Research Fellow - Digital Health & Rehabilitation

RCSI - Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

Organisation/Company RCSI - Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Department Human Resources Research Field Technology " Medical technology Researcher Profile Established Researcher (R3) Positions PhD Positions Application Deadline 20 Sep 2026 - 09:00 (Europe/Dublin) Country Ireland Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Job Title:Research Fellow - Digital Health &Rehabilitation

Department:School of Pharmacy & Biomolecular Sciences

Reporting to:Dr Rob Argent

Contract/DurationSpecified Purpose Contract-Full-time2yearswith possible 1 year extension.

Remuneration:Aligned with IUAResearchSalary ScaleLevel 3 Point1.

Closing Date:Sunday 20th of September

Summary of Post

ThisResearch Fellowposition will be based inRCSI's main St Stephen's Green campus, under the guidance of Principal Investigator DrRob Argent,and will form part of a wider project team including primary industry partnerSalaso. The appointee will workas part of a multidisciplinary, industry led consortiumandwill contribute to the development of an advanced, AI enabled digital rehabilitation and patient engagement platform designed to support individuals before and after clinical procedures.The platform will integrate agentic AI technologies to deliver personalised biopsychosocial profiling, adaptive exercise progression, behaviour change support, and seamless integration ofreal-timeperformance data.

The successful candidate will playa central rolesupporting the design and evaluation of the digital platform,workingcollaboratively with academic and industry partners to ensure thetechnologyis clinically robust, user centred, and grounded in behaviour change and rehabilitation science.This position is ideally suited to a physiotherapist withexpertisein digital health innovation, behaviour change, remote rehabilitation, and patient centred care.

In addition, the post-holder will support project management and coordination activities,assistwith planning andfacilitatinguser engagement sessions, and maintain high quality documentation across all stages of development. They will oversee data management and analysis for research activitiesand contribute to report writing and academic publications. The role requires close collaboration with clinical, technical, and industry partners and regular participation in project meetings. Dynamic, adaptable candidates with strong analytical, organisational, and problem solving skills are particularly encouraged to apply.

Specifically, the duties of the post are:

Research and Development Activities

• Conduct comprehensive literature reviews on digital rehabilitation, biopsychosocial approaches, AI enabled personalisation, and behaviour change in MSK rehabilitation.
• Lead and support user needs analyses involving patients, clinicians and care providers using qualitative and/or mixed methods approaches.
• Contribute to the development of digital biopsychosocial characterisation frameworks to inform personalised exercise therapy and behaviour change support.
• Provide physiotherapy and behavioural scienceexpertiseto guide the design of adaptive algorithms, automated progression logic, and digital twin concepts.
• Contribute specialist clinical insight to the design and optimisation of patient-facing and clinician facing interfaces within the digital platform.

Data Management & Analysis

• Manage, organise, and analyse datasets arising from literature reviews, user research, biopsychosocial assessments, and field user testing.
• Synthesise findings to generate evidence based recommendations for platform design and algorithm development.
• Ensure all data is handled in compliance with data protection regulations and project governance requirements.

User Engagement and Evaluation

• Assistin planning, coordinating, and conducting user engagement activities, including interviews, focus groups, usability testing, and prototype evaluation.
• Contribute to testing and validation activities for early prototypes, documenting usabilityissuesand areas for refinement.
• Support the design,implementationand reporting of field user testing to assess the usability, acceptability, and clinical relevance of the platform.

Project Coordination and Collaboration

• Contributeto day to day project management activities, includingmaintainingproject documentation, tracking progress, and supporting delivery of milestones.
• Liaise closely with industry partners and academic collaborators to ensure smooth coordination across workstreams.
• Attend and contribute to regular project meetings, consortiumdiscussionsand reporting activities.

Dissemination and Reporting

• Prepare written materials including project reports, deliverables,presentationsand academic publications.
• Present research findings at internal meetings, consortium workshops, and external conferences whereappropriate.
• Support communication of project progress to stakeholders, ensuring clarity and accuracy.

General Responsibilities

• Maintainaccurateand up to date project records in line with RCSI and consortium requirements.
• Contribute to the broader research activities of the team and support junior researchers or students whereappropriate.
• Undertake any other research related duties as required by the Principal Investigator that arecommensuratewith the role.

Person Specification:

• PhD in Physiotherapy or relevant field , with strong clinical reasoning skills and experience applying biopsychosocial approaches to MSK rehabilitation.
• Demonstratedexpertiseor advanced training in digital health, remote rehabilitation, ortechnology enabledcare pathways.
• Experience conducting research activities, including literature reviews, qualitative ormixed methodsuser research,and synthesising findings for design or clinical decision-making.
• Excellent analytical andproblem solvingskills, with the ability to interpret clinical, behavioural, orpatient generateddata to informdigitalplatform development.
• Strong communicationand collaboration skills, with experience workinginmultidisciplinary teams (e.g., clinicians, software developers, behavioural scientists, industry collaborators).
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a fast-paced,research orientedenvironment, managing multiple tasks and timelines.
• Willingness and ability to travel to clinical sites, partner organisations, and project meetings asrequired.
• A proactive, collegial, andteam orientedapproach, with the ability to build effective working relationships, support colleagues, and contribute to a positive team culture.
• Post doctoralresearch experience in digital health, rehabilitation science, behavioural science, or a related field, particularly within multidisciplinary or industry partnered projects.
• Experience applying behaviour change theory in rehabilitation, patient engagement, or digital health contexts (e.g., COM B, Behaviour Change Techniques, self management frameworks).
• Experience engaging with patients or clinicians in user research, co design, or usability testing activities.
• Familiarity with digital therapeutics, wearables, adaptive algorithms, or sensor based monitoring in healthcare.

We are all too aware that imposter syndrome and the confidence gap can sometimes stop fantastic candidates putting themselves forward, so please dosubmitan application -we'dlove to hear from you.