Research Ireland (Taighde Eireann) Careers

Explore career opportunities focused on Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths

Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) is the national foundation for investment in research in the areas of STEM, which assists in the development and competitiveness of industry, enterprise, and employment in Ireland. We also promote and support STEM education and engagement to improve awareness and understanding of the value of research to society and to support the STEM careers pipeline.

Design Engineer / Entrepreneur Sharon Rabi

Software Engineer Roisín Howard

Design Engineer Sinead Kenny

Planetary Scientist Caitriona Jackman

Lynda O'Leary, Systems Engineer

Lydia O'Leary is a computer systems engineer. Her job involves providing infrastructure support, configuration management and troubleshooting.

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Who are the people who most influenced your career direction?

My mother encouraged me to include IT to my CAO form. After graduating from UL, I took a graduate position and it gave me opportunity to experience working with cross-cultural teams, green field projects and life in an IT company.

Describe a typical day?

My day starts at 8:30am. I am part of the System Admin team. We are responsible for providing robust cloud infrastructure to engineering teams, automating processes, configuring hardware and troubleshooting infrastructure related issues. During my day, I assign myself tasks from our backlog. The highest priority tasks are issues and I would troubleshoot these issues first. In the afternoon, my team meets for our scrum call and we provide an update on our tasks and discuss any open items. My day ends at 5:30pm.

What are the main tasks and responsibilities?

My main tasks are to provide infrastructure support, configuration management and troubleshooting. These tasks involve development work, such as code changes, problem-solving of open issues and managing/supporting infrastructure requests. The main skills needed are communication, problem-solving, and collaboration

What do you like most?

The work is always changing so it never gets boring. There is a sense of self achievement when you solve a problem. There are opportunities to move roles and to develop your career.

Is there anything that isn't great?

It can be difficult working on legacy applications. It is important to upskill and to learn new technologies.

What is your education to date?

Applied Languages with Computing at the University of Limerick.

What aspects of your education have proven most important for your job?

One of the most useful aspects I have learnt is learning how to communicate effectively. Technology is always changing and it is important to share knowledge, get feedback and be open to change.

Does your job allow you to have a lifestyle you are happy with?

Yes, there is a great work/life balance. I can work flexible hours and also work from home. This is very important as you can come in late if you have an appointment or work remotely if you cannot make it into the office. There is also a sports and social club that organize events onsite, such as BBQs, gym classes, running events and walking outings.

What advice would you give to someone considering this job?

Anything is possible. Take chances. Don’t be afraid of failure.

What kinds of work experience would provide a good background for this position?

If you are interested in learning about day to day tasks, then organize work experience in an IT company. If you want to learn coding, you can join coding groups or take free courses online. If you want to develop your coding skills and work on projects, then you can work on open source projects. If you want to learn more about the projects companies work on, then follow the company on Twitter or LinkedIn.

What is your current job title?