid combination of sites including Beaumont Hospital and Academic Unit of Neurology, Trinity College with some remote working. The ideal candidate will have an undergraduate degree in a healthcare-relevant discipline, psychology or a related area. Post-graduate experience in research/fieldwork or clinical areas is desirable. Training in all relevant areas will be provided.
Precision ALS is a €10 million research programme involving researchers at the SFI Research Centres ADAPT and FutureNeuro along with the TRICALS Consortium, Europe’s largest ALS research initiative. National and International industry partners and charities including patient organisations are also actively participating.
Precision ALS will provide an innovative and interactive platform for all clinical research in ALS across Europe, that will then harness artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse large amounts of data. The programme cements Ireland’s world leadership position in MND research and Artificial Intelligence and will generate scores of new jobs in clinical and data science research, new technologies and drug development for Ireland.
ALS/MND causes progressive cause decline in movement, cognition and behaviour. Although uniformly fatal, life expectancy can vary from 3 months to many years from first symptom, and there are no effective treatments. Irish researchers, along with their European collaborations in ALS/MND, have shown that the disease is caused by variable combinations of faulty genes that likely interact with lifestyle and environment. Using “big data analysis”, Precision ALS will provide the technology to improve our understanding of how these factors impact the development of the disease. This in turn will inform which treatments will work for each individual, instead of a one-size-fits-all approach.
Precision ALS is a unique programme that brings together Clinicians, Computer Scientists, Information Engineers, Technologists, and Data Scientists. The researchers will work together with a number of companies including Biogen, Novartis, Takeda, IQVIA, Roche and Accenture to generate a sustainable precision medicine-based approach towards new drug development that will have many benefits including better clinical outcomes for patients and reducing the economic cost of these diseases.
On completion, Precision ALS will be a first-in-kind modular transferable pan-European ICT framework for ALS that can be easily adapted to other diseases that face similar precision medicine-related challenges.
Standard Duties and Responsibilities of the Post
The successful candidate will be responsible for the coordination and prospective collection of patient journey data from participating patients through the Precision ALS data collection tool. This will involve attendance at the MND outpatient clinic in Beaumont Hospital where the successful applicant will be involved in completing the consent process with participants along with chart reviews to collect the necessary information followed by a mixture of either face to face or telephone interviews with participants to complete initial and ultimately periodic follow up data collection with participants. This role will require a high degree of cooperation with the manager of the Irish ALS/MND Research Register as well as with other clinical and research staff involved in generating relevant data in and around the ALS/MND Clinic. It is also envisaged that the successful candidate will play a key role in the ongoing development of the Standard Operating Protocol that will be shared across the 9 other European sites collecting similar data. S/he must be flexible to allow for the fluctuating time demands of the project, and be self-motivated, with excellent organisational, interpersonal and communication skills.
The successful applicant to be accepted onto the panel will be expected to perform a combination of the tasks below:
- Approach patients with ALS/MND in the respective specialist clinics;
- Describe the nature of the studies to the prospective patient and caregiver participants and talk them through the consent process;
- Coordinate with the multidisciplinary research and clinical team as appropriate to deliver all elements of the research projects;
- Coordinate data collection from multiple sources and keep track of timeline for follow up with the participants
- Keep accurate, up-to-date, detailed records of research;
- Report regularly to the project supervisors;
- Appropriately manage the large datasets generated by the project.
Person Specification
Qualifications
- Applicants should hold a minimum upper-second class (2:1) honours degree (or equivalent) in healthcare, psychology or a related area.
- A masters in a relevant area would be seen as an advantage
Knowledge & Experience
- At least some experience working in healthcare / related area
- Interest in ICT and digital health
- An interest in pursuing a higher degree would be an advantage
Skills & Competencies
- Excellent communication skills
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- Highly organised and detail oriented
- Ability to work in a team & to multitask
- Ability to also work independently and flexibly
- Clean driver’s licence (Desirable)
Application Procedure
Applicants should submit a cover letter and full Curriculum Vitae to include the names and contact details of 3 referees (including email addresses)
Any enquiries in relation to the position can be made through Indeed.
Closing date for applications is 12.00Hrs on Thursday 19th June
Salary
IUA Level 1, Point 1 (€32,962)
Term
12 month specific purpose contract
Job Type: Part-time
Pay: Up to €32,962.00 per year
Expected hours: 21 per week
Schedule:
- Monday to Friday
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute 152-160 Pearse Street Trinity College Dublin Dublin 2, CO. Dublin
Application deadline: 19/06/2025
Reference ID: Research Assistant
