Dr Barry Morrissey is an Assistant Professor in the School of Inclusive and Special Education at DCU. He has a diverse background in education, having worked as a teacher in both mainstream and special education settings, and as a curriculum advisor in Health & Wellbeing with Ireland’s Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST). Prior to joining DCU, he was principal of the Limerick School Project.

Barry completed his doctorate at DCU, where his research focused on leadership and curriculum enactment - specifically the teaching of a child safety education curriculum in special schools. While completing his doctorate he was awarded the inaugural John Smith Doctoral Award and Scholarship, in recognition of his work. His research interests are broad and are mainly concerned with the inclusion of marginalised learners within the education system. This spans school leadership, teacher-education, curriculum studies and policy analysis in the inclusion sphere. He has presented at conferences nationally and internationally in these areas, contributing to both academic discourse and professional practice. He has also published articles in a number of international journals, including the International Journal of Inclusive Education, Children and Youth Services Review and the British Journal of Special Education.

Beyond his work in inclusive education, Barry has a strong interest in advancing doctoral education. He recently collaborated on a transatlantic research project between DCU and Arizona State University, examining the role of doctoral education in promoting equity and social justice. He has presented this research to the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate and this year he will co-present the findings to the American Educational Research Association annual conference in Denver, Colorado.