Academic biography

I am an Assistant Professor in the School of Policy and Practice, DCU Institute of Education, and Director of Professional Placement on a number of DCU post-primary teacher education programmes (PME/SE/PEB/PEM).

My research and teaching has a strong sociological focus and is informed by a desire to challenge and disrupt inequalities in education developed during my time working as a primary school teacher and school leader in a variety of roles and settings, and leading and designing various projects, initiatives, and modules that are inclusive, democratic, culturally responsive and critically conscious.

My research philosophy and approaches are aligned with critically reflexive and participative values associated with transformative education and research. I have a particular interest in the evaluation of educational programmes, interventions and policies through sociological lens. I am a member of DCU’s Centre for Evaluation, Quality, and Inspection and am currently a researcher on Revers-Ed, a Horizon Europe project led by Professors Ramon Felcha and Marta Soler which is identifying trends in educational inequalities across Europe and providing evidence of effective interventions that reverse them over time.

Stemming from my previous professional roles and experiences as a teacher mentor and facilitator with the National Induction Programme for Teacher and using sociological lens, I am also interested in the factors and processes that shape the professional identities, felt responsibilities and practices of emerging and early career teachers, and in particular (emerging) educators from diverse and under-represented groups.  I have published a number of peer-reviewed articles, chapters, and policy contributions in this area, and I am currently engaged in a longitudinal study exploring the life histories of student and in-service teachers from diverse and under-represented groups and their stories of becoming and being a teacher.