Academic biography

Dr Ashling Bourke is an Associate Professor in Psychology and Human Development at the Institute of Education. Her research and teaching interests include the processes that impact on child and adolescent wellbeing and children's rights. Ashling has experience in a wide range of research topics and research methodologies and she has an active research profile the intersection of Psychology, Rights, and Education. She teaches modules on social psychology, wellbeing, learning, research methods, and developmental psychology. 

Her current research projects inlcude;

• Adolescent engagement in climate change eduaction
• Social influences on climate change attitudes
• Teachers' role in child protection
• Relationships and Sexuality Education
• Participatory research with adolescents

Ashling has recently been awarded a Dean's Research Fellow at the DCU Anti-Bullying Centre. In this role she is conducting research on the role of social dominance orientation and its interaction with cognitive empathy in the perpetration of cyber-bullying.

Ashling holds the following roles in the University; 

• Cross-faculty subject representative for Human Development (PSP) • Steering Group member of the Centre for Human Rights and Citizenship Education • IoE representative on the University Quality Promotion Committee.  

Ashling completed her BA (hons) in Psychology at the National University of Ireland, Galway, a Masters in Forensic Psychology at University College Cork, and a PhD at Trinity College Dublin. She has held a number of academic and research roles in Trinity College Dublin, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and Dublin City University, as well as advocacy roles with children and vulnerable populations in Irish and UK NGOs.