Here you will find an overview of our most recent (2024) activities - summaries of meetings and social events, status of work on reports, et cetera.
For continuous updates, please check out our social media: (opens in a new window)Twitter (X) and (opens in a new window)LinkedIn!
Following the Postdoc Experience Survey, RSA is launching the report Postdoctoral researchers’ experience at University College Dublin (UCD).
The report, based on a survey of 114 postdoctoral researchers and group discussions conducted with postdocs across UCD’s 31 schools, highlights critical challenges in several areas. These issues include inadequate salaries, unpaid or low paid teaching work, limited support for professional progression, and widespread social isolation. With UCD depending on postdocs for its research excellence and high international ranking, these findings call for urgent action to improve salaries and working conditions, and foster an equitable research environment.
See media coverage of the report in(opens in a new window) The Irish Times and (opens in a new window)Nature.
On Thursday, 30th May in the Agricultural Science Building representatives of the RSA presented recent survey results and led a discussion on potential pathways to improve working conditions for postdocs.
We would like to thank all of the attendants - it was great to have a broad representation across the different Schools of UCD. Report with the survey results will be available soon on the website.
The UCD Research Staff Association (RSA) stands with academics in Ireland and worldwide in condemning the mass violence and genocide in Gaza. We call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and all occupied Palestinian territories as a crucial first step towards true Palestinian self-determination. We demand an end to all avoidable humanitarian suffering including the release of hostages and innocent prisoners of war, in particular children.
We are deeply shocked by the ongoing atrocities in Gaza, which we vehemently condemn. Over 5,000 students, 261 teachers, and 95 university professors have been (opens in a new window)killed, with thousands more injured. As academics and researchers, we are appalled by the destruction and damage inflicted on every university in Gaza due to Israeli bombardment.
There has been a significant wave of support for action on Gaza among academics in Ireland, evidenced by over 950 signatures on an (opens in a new window)open letter circulated by Academics for Palestine and additional statements from Academics for Palestine (opens in a new window)Maynooth and (opens in a new window)TCD. Academics in Ireland, with over 500 (opens in a new window)signatures, also stand in solidarity with protests for a Free Palestine on campuses. Despite previously condemning the Russian attack on Ukraine as “a violation of international law” and “completely unjustified,” UCD has remained silent on the ongoing slaughter in Gaza. We support the UCD student encampment and their demands for the university to boycott Israeli goods and services and to divest from all financial and academic ties with Israeli institutions in protest of Israel’s continued genocidal bombardment of Gaza. No academic can or should ignore the mass police and state violence against students and faculty who speak out about the violence in Palestine.
Therefore, we urge the university to actively engage and negotiate with students. This collaborative approach is essential to address their key demands, including:
- Issue a statement in condemnation of the attacks that have(opens in a new window) devastated education alongside all other social sectors in Gaza. Call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire.
- Recognise the ICJ’s interim ruling that the attacks on Gaza represent a (opens in a new window)plausible (opens in a new window)case of genocide and the court’s determination that Israel must take immediate action to prevent genocide.
- Disclose all investments and partnerships with the State of Israel. Suspend all formal and informal ties, now and into the future, with Israeli institutions of higher education, corresponding to the call for an academic boycott of Israel issued by the international (opens in a new window)Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
- Ensure the safety, respect, and dignity of those members of the university community directly and indirectly affected by this conflict, first and foremost Palestinian students and staff, and condemn xenophobic and racist rhetoric on our campus. We demand the same for our Jewish colleagues, students and friends. There is no room for anti-semitism on campus.
UCD RSA
The objective of this short survey is to gather information about the experiences and challenges encountered by postdoctoral researchers at UCD. Following the results of this survey, we plan to organise an informal gathering to discuss our experiences. This will be advertised at a later date.
(opens in a new window)Link to the survey
The RSA will host an event centred around providing information on leave entitlements for temporary research staff at UCD. We will be joined by Valerie O’Neill (Senior HR Operations Lead at UCD), Eimear O'Reilly (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Project Officer at UCD), Miriam Hamilton (Deputy General Secretary of IFUT), and Dr Ieva Zumbyte (Postdoctoral Research Fellow, UCD School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice).
The event will outline your rights to leave as an employee at the university and in Ireland in general in the context of family-related leave (e.g. maternity/paternity/parental). There will be a brief introduction to what the process of taking this leave may involve at the university. We will finish with a Q&A session.
The event is aimed at research staff but we welcome others who may find the session relevant (e.g. final-year PhD students, other temporary staff). If you would like to attend, please indicate your interest (opens in a new window)here.
Wednesday 10th April, at 16:00–17:00, L013 Moot Court, UCD Sutherland School of Law
Postdoctoral researchers often assist in supervising students' projects, yet this work often goes uncredited without a formal role or recognition. To address this, UCD established the Assistant Supervisor Working Group. The RSA conducted a study to assess the prevalence of postdocs performing assistant supervisor duties, challenges faced, perspectives on formalizing the role, and suggestions for improvement. UCD Research Staff Association (opens in a new window)Postdoctoral Assistant Supervision Report is out now.
During our last Annual General Meeting we elected new committee members and discussed matters related to teaching (including the assistant supervisor role) and funding opportunities for research staff. Officers gave reports from last year. More updates will follow soon!
We have an online general meeting on the 19th of November, 5 P.M. Please follow the information provided in the email or connect to us to get the link to a virtual meeting.
In cooperation with the Irish Research Staff Association and IFUT, we have sent an open letter to the Government of Ireland, the Irish University Association, and the three main funding agencies (SFI, IRC, and HRB). We expressed our concerns about the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on research staff and we called for the implementation of the following measures:
1. Emergency funding should be made available by the Government to provide for costed extensions wherever possible, thereby ensuring continuity of research.
2. Funding Agencies should have more uniformity in their policies, converging toward higher standards, taking into account international best practices.
3. At a minimum, greater detail and clarity should be provided about the criteria that extension decisions are made on.
You can download the letter from (opens in a new window)here.
SIPTU sent a (opens in a new window)letter of support for the Irish RSA on the matter.