Conall Ó Breacháin is an assistant professor in the School of Language, Literacy and Early Childhood Education.  He currently lectures in the area of literacy.  Prior to joining DCU in early 2019, Conall was the Deputy National Director of the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST), Ireland's largest single support service offering professional learning opportunities to teachers and school leaders in a range of pedagogical, curricular and educational areas.  He has spent over 12 years working in teacher professional development with a particular focus on supporting teachers and school leaders in the areas of language, literacy and assessment.  Conall has lead several national teams in the field of professional development and was chairperson of a number of interagency committees which oversaw the design and implementation of the professional development for a range of new curriculum specifications across the primary and post-primary sectors .  He is a former member of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment's board for early childhood and primary education.