Overview

Permanent Whole-Time Post

UCC wishes to appoint a Senior Lecturer in Human Nutrition & Dietetics to a new position in the School of Food and Nutritional Sciences. This is an exciting opportunity for a highly qualified and experienced candidate who wishes to make a substantial contribution to the continuous development and delivery of the postgraduate programme in Human Nutrition and Dietetics and inspire the workforce of the future. Applications are invited from suitably qualified and experienced candidates, who have relevant experience at clinical and academic level, to deliver high quality teaching, learning and assessment in the field of nutrition and dietetics.

The post-holder will be an established research scientist with an international reputation, have an excellent publication record and significant potential for collaboration within the UCC research community. They will assist in the continuous development of a world-class collaborative and high-impact postgraduate research programme in dietetics training future leaders and positioning UCC as an international leader in dietetics education, training and research.

Informal enquiries can be made in confidence to Professor Aoife Ryan, School of Food and Nutritional Sciences – a.ryan@ucc.ie 

Please note that Garda vetting and/or an international police clearance check may form part of the selection process.

For an information package including full details of the post, selection criteria and application process see https://ore.ucc.ie/. The University, at its discretion, may undertake to make an additional appointment(s) from this competition following the conclusion of the process.

This position is being filled as part of UCC Futures - Food, Microbiome and Health.

UCC Futures - Food, Microbiome and Health is a once in a generation opportunity to generate an ecosystem that will maximise the potential of our academic expertise and provide tangible, impactful, solutions in response to one of the most important global challenges of our time.

Duties and Responsibilities

In accordance with the University’s strategic objective as a research led institution, the duties of all academic staff will include research, research led teaching and contributions to the university, the discipline and the community. The academic staff member shall teach and examine, undertake administrative duties and carry out other duties appropriate to the post under the general direction of the Head of the School of Food and Nutritional Sciences.

The roles and responsibilities outlined below are to be interpreted in the context of the relevant Statutes and where there is any difference arising from interpretation, that statutory provisions take precedent. For the sake of clarity, the relevant elements of the statutes not already incorporated in the numbered sections are appended in italics under each subheading.

Teaching and Examining | Research | Contributions

Teaching and Examining

• Demonstrate excellence in research-led teaching and learning and apply innovative teaching and learning methodologies within the School of Food and Nutritional Sciences and within other academic units in the University, as appropriate;
• Teach and examine on courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level and, where, appropriate adult and continuing education courses;
• Supervise undergraduate and postgraduate students;
• Contribute to and take a leadership role, where appropriate, in the regular evaluation of curricula with reference to content, delivery and assessment and the development of new curricular initiatives;
• Contribute to a professional practice placement education network. This may include the development and roll out of innovative learning methodologies, benchmarking standards for practice placements, supervision models, clinical teaching skills, and the participation in meetings with other higher education institutes /professional bodies;
• Facilitate effective communication and working relationships between dietitian managers, and University staff;
• Perform an active role in the maintenance of academic standards in the development of the curriculum within their discipline;
• Contribute to the development of postgraduate studies at UCC;

• to give the students attending his/her ordinary lectures assistance in their studies, by advice, by informal instruction, by occasional and periodic examination, and otherwise, as s/he may judge to be expedient; also, to make such arrangements as s/he sees fit to make to meet students who have individual queries;
• to give instruction to his/her students and assist them in the pursuit of knowledge;
• to hold, or assist at, all University examinations in the subjects with which s/he is an examiner.

Research

• Engage in productive research and scholarship and contribute to the advancement of knowledge, participate in research activities and publish the research in appropriate peer-reviewed publications, creative works or other forms of scholarship appropriate to the discipline;
• Develop and implement a collaborative and high impact research programme in Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics;
• Supervise students undertaking research projects (especially at PhD level);
• Undertake initiatives in generating research income as appropriate to the discipline;
• Engage in other scholarly activities relevant to the discipline.

Contributions

• Contribute to the administrative duties of the School and the academic life of the University;
• Participate as a member of such committees as may be required within the academic unit and by the University;
• Mentor and advise newly appointed and junior academic staff;
• Develop links with professional bodies and external agencies where appropriate; in particular with the professions regulator (CORU);
• Serve if required as head of one of the College’s academic units subject to relevant
  University regulations, statutes or management requirements;
• Serve if required as director of the MSc Human Nutrition & Dietetics programme for a fixed term on a rotational basis, as assigned by the head of discipline/department/school;
• Promote the discipline both inside and outside the University and contribute to the overall intellectual life of the University and society;
• Carry out other duties appropriate to the post as may be assigned by the head of
  discipline/department/school;

• to carry out administrative and other appropriate duties lawfully allocated to them within their department or other academic unit;
• if a member of the Academic Council, to attend its meetings;
• to serve upon all the committees to which s/he may be appointed by the Governing Body or the Academic Council, and to assist and co-operate with the Governing Body in such other reasonable ways as the Governing Body may prescribe, for the maintenance of discipline and good conduct among the students, or for the general business of the University;

The above listing is not exclusive or exhaustive and the post holder may be required to undertake duties as can reasonably be expected. All staff are required to be flexible, co-operative and professional within the needs of the post and the School, College and University. The University is undertaking a major reform of its internal structures which may necessitate possible future changes in the organisation of its activities.

