Lead: Prof. Lisa van Der Werff

trustLAB, established in 2021, is one of the largest research groups on trust in Europe – with over 30 researchers, including 11 DCU faculty, research students and international members. trustLAB is focused on developing a multidisciplinary understanding of trust processes that supports positive work relationships across a variety of contexts. Prof. van der Werff is the President of FINT, First International Network on Trust, (www.fintweb.org), an international network of approximately 800 scholars studying trust within and between organisations. trustLAB has strong links with ECIU (European Consortium of Innovative Universities) member University of Twente as well as the University of Glasgow, Georgia State University and University of Basel.

Research themes:

• Active trust management. Research and training development regarding strategies for developing and protecting trust interpersonal relationships and relationships between organisations and their employees. We are particularly interested in progressing understanding of how to manage trust through important workplace transitions, organisational crisis, change or failure and in relationships and groups where people have different values, professions or demographic characteristics.
• Trust between people and technology. Research on the development of trust between people and disruptive technologies and how features of technology influence those trusting decisions. Our work in this space also includes a focus on data privacy and includes technologies such as cloud computing, social media, virtual reality and artificial intelligence.
• Drivers of trust and distrust. Research on factors influencing (dis)trust and the processes underlying its development. We explore the interaction of common cognitive antecedents of trust as well as the role of motivation, emotion and context in our understanding of how trust and distrust change over time.
• Digitalization of work. Research on how digitalization and the use of technology impacts relationships between people and between people and organisations.  Our research interests in this space vary from the transforming trust dynamics in numerous professions as reliance shifts from traditional expertise to digital systems, algorithms and data driven decision-making to members of vulnerable communities and those experiencing a datafication of work.

Contact: lisa.vanderwerff@dcu.ie

Featured Project: Notre Dame Technology Ethics Lab

Featured Project: Go Global for Growth

Lead: Dr. Margaret Heffernan

OBAIR is a research group that collaborates with organisations and policymakers to shape the future of work, management, and careers, aiming to create fair and sustainable workplaces. We are a multi-disciplinary group of researchers with backgrounds in human resource management, industrial relations, organisational psychology, leadership and OB, and accounting. 

Our core mission is to promote decent and sustainable work and support the delivery of quality jobs along with social protection and respect for rights at work to achieve sustainable, inclusive economic growth.  We aim to do this by building on the significant academic expertise of our group members, our strong national and international research partnerships, winning research funding support, and active industry engagement.

Research themes:

• Individual and collective aspects of decent and sustainable work. Research on individual aspects of decent work, including job design and job control, employee voice, job security, equality and labour market participation.
• Employee wellbeing, health and safety and psycho-social risks at work. Research on individual and collective aspects of wellbeing.  Key areas include work life balance, mental health and work, occupational health and safety, nature of work (including line managers, autonomy, voice, and job demands). 
• Sustainable careers, skills and employability. Research on the dynamic interplay between individuals' skills, changing work environments, and the socio-economic context. 
• Technology and the future of work. Research on technology and how it impacts (a) how work is done; (b) when and where work is done, and (c) who does the work. Key themes include: flexible and remote work; non-standard work schedules (e.g., gig work, zero-hour contracts); impact of AI and technology on work.

Contact:  margaret.heffernan@dcu.ie

Featured Project: IncreMeTal

Featured Project: TRUE EUROPE

Lead: Dr. Eric Clinton

CFB, founded in 2013, is Ireland's leading family business research centre. Working with international academic partners from the world’s leading family business research centres and with family business practitioners, CFB produces research that readily translates into evidence-based practice that we share with family businesses nationally and internationally. Dr Eric Clinton is Ireland’s national representative on STEP, the largest global research project on family business.

Research themes:

• Transgenerational learning. Research investigating how family firms can successfully nurture the transmission of entrepreneurial behaviours and mindsets across generations. 
• Trust and feeling trusted in the family business. Research integrating the organisational trust and family firm literature of trusting and feeling trusted in family firms. 
• Gender and family business. Research investigating women's progress and challenges in multiple facets of family business, including human capital, succession, entrepreneurial entry, and career dynamics. 
• Legacy and tradition. Research exploring legacy transmission in multi-generational family firms, includes managing ‘legacy liability’ and exploring how family firms can reframe legacies that are no longer fit for purpose. 

Contact eric.clinton@dcu.ie

Featured Project: The STEP Project Global Consortium

Featured Project: All Ireland Family Business Research Network

Lead: Dr. Gary Sinclair

The International Network for Online Harms in Sport is a multi-disciplinary group of researchers, stakeholders from sport, industry and civil society. The network has established a distinctive expertise in social media data analysis on the topic of hate speech and online abuse and in stakeholder engagement with federations, clubs, coaches, athletes, media and fans. This network is impacting discourses and policies that reduce online harms in sport and extending academic knowledge on this subject. The network has attracted both academic and industry funding. Dr Gary Sinclair is the Principal Investigator of the Tackling Online Hate in Football a research project (2021-2025) funded by UK Research and Innovation-Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Irish Research Council. He is also the co-PI of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile United Against Online Abuse research project.

