Post-Doctoral Researcher in Criminology (SPIRS Project)(Specified Purpose Contract), School of Law and Criminology, Maynooth University

We are seeking a post-doctoral researcher to join the SPIRS project team. This role is anticipated to be a 14-month duration in the first instance. SPIRS (Studying Prison In-Reach Services) is a 2-year project led by Principal Investigator, Dr Joe Garrihy. The study will examine the user experience of ‘in-reach services’ in the Irish Prison Service (IPS). The Research Team will analyse the experiences of those in prison engaging in ‘in-reach services’ who provide essential support to people in custody. The study seeks to understand how service users approach, make sense and find meaning in their interactions with these services. The study is funded by the Irish Prison Service.

The collective centrality of in-reach services in supporting people in prison and addressing their intersecting needs is inarguable. The experiences of service users and staff throughout their engagement and outcomes are underexplored yet are essential to account for their nature and functioning. The post-doctoral researcher will work with the Research Team to address this lacuna through comprehensive analysis across multiple in-reach services. The post-doctoral researcher will achieve this through the voices of the service users and staff, in addition to other stakeholders, including prison officers, psychologists, and others. 

The post-doctoral researcher will be an integral part of a mixed-methods two-year study with a Research Team led by Principal Investigator, Dr Garrihy, and a Research Assistant. The post-doctoral researcher will undertake empirical participant fieldwork, mixed methods data collection and analysis with associated writing up informed by the relevant literature. The post-doctoral researcher will also support the Principal Investigator in carrying out other tasks related to the project.

The post offers the researcher the opportunity to join a dynamic, well-supported multi-disciplinary team within the research-intensive School of Law and Criminology – the largest criminology team in Ireland - while developing their professional and intellectual skillsets, publication record, lecturing experience and network.