Research Assistant (Clinical Trials’ Network Support Coordinator)

Post Status: Specific Purpose Contract 

Research Group / Department / School: School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin

Location: St James’ Hospital, Dublin, Global Brain Health Institute, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin College Green, Dublin 2, Ireland 

Reports to: Iracema Leroi, Professor in Geriatric Psychiatry, SoM Sean Kennelly, Consultant Geriatrician, Tallaght Univ Hospital/TCD DTI Network Manager (TBA) 

Salary: Appointment will be made on the IUA scale commensurate with experience at a point in line with Government Pay Policy 

Hours of Work: 1.0 FTE

Starting Date: ASAP (latest September 1, 2025)

Applications are requested from suitably qualified candidates for a full-time, specific purpose post as Trials Network Support Coordinator with the HRB Dementia Clinical Trials Network (‘Dementia Trials Ireland’; DTI). 

Flexibility in time commitments will be considered. 

Post Summary 

The post holder will be part of a multidisciplinary national dementia clinical research network (‘Dementia Trials Ireland’), led by Professor Iracema Leroi, at St James Hospital, Dublin and Professor Sean Kennelly, who is based at Tallaght University Hospital, Dublin. The DTI Steering Committee is supported by clinical and non-clinical dementia researchers from around Ireland, including geriatricians, psychiatrists, neurologist, neuroimagers, PPI members, biostatisticians/trial methodologists, and bioengineers.

The HRB Dementia Clinical Trials Network (DTI) 

DTI aims to improve the lives of individuals at risk or living with dementia by conducting high quality, internationally recognised, clinical trials throughout Ireland, addressing important and common problems. DTI will be launched in Ireland for the first time in November 2021 and has been funded for 5 years by the Health Research Board (HRB). The objective of DTI is to significantly develop and expand the current small dementia clinical trials’ portfolio to include studies of diverse types (proof of concept to implementation; non-pharmacological to pharmacological approaches) suitable for all stages and sub-types of dementia (i.e. from preclinical to advanced stage dementia). Our studies will apply different methods, including imaging, biomarkers, and neuropsychological methods to assess healthy volunteers, carers and patients. 

The ultimate goal is to enable every person at risk of, or living with, dementia in Ireland, the opportunity to access clinical trials. This will entail upskilling the workforce to conduct trials, attracting more international trials (including industry-sponsored trials), and competing for funding for investigator-led trials within and beyond Ireland. A cornerstone of the work will be inclusion of people with lived experience and their caregivers in the day-to-day development of DTI (patient and public involvement; PPI), as well as raising public and professional awareness of dementia and dementia trials throughout Ireland. 

The current study portfolio is a combination of investigator-led (i.e.,www.sense-cog.eu) and industrysponsored studies. Current research focuses on Alzheimer’s and other dementias, mild cognitive impairment, brain-injury, and healthy volunteers. 

DTI will work closely with and be aligned with a number of other HRB-supported clinical research entities, including the HRB-Clinical Research Coordination Ireland (HRB-CRC); HRB Trials Methodology Research Network (HRB-TMRN), the Clinical Research Facilities (Dublin, Galway and Cork), and the HRB’s national PPI network, IGNITE. Additional partners include universities and hospitals in Dublin (The Mater, St Vincent’s, St James,’ Tallaght), Cork, Galway and Sligo.

Experience/Skills/Qualifications Required: 

Essential: 

Research Leadership

 • PhD or equivalent professional experience (in the opinion of the DTI leads) in a relevant health research-related field, ideally in dementia/brain health/neuroscience 

• Knowledge of institutional Research Office processes and requirements 

• Clinical trial conduct experience 

• Good Clinical Practice qualifications

• An ability to galvanize and support a network of professionals and people with lived experience to deliver DTI 

• A vision for what is required to deliver a successful clinical research network within 5 years 

• Ability to act as a knowledge-broker by communicating clearly and convincingly to a wide stakeholder audience (including the public, funders, clinicians, policy makers) regarding the aims and ambitions for DTI 

• Ability to anticipate and manage operational and project complexities to negotiate with and involved the right stakeholders at the right time regarding critical stages in the development of DTI

Project Management 

• Project Management experience, including the ability to develop and deliver a business plan for network sustainability 

• History of working with national stakeholders in health research, ideally including industry 

• Understanding of the HRB assets supporting clinical research (i.e. TMRN, CRCI, HRB-IGNITE) 

• Excellent website & database management skills, evidenced by relevant qualifications 

Management of the Network’s Research Project Portfolio: 

• Previous role(s) as manager of inter-disciplinary, multicentre research projects 

• Reporting to, and managing the requirements of, research funders 

Patient and Public Involvement (PPI): 

• Experience integrating PPI into the research life-cycle 

• Commitment to ensuring PPI is at the centre of decision-making and dissemination of DTI