Academic biography

Sinéad McNally is Associate Professor of Psychology and Early Childhood Education at the DCU Institute of Education.

Sinéad leads the research group, the Early Language and Learning Lab, which investigates children's development in early education contexts. Her research on inclusion, play, reading and STEM has been funded through the Irish Research Council, the Science Foundation Ireland, the Standing Conference on Teacher Education North and South, and the Childhood Development Initiative. 

Sinéad is deeply committed to child-centred research and inclusive teaching, and holds several positions of responsibility in early childhood research and in the wider community:  she was appointed to the Research Ethics Committee at the St Michael's House Services for People with Disabilities in 2021, and she sits on the editorial boards of the International Journal of Early Years Education, the International Journal of Early Childhood, and the Journal of Early Childhood Studies.

In 2022, Sinéad received the President's Award for Research Impact for her research in early childhood education.

She welcomes enquiries from prospective doctoral and post-doctoral researchers in early child development, inclusive education, shared reading and play.