Postdoctoral Researcher
Irish Centre for Social Gerontology
Ref. No. NUIG 071-15
Applications are invited from suitably qualified candidates for a full-time fixed term position
as a Postdoctoral Researcher for an EU Funded Project ‘FairTax’ located at the Irish Centre
for Social Gerontology, Institute for Lifecourse and Society, NUI Galway. This position is
available from 1st September 2015 to contract end date.
Revisioning the ‘Fiscal EU’: Fair, Sustainable, and Coordinated Tax and Social Policies
Dr. Emer Mulligan together with The Irish Centre for Social Gerontology (ICSG) is now
seeking to recruit a Postdoctoral Researcher to a fixed-term three-year contract to work on
project FairTax, which is a H2020-funded project. The project aims to produce
recommendations on how fair and sustainable taxation and social policy reforms can
increase the economic stability of EU member states, promoting economic equality and
security, enhancing coordination and harmonization of tax, social inclusion, environmental,
legitimacy, and compliance measures, support deepening of the European Monetary Union,
and expanding the EU’s own resource revenue bases. This project involves conducting
studies that focus on state and stakeholder-level analysis within selected countries, and
studies that focus primarily on inter-state and EU-level aspects of coordination and
integration. The work is being conducted by a research consortium of multidisciplinary
comparative and international policy fiscal experts from nine EU and non-EU countries.
Work package 4 (WP4) of project FairTax is entitled ‘European Pension Policies and
Intergenerational Fiscal Sustainability, Fairness, and Consolidation’ and is being led from
within the ICSG. Working in collaboration with the leader of WP4 and other members of the
consortium, the Post-Doctoral Researcher will be expected to take a leading role in
implementing and delivering WP4, and contribute, as necessary, to other related work
packages. WP4 will critically evaluate the implications of demographic ageing across the EU
and in selected OECD countries, and the employment, social security, tax, and pensions
policies introduced to address this phenomenon. A particular focus is on fiscal sustainability,
equality, and consolidation across the EU. WP4 will address questions pertaining to
intergenerational conflict, extended working life policies, the ‘social contract’, and crossnational consolidation of policy approaches to pension provision and extended working life in
rapidly changing conditions.
This research will be conducted through an analysis of policy documents; interviews with
stakeholders across the EU and other selected countries involved in devising and
implementing pensions, social security and employment policy, as well as independent
academic and policy experts; and statistical analysis, including tax-transfer simulations of
alternative policy scenarios. In addition, willingness to pay increased taxes to support
pensions will be researched with mixed methods involving surveys, focus groups, and
individual interviews using an innovative qualitative life-course approach to data collection
and analysis.
In this role you will:
 Carry out substantive, original and significant research, which meets the objectives of
WP4 of Project FairTax.
 Prepare reports, participate in workshops and consortium meetings, and carry out a
range of other project management activities required to satisfy H2020 grant and
consortium agreement requirements, particularly with respect to WP4.
 Contribute, as required, to other work packages to ensure delivery of overall objectives
of Project FairTax.
 Contribute to writing up research findings for publication in different forms, including
peer-reviewed, international journals.
 Play an active role in external networks or in professional organisations to build
collaborative relationships for future activities.
 Where appropriate, assist in supporting research students.
 Work to raise the national and international profile of Project FairTax and WP4 in
particular through publications, presentations and participation in relevant conferences
and seminars.
 Contribute, as appropriate, to developing research capacity in the area of Lifecourse
Studies at NUI Galway.
 Be expected to carry out any additional duties as may reasonably be required within
the general scope and level of the post.
Qualifications and Experience:
• A PhD in a relevant social science discipline. Preference will be given to candidates
who can demonstrate appropriate experience and knowledge of working in research
areas that relate to the human lifecourse, taxation and social policy.
• An ability to work effectively and in a mutually supportive manner within an
interdisciplinary team of researchers.
• Evidence of publications and a desire to publish and communicate research widely.
• Excellent communication (written and verbal) and presentation skills.
• High levels of initiative, commitment to deadlines and team interaction.
• Significant knowledge and appropriate experience of using qualitative and/or mixedmethod approaches to social research. Experience of conducting focus groups and
interviews with senior level stakeholders identified above, would be an advantage.
• Excellent and demonstrable knowledge of relevant computer software (including, for
example, MS Office, and qualitative data analysis software [e.g. NVivo]). In addition,
familiarity with quantitative data analysis techniques and software [e.g. SPSS] would
be an advantage.
• Awareness of legal and ethical requirements regarding data protection and
confidentiality.
Salary: €37,750 - €46,255 (public sector pay policy rules pertaining to new entrants will
apply) NB: Gárda clearance is a requirement for this post
Further information on research and working at NUI Galway is available on Research at NUI
Galway
For information on moving to Ireland please see www.euraxess.ie
Start date: 1st September 2015 or as soon as possible thereafter.
For informal discussion about this post please
emer.mulligan@nuigalway.ie
contact Dr. Emer Mulligan at
To Apply: Candidates are requested to submit a cover letter, CV (Word or PDF format only)
and the names and addresses of three referees via e-mail to icsg@nuigalway.ie
Applicants must include the Ref. No. NUIG 071-14 in the subject line of the email
application.
Closing date for receipt of applications is 5pm, Friday 3rd July 2015
National University of Ireland Galway is an equal opportunities employer
Institute for Lifecourse and Society
The Institute represents a significant and innovative development in that, for the first time in
Ireland, it brings together the fields of children, youth, older people and disability into
one domain of research, teaching and policy. It thus provides greater focus, coherence
and direction to applied social science research at NUI Galway. The Institute’s core function
is to achieve international excellence in social policy and practice development through the
pursuit of interdisciplinary research in the social sciences by creatively integrating the rich
and diverse intellectual resources from within NUI Galway and beyond. The Institute’s focus
is on supporting applied research that informs policy development and practice that makes a
positive difference to people’s lives.
Irish Centre for Social Gerontology
The Irish Centre for Social Gerontology (ICSG) was established in 2006 at NUI Galway as a
multidisciplinary research centre on ageing. The Centre focuses on research, education and
training in the field of social gerontology in Ireland and internationally. The Centre’s mission
is to develop and promote social and economic aspects of ageing in Ireland to support a
holistic and positive view of ageing and act as a source for all involved in ageing in Ireland.
Research undertaken at ICSG explores many of the key issues associated with ageing and
later life. Underpinning the Centre’s research is recognition of the diversity of ageing
populations and the increasing need to adopt interdisciplinary perspectives and novel
methodological approaches to address the questions raised by population ageing. Research
at ICSG focuses on such areas as the economics of ageing, social policies for ageing
societies, ageing and place, health and well-being in later life, and ageing and the lifecourse.
http://www.icsg.ie/