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Educational Disadvantage Centre

PhD Fellowship in Poverty and Social Inclusion in Education

DCU Educational Disadvantage Centre

Dublin City University (DCU, www.dcu.ie) is a research-intensive, globally engaged, dynamic institution that is distinguished by both the quality and impact of its graduates and its focus on the translation of knowledge into societal and economic benefits. The Institute of Education (IoE) at DCU is the largest body of educational expertise and the only faculty of education in Ireland. DCU Educational Disadvantage Centre is a core element of DCU’s IoE, with its research contributing to national and international policy over more than two decades.

This DCU Educational Disadvantage Centre Fellowship is part-funded by the Daughters of Charity, Henrietta St, Dublin, a leading local community service, operating for over a century.

DCU Educational Disadvantage Centre is now offering a five year-funded, part-time PhD Fellowship. This represents a unique opportunity to design and implement an innovative research project in the area of poverty and social inclusion in education under the supervision of the DCU Educational Disadvantage Centre Director, Professor Paul Downes. The successful candidate will become a member of the established research team at DCU Educational Disadvantage Centre and will also have the opportunity to connect and collaborate with international researchers in the field. This Ph.D Fellowship is as part of a Joint Research Group involving DCU Educational Disadvantage Centre and the University of Malta.

The focus of the Ph.D research is a phenomenological study of Community Based Services to inform an effective policy response to the effects of intergenerational poverty and disadvantage. The research data will be collected from two sites, the Daughters of Charity Community Services, Henrietta St. Dublin 1 and another Community Based Service. The starting point will be an inquiry into the lived experiences of individuals and families navigating intergenerational poverty and systemic disadvantage in an inner city context who avail of the service and the experience of those who are involved in providing the service.

Fellowship Details

The research project aims to uncover the meanings and perceptions that participants ascribe to their encounters in and with a community based service with a multidimensional approach. By focusing on the embodied realities, emotional landscapes, and everyday negotiations of those engaged with a multidimensional approach, the research will illuminate how such a model is experienced as either transformative or insufficient in disrupting cycles of deprivation. Central to this inquiry is the question of how dignity, agency, and relational trust emerge—or fail to emerge—within the holistic space of a consolidated service environment. Based on this study the project will identify the critical enablers of an effective multidimensional implementation including ethos, people, processes and systems with a view to informing national policy. This research methodology will include two levels, primary data collection and review of the international and Irish literature in this area. 

The specifics of the project will be developed in consultation with DCU Educational Disadvantage Centre and Daughters of Charity, Henrietta St and the outcomes will likely also be of interest to the educational community more broadly, both nationally and internationally.

The successful candidate will be engaged part-time in their research and will be based on the St. Patrick’s Campus at DCU. In addition to completing their doctoral thesis, the successful candidate will be expected to contribute to related research outputs in the form of a research report, academic papers, industry reports and/or presentations at conferences in Ireland and abroad, and to engage in professional development courses as required by DCU’s Academic Regulations for Postgraduate Degrees regulations and by the DCU Educational Disadvantage Centre Director.

The part-time fellowship will include:

  • PhD (EU) fees for five years
  • €1,000 towards expenses such as conference attendance or equipment purchase 

Should the duration of the research project exceed five years, the successful candidate will be expected to self-fund from this point onwards.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants should have:

  • a sound working knowledge of key issues in the field of poverty and social inclusion, particularly those relating to educational and local community development contexts
  • experience of working in contexts of poverty and social exclusion
  • an undergraduate and Master’s degree (or very close to completion) in a relevant discipline or disciplines and in which qualitative research was an important component
  • the ability to conceptualise research projects informed by theoretical understanding of poverty and social exclusion and pertinent to the design, development and/or
  • delivery of supportive services in complex systems
  • high level competence in written and oral communication through English
  • the ability to work independently and collaboratively in meeting demanding research goals

Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed. It should also be noted that the award is contingent on the applicant meeting all the requirements for admission to doctoral studies at DCU.

To Apply:

Please email the following documents as a single pdf to ioe.hd@dcu stating “DCU Educational Disadvantage Centre Fellowship” in the subject bar of the email:

- Cover letter

- Full curriculum vitae, including a list of publications (if any) as co-author, and the names of two academic and/or workplace referees

- A copy of your degree certificate or transcript

- Draft Research Proposal – please use the template that appears within this Recruitment Form

Note that the purpose of this draft proposal is to allow the candidate to demonstrate the necessary competencies. Following the selection process, the proposal may undergo substantial changes and refinement, and must ultimately be approved by DCU Educational Disadvantage Centre and Daughters of Charity, Henrietta St

In addition, please attach:

- A copy of your Master’s dissertation (if the candidate is close to completion, a statement including information about the Master’s programme and projected time of completion can be included in the cover letter)

The closing date for receipt of applications is 5pm (Irish time) on Monday 2nd March 2026.

Informal enquiries should be directed to Prof. Paul Downes paul.downes@dcu.ie