Welfare Politics, Resilience, Cohesion and Citizenship: Experienced supervisor and Grad Studies Director

I am an Assistant Professor of Social Policy at University College Dublin (UCD) and the Director of Graduate Studies for the School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice. With a background that includes a Departmental Lectureship at the University of Oxford and an Ad Astra Fellowship at UCD, as well as experience working on a 9 partner FP7 project on socio-economic household resilience in the wake of the GFC, I bring extensive international experience to doctoral training and research supervision.

Research Interests: Crisis, Welfare, Citizenship and Resilience. My research investigates the political economy of the welfare state, specifically how it intersects with the politics of crisis. I am particularly focused on the changing nature of social citizenship and social rights in Europe and the UK. My work critically analyses how social cohesion is conceptualised and operationalised by states during periods of instability, examining the tension between state security and social resilience. I am currently editing a book, A Research Agenda for Resilience in Social and Public Policy (Edward Elgar, 2026), which sets new directions for this field.

Methodological Expertise I specialise in qualitative and interpretive methodologies, with a particular interest in comparative qualitative research and discourse analysis. I have extensive experience in designing research that analyses policy rhetoric and its material impact on vulnerable populations. I have supervised projects looking at welfare reforms in Korea, the role of the ILO in developing international labour rights, and the role of social policy and welfare politics in advancing the claims and position of minority nationalist parties across Europe. While wanting to supervise in my direct areas of expertise, I am capable of supervising a wide range of projects within social and public policy, politics, political economy and political sociology.

Impact and Engagement: I am committed to research that bridges the gap between theoretical scholarship and policy practice. My impact activities include leading the "Just Resilience" project for the National Economic and Social Council (NESC) and providing expert evidence on pension reform to the Oireachtas (Irish Parliament). I have also provided expertise to the UK Cabinet Office on covid, and the European Commission on accessibility of essential services (principle 20 of the EPSR), amongst others. I actively engage with wider audiences through media contributions (New York Times, Sky News) and policy workshops.

Supervision Experience I am currently Director of Graduate Studies for my school. I also have had experience evaluating MSCA DN proposals. I have successfully supervised three doctoral students to completion, including an Oxford DPhil, a UCD Ad Astra PhD student, and a Doctorate of Governance student, a professional, applied doctoral programme. I offer a supportive, rigorous, and methodologically grounded environment for early-stage researchers.