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Newly Appointed Assistant Professors Programme

Newly Appointed Assistant Professor (NAAP) Development Programme 

Welcome to the Newly Appointed Assistant Professor (NAAP) Development Programme which has been created specifically for our early career members of faculty including Ad Astra Fellows. 

The programme is launched in September and is open to assistant professors for the first 12 months from their appointment in role. We hope that these opportunities will enable you to take important steps in building cross-disciplinary relationships and feeling more connected to UCD.

The key elements to this programme are:

  • Faculty Induction
  • Formal development seminars 
  • Mentoring opportunities
  • Networking events 

Further information on each of the above elements can be found below.

The 2024-2025 Newly Appointed Assistant Professor Programme of events is available to book via Booking Centre on InfoHub.

If you have any queries please contact (opens in a new window)peopledevelopment@ucd.ie

UCD Orientation

To find out when the next Orientation will take place, please visit this page.

Faculty Induction 

The Faculty Induction event is aimed at new academic employees and will provide an overview of the services and key contacts that you will need to know in the early stages of your academic life in UCD.

The next Faculty Induction will take place on Thursday, 30 January 2025.

UCD Orientation and Faculty Induction will provide you with opportunities to build networks with faculty and colleagues across UCD at an early stage. Creating peer networks and fostering of inter-disciplinary relations will benefit your career and lived experience at UCD now and into the future. 

To book your UCD Orientation and Faculty Induction Session please (opens in a new window)see this page.

The Newly Appointed Assistant Professor Programme offers a dedicated schedule of formal development seminars. This programme is in addition to the comprehensive range of courses offered to employees to support their skills and professional development in UCD.

The events of the 2024-2025 NAAP Programme are outlined below. We encourage you to complete the feedback survey after each course as your feedback is essential and will ensure that our programme meets the needs of our community.

Details of the Research Supervisor Support & Development Programme (RSSDP) hosted by UCD Graduate Studies can be found here. Also, the details Fundamentals of Research Supervision programme for new or experienced supervisors but new to UCD can be found here.

Details of the UCD Teaching and Learning Lecturer Workshop can be found here. This (opens in a new window)short video by UCD Teaching & Learning gives you an overview of the various supports available to newly appointed faculty which can be helpful in their everyday teaching and learning practice. 

You can also view other relevant training providers across UCD on this page

The rationale for Faculty Mentoring is to support professional growth and to promote excellence in teaching & learning; research and contribution and leadership. 

For the purposes of this programme, the mentoring element is structured as follows: 

  • All newly appointed Assistant Professors could be assigned a mentor by their Head of School or they can opt to select their own
  • All mentors and mentees should attend training prior to the commencement of their mentoring relationship. 
  • The relationship is driven by the mentee, with both parties developing a mentoring agreement together. 

For more information on mentoring and upcoming training dates please see the UCD Mentoring page which also has a short video about getting started with mentoring at UCD.

If you have any questions or need assistance in identifying a mentor you can contact peopledevelopment@ucd.ie

Below are some links that you may find useful.

Some of the basics 

Setting up a Research Profile (aka RMS Profiles) 

Searching Research Profiles using names/keywords/disciplines

The Development Framework for Faculty is an important document for you to read and should help with your career and development planning, preparing for meeting your mentor etc. 

There is plenty of support and training available across UCD, here are links to some you may find of particular relevance

For an overview of teaching and learning support, please watch this short (opens in a new window)New Faculty Welcome video.  More information is available on the Early-career Faculty page of the UCD Teaching and Learning website.  To join or visit the UCD Teaching & Learning Google+ community click on the following link:  (opens in a new window)http://bit.ly/UCDTLCommunityInvitation You must log into UCD Connect first.

UCD in the Community is an initiative that was established to support and promote civic engagement across the UCD community. For more information please see the website

LinkedIn Learning

Find out more about UCD’s new e-learning resource LinkedIn Learning.

SIGN IN - Click (opens in a new window)here to access LinkedIn Learning by entering your UCD

Connect Username & Password.

We’ve compiled a selection of LinkedIn Learning courses for you

(opens in a new window)Networking

(opens in a new window)Building Relationships

(opens in a new window)Career Planning

(opens in a new window)Imposter Syndrome

(opens in a new window)Mentoring Others

(opens in a new window)For Mentees

Alternatively, you can view some of our LinkedIn Learning collections and learning paths in the UCD People and Organisation Development course catalogue, by clicking on the competency tiles.

Or simply, browse courses and videos using the Search box at the top of the page when logged in to LinkedIn Learning. As a LinkedIn Learner you can now control the time, pace, and place of your learning.

UCD People & Organisation Development

Roebuck Offices, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
T: +353 1 716 4919 | E: peopledevelopment@ucd.ie