Research Assistant Level 1

Department: School of Law & CriminologyVacancy ID: 037043Closing Date: 19-Sep-2025Maynooth University is committed to a strategy in which the primary University goals of excellent research and scholarship and outstanding education are interlinked and equally valued. Due to recent success in the competitive EU Horizon 2020 funding, we are seeking a Research Assistant to join the SWINS project team of Maynooth University. The project, titled Sustainable Wellbeing through Investment in Social Services (SWINS), is a 36-month project funded by Horizon Europe and coordinated by PIN ARCO-University of Florence.

SWINS will develop and test a policy-oriented toolbox for the ex-ante assessment of the economic and social returns of investments in social services over the life course. Focusing on the complementarity of services aimed at developing human capabilities throughout the lifespan, it will explore the impacts of alternative social policy scenarios entailing different social services configurations (from maternal care and ECEC, to education and ALMP, up to long-term care).

SWINS will conceptualize the returns to social services in terms of income, employment, and growth, as well as bridge knowledge gaps about how these investments influence macroeconomic stability and foster the EU sustainability transition performances. By implementing a right-based social investment approach, SWINS aims to support the rethinking of social services as drivers of the EU’s shift towards sustainable wellbeing, going beyond their role as mere safeguards against the transition’s side effects. We are looking to appoint a candidate to support the Lead Investigators, Prof. Delia Ferri and Dr Charles O’Sullivan, in conducting their research.

The focus of the Research Assistant will be related in particular but not exclusively to Work Package (WP) 2 and 8 of the project. The researcher will conduct desk-based research on EU law and policy and relevant scholarship. For this position, we are looking to appoint a candidate with strong knowledge of EU law and policy and experience of interdisciplinary EU funded projects. SalaryResearch Assistant, Level I (2025): €33,292 – €34,545 p. a. (3 points)Appointments will be made in accordance with public sector pay provisions. Closing Date23: 30hrs (local Irish time) on Friday, 19th September 2025.

Please note all applications must be made via our Online Recruitment Portal at the following link: https: //www. maynoothuniversity. ie/human-resources/vacanciesApplications must be submitted by the closing date and time specified above. Any applications which are still in progress at the closing time on the specified closing date will be cancelled automatically by the system. Late applications will not be accepted. Maynooth University is an equal opportunities employerThe position is subject to the Statutes of the University