Postdoctoral Research Fellow

The successful applicant will undertake research, under the directorship of Professor Gregory Toner, on the AHRC-funded project “A Chronology of the Medieval Irish Lexicon”. The postholder will conduct research on the dates assigned in the secondary literature to early Irish texts cited in the electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language and provide synopses for the research team. The postholder will carry out analyses, critical evaluations, and interpretations using methodologies and other techniques appropriate to the area of research. They will read academic papers and textbooks to keep abreast of developments in own specialism and related disciplines, and verify and correct references for citations abstracted from eDIL.

The postholder is also expected to:

• Disaggregate discrete sections of texts and assign dates in accordance with the available secondary literature.
• Liaise with other team members in pursuit of the project objectives.
• Liaise with IT consultants and support staff regarding the underpinning IT infrastructure.
• Present regular progress reports on research to members of the research group.
• Disseminate and publicise research findings to external audiences.
• Prepare material for publication online and in academic journals.
• Carry out routine administrative tasks associated with the research project to ensure that tasks are completed on time and within budget. These might include organisation of documentation for project meetings and symposia.

About the person:

The postholder must:

• Hold a primary degree in Celtic Studies or Irish Language and Literature.
• Have, or be about to obtain, a PhD in medieval Irish language or literature.
• Have at least 3 years relevant research experience, including doctoral research, to include a knowledge of relevant areas of medieval Irish language and literature.
• Have demonstrable research ability as evidenced by, for example, publications, national/international conference papers, research awards, future scholarly output (working papers, research proposals, ability to outline a research project).
• Have an understanding of the operational requirements for a successful research project.

To be successful at shortlisting stage, please ensure you clearly evidence in your application how you meet the essential and, where applicable, desirable criteria listed in the Candidate Information.

This is a fixed term post for 24 monhts or available until 31 July 2026, whichever is sooner. Fixed term contract posts are available for the stated period in the first instance but in particular circumstances may be renewed or made permanent subject to availability of funding.

What we offer:

Beyond a competitive salary, the University offers an attractive benefits package including a holiday entitlement of up to 8.4 weeks a year, pension schemes and development opportunities. We support staff wellbeing with flexible working options, work-life balance initiatives and support for physical and mental health. You can find more detail on all of this and more on our website.

Queen's University is committed to promoting equality of opportunity to all. We subscribe to Equality Charter Marks such as the Diversity Charter Mark NI and Athena Swan and have established staff networks such as iRise (Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and International Staff Network) and PRISM (LGBTQ+) which help us progress equality.

For further information on our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, please visit our website.

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