Assistant Professor in English

Dublin City University

Dublin City University is a leading innovative European University with a mission to ‘transform lives and societies’. DCU ranks as one of the world’s Top 350 Universities, Times Higher Education, and is proud to be Ireland’s No. 1 Young University. The University is known for the ‘transformative student experience’ it offers, and is also recognised for its impact in addressing global challenges in collaboration with national and international stakeholders.

Overview of the department 

The School of English, Dublin City University, was founded in 2016, and is a research active and vibrant School with specialist knowledge in creative writing, children’s and young adult literature, poetry, Irish Studies, and studies in the long-nineteenth century.

The School of English teaches into a number of undergraduate programmes (including the Bachelor of Arts Joint Honours (BAJH), the Bachelor of Arts Media Studies, and the Bachelor of Religious Education programmes), two taught postgraduate programmes – Creative Writing (MACW), and Children’s and Young Adult Literature (MAHCL) – and a PhD programme. There are clusters of academics in the school with particular interests in Children’s Literature and Poetry Studies, and other areas of research specialization lie in Literature and the Law, Life Writing and Climate Change. Members of the School are active in university Research Centres dedicated to many of these areas. The School also has a strong commitment to Creative Writing, and a particular area of potential for the School lies in fostering Research projects through Creative Objects.

The School of English is committed to high-quality research and publications and supports its staff in such work. Its members have collaborated with colleagues across the world, and are currently involved in two major international projects, the G-Book initiative promoting Gender Awareness through Children’s Literature and the Research Ireland/Ulysses Project, “Correspondances: Poetry and Intermediality”, in which we are collaborating with colleagues from the Sorbonne and the University of Amiens. Our commitment to Research informs every level of our teaching, and proof of this lies in our production of a peer-reviewed  journal of Undergraduate research, Policeman’s Helmet Soup, which offers students an opportunity to not only publish, but demystify the process of getting published.

Role Profile

The successful candidate will be expected to play a dynamic part in the delivery of the school’s current taught programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and to contribute to the identification, development and delivery of new programmes. The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to the collective work of the school and be alert to how it relies on collegiality and a strong sense of community.

While the successful candidate will be able to teach across the School of English's programmes, they will have a demonstrable expertise in children’s  literature. They should have lecturing experience in areas such as nineteenth-century literature, modernism and postmodernism, and have experience of conducting research seminars for undergraduates.

The successful candidate will also be expected to supervise PhD candidates, maintain a dynamic research profile, and publish regularly in leading journals. They should already have a proven research record, with at least three peer-reviewed articles or book chapters.  They will be asked to foster collaboration and co-publication both within DCU and with external partners. They should look to work with existing research networks and seek opportunities to create new ones. They should look to work with existing research networks and seek opportunities to create new ones. They should show initiative in terms of identifying possibilities for research funding that lie outside of the silo of literary studies. They should promote the idea of literary studies as a mode of social engagement, and the possibilities that exist for English studies in a cross-disciplinary context.

Duties and Responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities of the position include, but are not restricted to, the following:

Teaching and Learning

• Coordinate and deliver modules to the highest academic standards, using diverse methodologies to foster deep learning and equip students for lifelong learning.
• Provide expert lecturing in Children’s Literature, while also covering core areas including 19th-Century Literature, Modernism, and Postmodernism.
• Contribute to the design of new modules and provide research supervision for undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Research and Scholarship

• Develop a clear research profile, publishing findings in high-impact international journals and generating research income to support initiatives.
• Attracting and supervising postgraduate research students
• Achieving measurable impact via citations 

Service and Contribution to the University and Society

• Support the School’s culture of collegiality, contributing to the collective work and well-being of the academic community.
• Participate in School and University committees and activities as required to support the School.
• Develop projects that demonstrate the value of English studies within broader social and academic contexts.

Qualifications and Experience 

Essential Criteria

• Ideally, individuals will have a doctorate in English or a relevant discipline. Those with a Master's degree and substantial relevant experience may be considered, provided they are already engaging in or commit to undertaking doctoral studies.
• Demonstrable expertise in Children’s Literature is essential.
• Proven experience lecturing in 19th-century literature, Modernism, and Postmodernism.
• Demonstrate excellent interpersonal and communication skills, along with evidence of successful teamwork and a collaborative and collegial approach.
• Highly developed communication skills to engage both academic audiences and the wider public.

Desirable Criteria

• Evidence of conducting research and dissemination with a track record of peer-reviewed publications.
• Evidence of contributing to funded research projects and/or attracting funding from competitive research funding schemes.

Essential Training 

The Individual will be required to undertake the following essential compliance training: 

• Orientation
• Health & Safety
• Data Protection (GDPR)
• Cyber Security Awareness 
• AI Literacy 

Other training may need to be undertaken when required.

Salary Scale:

Assistant Professor Salary Scale: €64,583 - €103,501

Appointment will be commensurate with qualifications and experience and in line with current Government pay policy.

Closing date: Sunday, 7th June 2026

Remote Working Policy

DCU operates a Remote Working Policy. Employees may be approved for up to 2 days of remote working per week (or an appropriate pro-rata amount for those part time). Any remote working arrangement will be reflective of the predominant on-campus working environment and the core University value of 'Student Focused'.

Employees will be based on campus for the majority of their working week to ensure a sustained on campus engagement and experience. The terms of the remote working policy will apply.

For more information about the School of English, please visit https://www.dcu.ie/english 

Informal Enquiries in relation to this role should be directed to:

Dr Michael Hinds, Head of School, School of English, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Email: michael.hinds@dcu.ie

Please do not send applications to this email address, instead apply as described in the Application Instructions.