Research themes:

• Online harms.  A wide range of harmful behaviours, actions, or content experienced in digital spaces cause distress, damage, or risk to individuals or groups. Sport is an influential lens in which political, economic, cultural and social issues play out locally, nationally and internationally. The emotional characteristics associated with sport are provocative ingredients for proliferating hate speech in social media spaces. The network possesses expertise in this theoretical space. 
• Social media data analysis. The network has carried out extensive analysis of X (formerly Twitter) data of every football European Championships (both men’s and women) since 2008 in addition to other international tournaments (Copa America, African Nations, World Cup). Data is analysed using a range of techniques including descriptive, content, and network analytics. Emphasis is placed on characteristics of users, influential users, word-of-mouth, most prevalent topics and users who are most likely to be targeted. Large language modules have been trained on the intricacies of ‘sporting’ language.
• Sporting governance and employee well-being. The network is currently in the development of policies and educational resources to assist sporting stakeholders (e.g. sporting federations, media broadcasters, clubs) with the fight against online harms. 

Contact: gary.sinclair@dcu.ie

Featured Project: Tackling Online Hate in Football

Featured Project: United Against Online Abuse

The Institute’s sustainability research explores how environmental challenges and social responsibility are impacting organisations and industries. 

• Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Group. Led by Yuhui Gao, this group examines the integration of ESG factors into business practices.

• Risk & Crisis Management (R4I). Led by Caroline McMullan, this group focuses on understanding and mitigating sustainability-related risks, including climate change impacts, and how governments and businesses can respond to climate and other emergencies. 

• Sustainable Aviation Hub. Led by Marina Efthymiou, this group conducts research on the environmental, social and economic sustainability of the aviation sector, exploring innovative solutions for promoting sustainable growth.

• finLAB (Sustainable Digital Finance). Led by Aref Mahdavi Ardekani, this lab investigates how finance can support the transition to a low-carbon economy.

The Institute works with business and public sector organisations on the theme of innovation to explore and understand the dynamics of innovation within organizations and across industries. Our research explores the innovation within organisations and industries, including digitalisation processes and the impact of AI. 

• Technological and Corporate Innovation Group. Led by Peter Robbins, this group examines the drivers of innovation within organizations, industries, and economies, exploring topics such as technology adoption, open innovation, and intellectual property management.

• finLAB (fintech). Led by Aref Mahdavi Ardekani, this lab explores the transformative potential of fintech, examining its impact on financial services and business models.

• Contemporary Accounting and Governance Group. Led by Brid Murphy this group examines the changing role of accounting and governance practices in organisations.

The Institute is committed to translating its research into actionable insights for policymakers at international, national, and local levels.

• Business & Public Policy Special Interest Group. Led by Julie Bertz, this group explores the development of local policies by building connections between academics, policymakers, and industry practitioners. It provides a business and public policy platform for the ongoing exchange of innovative research, ideas, and practices through seminars, workshops, publications, and collaborations - both nationally and globally.

• Sustainable Aviation Hub. Led by Marina Efthymiou, this hub provides policy recommendations for the aviation sector, focusing on sustainability, and regulatory frameworks.

• Risk & Crisis Management (R4I). Led by Caroline McMullan, this group provides policy insights on managing national and organizational risks, including those related to climate change.

This lab investigates how finance can support the transition to a low-carbon economy, the
transformative potential of fintech, examining its impact on financial services and business models.

Lead: Dr Aref Mahdavi Ardekani
Contact: aref.mahdavi@dcu.ie

This group examines the integration of ESG factors into business practices.

Lead: Yuhui Gao.
Contact: Yuhui.Gao@dcu.ie

Led by Prof Caroline McMullan, this group focuses on understanding and mitigating sustainability-related
risks, including climate change impacts, and how governments and businesses can respond to climate
and other emergencies. The group provides policy insights on managing national and organizational
risks, including those related to climate change.

Lead: Prof Caroline McMullan
Contact: caroline.mcmullan@dcu.ie

This group conducts research on the environmental, social and economic sustainability of the aviation
sector, exploring innovative solutions for promoting sustainable growth. This group provides policy
recommendations for the aviation sector, focusing on sustainability, and regulatory frameworks.

Lead: Dr Marina Efthymiou.
Contact: marina.efthymiou@dcu.ie

This group examines the drivers of innovation within organizations, industries, and economies,
exploring topics such as technology adoption, open innovation, and intellectual property management.

Lead: Dr Peter Robbins
Contact: peter.robbins@dcu.ie

This group examines the changing role of accounting and governance practices in organisations.

Lead: Dr Brid Murphy.
Contact Brid.Murphy@dcu.ie

This group explores the development of local policies by building connections between academics,
policymakers, and industry practitioners. It provides a business and public policy platform for the
ongoing exchange of innovative research, ideas, and practices through seminars, workshops,
publications, and collaborations - both nationally and globally.

Lead: Dr Julie Bertz.
Contact: julie.bertz@dcu.ie