Purpose of Position: The holder of this post will be responsible for the management of the Psychology Laboratory and associated resources within the department of Psychology, NCI.
The post holder will also have teaching responsibilities, which will include teaching support for the Final Project module and acting as the module coordinator and lecturer for the Psychology Labs module on the BA (Hons) Psychology full-and part-time programmes.
Reporting to: Vice Dean Key Responsibilities: The job duties and responsibilities listed below are intended to describe the general nature of the role.
The duties and responsibilities, and the balance between the elements in the role, may change or vary over time, particularly throughout the academic year.
To provide support for student learning, teaching, and research activities within Psychology programmes at NCI, including providing support for students' research projects and self-directed studies.
To support the efficient running of the Psychology laboratories.
To prepare the lab room for staff and students in line with academic needs, ensuring that the facilities are in a clean and tidy condition, that the required equipment is in working order.
To develop and manage booking systems for the lab room, records of equipment maintenance, and to perform other administrative duties related to the management of the Psychology laboratories.
To take responsibility for the health, safety, and welfare of those who are using specialist lab areas for which the role holder has responsibility, and for reporting any non-compliance issues to their line manager.
To undertake or co-ordinate maintaining, upgrading, optimising, and integrating of laboratory equipment.
To develop and maintain a catalogues of available laboratory resources for staff and students, including relevant hardware, software, experimental programmes, standardised scales and test batteries, and other equipment or materials relevant to research activity within the Psychology programme.
To develop and prepare materials and demonstration aids to be used within the laboratory e.g., user instructions for relevant equipment and/or software.
To assist in the development, programming and use of specialised equipment, software or processes in research and teaching.
For example, Qualtrics, SPSS and Inquisit.
To assist students and staff with the day-to-day function of the labs, including the use of a range of equipment and processes.
This will include assisting students in the development of behavioural and cognitive tasks (i.e.
coding of computerised tasks).
To provide support to students in finding appropriate resources to carry out their dissertations, through individual/group consultations and a lecture delivered to final year students.
To provide support to faculty responsible for teaching research methods and statistics, and for other modules which involve use of laboratory resources or materials.
To engage in teaching and assessment activities in support of modules related to research methods and statistics, as required by the Programme Director and/or Vice Dean.
For example, providing support in tutorials.
To act as module coordinator for the Psychology Labs module.
This includes providing students with instruction related to the application of the scientific method in psychology, including both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, writing of lab reports and use of APA style.
This module will involve practical demonstrations and activities.
The module coordinator is also responsible for the setting, administration and grading of all assessments within the module, inclusive of giving written and verbal feedback, according to NCI QA standards, and of preparing documentation for second grading and externing.
To supervise and assess final year research projects.
To undertake any other tasks that may reasonably be requested by the Programme Director or Vice Dean.
In performance of all these duties there is a need for discretion and confidentiality, as well as a need to be able to establish effective working relationships with other members of the College; and to present a positive image of the College to outside organisations and their representatives.
As the Department of Psychology grows there will inevitably be changes in the way it operates.
It may therefore be necessary to review duties and responsibilities as they arise within the technical support pool.
It is hoped that this will provide staff with a positive opportunity for personal development and progression and therefore a flexible approach is essential.
Key Requirements: An undergraduate degree in Psychology or a related discipline A postgraduate (Level 9) qualification in Psychology or a related discipline or equivalent work experience is desirable.
Alternatively, candidates who are enrolled in a PhD or other doctoral programme would be well suited to this position.
Relevant technical experience or work experience in a relevant technical role Previous experience of working in Psychology or a relevant scientific environment Previous experience teaching at third level institutions (desirable, not essential) A clear understanding of Psychology teaching and research laboratory issues/considerations Knowledge of Psychological Society Ireland (PSI) guidance and procedures for human research Experience in providing technical support to undergraduate and/or postgraduate levels.
Ability to provide specialist advice and support to students which may include demonstrating the use of equipment, statistical and/or experimental packages.
Knowledge of current health and safety regulations and safe working practices and their implementation in a psychology laboratory Knowledge and understanding of research ethics, data protection requirements and an awareness of staff, student and research participant confidentiality Ability to use and maintain specialist psychology equipment (such as eye tracking, online experiments) Familiarity with statistical and psychological experimental design packages e.g.
SPSS, Qualtrics, Inquisit, NVivo Ability to understand and capture psychological data Ability to conduct psychological analyses Excellent IT skills, including proficiency in working with standard Excellent verbal, interpersonal, and oral and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with academics, students and other technical staff Good problem-solving skills Proven track record of working effectively and independently, using initiative, and prioritising workload to meet and set objectives Ability to understand and apply College regulations, policies and procedures Ability to organise and prioritise tasks and workload through from initial stage to completion, to meet deadlines.
Ability to develop and support online materials for teaching and assessment Ability to submit weekly activity and monthly progress reports clearly illustrating achievement of agreed goals Key Attributes: Self-motivated and able to prioritise tasks to meet deadlines Approachable and a team player Able and willing to work with a wide range of people Commitment to working within professional and ethical codes of conduct Ability to take instructions and deliver required outputs Ability to work in a team Flexible and adaptable Able and willing to work unsupervised and to organise and prioritise own workload, with a knowledge of when to ask for help Able to demonstrate initiative in providing additional assistance to colleagues Commitment to working within college procedures Contract: 9 Month Fixed Term Contract (Two Posts) Salary €21.98 per hour Annual Leave: 8% of hours worked Hours: Part time (17.5 hours per week) Application Process: To apply please e-mail your cover letter and CV both in PDF format ONLY, quoting reference number: NCI 1097 to: by 5:00 pm, 23rd May 2025.
Note: The functions and responsibilities assigned to the Psychology Lab Technician are based on the current stated role and objectives of the College.
These functions and responsibilities may alter in line with any change in the role and objectives of the College.
The successful applicant will be subject to Garda Vetting and must not have any convictions under the Sex Offenders Act 2001.
The Importance of Confidentiality We would like to assure you that protecting confidentiality is our number one priority.
You can expect that all enquires, applications and all aspects of the proceedings are treated as strictly confidential and are not disclosed to anyone, outside those directly involved in that aspect of the process.