Assistant Professor in Dental Education

School of Dental Science, Trinity College Dublin & Dublin Dental University Hospital

Permanent, Full-Time Position

The Dublin Dental University Hospital (DDUH) wishes to recruit an Assistant Professor in Dental Education, permanent & full-time position. The primary purpose of this post is to contribute to the teaching, research, and administrative activities in the School of Dental Science and at the Dublin Dental University Hospital (DDUH). This role will have a particular emphasis on supporting curricular review and the development, developing and implementing an evidence-based assessment programme across the undergraduate dental courses in line with the university policies and international best practice, and to meet the accreditation standards of the Dental Council of Ireland.

The successful applicant will have an established reputation in teaching and research in the field of dental education and will be expected to contribute to the ongoing review of the Dental Science curriculum and its assessment and evaluation practices. In time the Assistant professor in Dental Education will be expected to assume leadership roles within the DDUH, such as Director of UG Teaching & Learning.

Qualifications, Experience & Person Specification

The successful candidate must have:

Qualifications (Essential)

A postgraduate qualification with relevance to medical or dental education or a relevant field from an accredited institution.
Minimum of 3 years (full-time or its equivalent) of relevant university level teaching experience, to include experience of curriculum mapping and design.

Knowledge & Experience: Education

Experience in teaching and assessment on an undergraduate dental programme.
In depth experience of university assessment processes, policies, and systems within a dental.
Comprehensive knowledge of the latest developments in undergraduate and postgraduate dental assessment.
Comprehensive knowledge of statistical and psychometric analyses of assessment practices.
Experience of innovation in developing and evaluating assessment practices.
Experience delivering health science development for assessment topics.
Evidence of application of principles of learner assessment and remediation.
Evidence of provision of high-quality lectures and tutorial classes to undergraduate students.
Experience of using innovative teaching/assessment media such as online content delivery.
Evidence of personal contribution and commitment to excellence in teaching.
Experience of supervising undergraduate student research projects.
Experience of conducting curriculum review/mapping exercises.
Experience of student mentoring and supervision.

Knowledge & Experience: Research & scholarship

Demonstrate a proven ability, or evidence of potential to, conduct dental education research.
Evidence of publication of articles in the dental education field in international peer-reviewed journals is desirable.
Demonstrate knowledge of recent research in the field of dental education.

Knowledge & Experience: Administration, contribution to field

Ability to undertake administrative responsibilities as required by the School, DDUH and University (in particular accreditation and quality reviews).
Ability to represent the School and University on appropriate national and international advisory boards and professional bodies.
Organisational skills necessary to the performance of teaching, research, and administration requirements of the role of Assistant Professor.
Ability to manage complex curricula.

Leadership

Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
Clear personal motivation with the ability to empower and motivate others.
A high level of organisational and administrative skill that can deliver strategic change.
A demonstrable ability to plan and facilitate a team to adapt to rapid changes taking place in the dental educational field.
Experience with input into strategic planning and the ability to deliver on strategic needs of the organisation.

Outline of Duties and Responsibilities

Act as a leader in Dental Education in the DDUH by a providing academic leadership in teaching and assessment activities in the school and assuming leadership roles such as Director of UG & Learning (DUTL).
Provide academic leadership in staff training related to dental education and practice including induction and training of PBL tutors and clinical supervisors.
Lead curricular review and development across the continuum of education from undergraduate dental student and allied dental care health professionals to postgraduate training and education.
Lead the evaluation of the curriculum and curricular frameworks for each of the five-year undergraduate dental years and undergraduate allied programmes.
Lead the review and development of methods to assess knowledge, competency and professional standards applied to dentistry and the allied dental health care professions.
Address the challenges, barriers, and opportunities in progressing dentists and allied dental health care professionals from school leavers to undergraduates to practicing healthcare professionals.
Critically evaluate existing assessment practices of the undergraduate programme and report findings to the relevant School committees.
In collaboration with clinical and academic colleagues, develop a comprehensive and aligned assessment strategy, policies, and procedures in keeping with published research evidence, clinical practice, regulatory requirements, and local experience.
Working with the appropriate staff establish and deliver a school development programme for assessment practice, including item writing, blueprinting, work-based assessments, standard setting, and interpretation of psychometric data.
Lead and develop a quality management approach to question and exam development, to include the potential use of digital platforms to support assessments.
Investigate the potential of online assessment resources for the school which includes guidance on creating and evaluating assessment tools and interpreting feedback.
Ensure assessment tools and processes are fit for purpose, fair, reliable, and valid and mapped to learning outcomes across the programme.
Play a leading role in supporting accreditation/quality review processes, specifically providing evidence from curricular design processes and assessment practices.

Research/Scholarship

Develop an independent research interest in the area of dental education and curriculum development, present findings at academic meetings and publish in journals of international standing.
Contribute to the overall research profile of the DDUH/School of Dental Science. Expectations to be set with Head of Division and Head of School at yearly job planning.
Collaborate with colleagues including those in FHS and where possible mentor junior researchers.
Offer projects to students as part of undergraduate and postgraduate research opportunities within the school.
Develop networks of professional relationships across the University and School, and with other relevant academics and professionals nationally and internationally (e.g. through the Association for Dental Education in Europe), to keep abreast of developments, share scholarship and develop research.

Standard Duties

Contribute to supporting the development of the discipline of Dental Education.
Be involved in the administration and future development of related undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
Assume leadership and managerial roles within the School of Dental Science, including DUTL
Engage in continuous personal and professional development which is consistent with the needs of the discipline of dental education.
Participate in the wider academic life of the College as appropriate.

General

Dublin Dental University Hospital will not be liable for travelling or other expenses incurred by candidates who may be invited to attend for interview.

Closing date for applications is 7th April 2026 at noon.

In-person interviews to be scheduled after the closing date.

Informal enquiries can be made by contacting Prof Derek Sullivan Head of Div IV, via email in the first instance derek.sullivan@dental.tcd.ie. If you wish to request a full job description, please contact Simion Tita, HR Officer simion.tita@dental.tcd.ie.

Interested candidates should submit a Cover Letter together with a copy of their Curriculum Vitae via Hirehive.

Offers are subject to Garda Vetting, References, Pre-employment Medical and CPD in various HSEland Training Programmes.

The Dublin Dental Hospital is an equal opportunities employer.

Assistant Professor in Dental Education - Permanent & Full-Time

Job Description