Academic biography

Paula Murphy is an assistant professor at the School of Arts Education and Movement DCU, and has lectured in the areas of Drama and Education in St. Patrick's College and DCU since 1999. She previously worked as a primary school teacher and as Education Officer for TEAM Educational Theatre Company. She is co-author of Discovering Drama: Theory and Practice for the Primary School (Gill & MacMillan, 2006) and has held leadership positions in ADEI (Association for Drama in Education in Ireland) since its foundation in 1999. Paula received two President's awards for teaching and learning from St. Patrick's College, one of which included a team award with her colleagues in Drama Education. In 2019 she received a President's award from Dublin City University for Distinctive Approaches to Innovation in Teaching. Paula is a qualified movement educator and therapist (ISMETA approved - International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association). Between 2012 and 2016 she studied with pioneering dance artist and psychotherapist Joan Davis at the Gorse Hill Centre in Greystones, where she completed her accreditation. She also holds a certificate in sound healing and has trained with Chloe Goodchild of the Naked Voice Foundation, UK. In 2024, Paula was awarded a PhD from University College Cork for her thesis entitled 'Embodiment in Teacher Education: Widening the Field'.