Selection Criteria

The successful candidate will be expected to have:

Qualifications | Teaching and Examining | Research | Contributions | Other

Qualifications

Essential Criteria

1. A doctorate (level 10NFQ) in nutrition or dietetics or a related discipline;
2. BSc or MSc in Human Nutrition & Dietetics (Must be registered or be eligible to register with the Dietitians Registration Board at CORU);
3. Qualification in learning and teaching in higher education.

Teaching and Examining

Essential Criteria

4. Evidence of a commitment to excellence in research-led teaching;
5. Significant experience in lecturing, examining and supporting students across a range of undergraduate and postgraduate teaching programmes both in and outside the area of research specialisation;
6. The ability to teach, inspire and supervise students, communicate ideas and concepts in a teaching and learning environment and where the opportunity has existed, to undertake postgraduate supervision to doctorate level;
7. Evidence of a significant contribution to innovation in the area of teaching and examining, curriculum design, review and development;
8. A familiarity with and willingness to use modern teaching technologies.

Research

Essential Criteria

9. A record of successful achievement and international recognition through research and scholarly activity within the discipline;
10. Evidence of consistent and continuing output of research in peer reviewed publications or equivalent outputs appropriate to the discipline;
11. Evidence of active engagement in research and scholarly activities including research supervision, examining, editing and refereeing research grant applications as appropriate for the discipline;
12. Experience of leadership or leadership potential in the area of research, in addition to research grant applications, success in achieving competitive research grants or other sources of funding and the ability and willingness to collaborate with colleagues on research projects, as appropriate to the discipline.

Contributions

Essential Criteria

13. Evidence of participation in relevant academic and professional associations/ bodies as appropriate;
14. Proven administrative experience or evidence of ability to undertake academic
    administrative responsibility within the Discipline/Department / School/College at a high level;
15. The ability to participate in and contribute to the overall intellectual life of the University, the academic discipline and society at large;
16. An ability and willingness to support mentor and advise junior staff.

Other

Essential Criteria

17. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills commensurate with working alongside a team of committed academic and administrative colleagues together with the demonstrated ability and willingness to work in a collaborative environment;
18. An understanding of, and empathy with, the concerns of students;
19. Evidence of ability to work on own initiative as well as part of a team;
20. A commitment to the long term development of the discipline;
21. Evidence of leadership potential.

Candidates are requested to make a personal assessment of these criteria against their own qualifications, skills and abilities to assess whether they should apply for the post.

Please note: Candidates who do not demonstrate that they meet the criteria as detailed above will not be short listed.

The University, at its discretion, may undertake to make an additional appointment(s) from this competition following the conclusion of the process.

Salary Information

Appointment may be made on the Senior Lecturer Salary Scale: €83,910 - €118,893 (Scale B) / €81,033 - €112,948 (Scale A).

Applications for this post

How to apply

Applications for this post are received through UCC's online application portal. You'll be required to set up a profile (if you don't already have one). 

You can find the posts associated with UCC Futures: Food, Microbiome and Health by selecting 'Academic UCC Futures' in the search by vacancy type field.

Queries relating to the online application process should be referred to uccfuturesrecruitment@ucc.ie, quoting the job title.

What to include in your application

Applications should consist of your academic CV and a cover letter demonstrating your academic and research achievements. We would also like to hear about your research ambitions and how your academic and research profile aligns with the UCC Futures: Food, Microbiome and Health initiative.

Details of the following should also be included, as appropriate:

• Publications,
• Research Interests,
• Grants & funding,
• Teaching Interests and Abilities,
• Teaching Objectives and Methods.  

Who to contact

Informal enquiries can be made in confidence to Professor Aoife Ryan, School of Food and Nutritional Sciences – a.ryan@ucc.ie

Deadline for applications

Candidates should apply, in confidence, before 12pm (Irish Standard Time) on Tuesday, 03 February 2026. No late applications will be accepted.

Equality statement

University College Cork is committed to being a fully inclusive global university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) are core values under our UCC Strategic Plan 2023-2028. UCC holds a Bronze Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advancing equality in higher education. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from everybody, regardless of age, care-giving status, disability, ethnicity, gender and/or gender identity or expression status, nationality, marital status/civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion/creed, and/or sexual orientation. We are committed to supporting all staff through flexible working schemes, family-friendly policies, training and development, and staff networks. We value the enrichment that comes from a diverse community and seek to promote equality, prevent discrimination and protect the human rights of each individual in line with equality legislation. We encourage applicants to consult our Dignity and Respect Policy and learn more about our EDI related initiatives.