Overview

I am a feminist ethics of care scholar, commited to epistemic and social justice, personal and professional integrity, to  co-create transformative social outcomes (no matter how small or incremental) within a wider community of citizens, practitioners, scholars and policy makers .

I am currently engaged in a number of international and national funded projects and collaborations on care and care relations, and interested in building some new ones. I also co-supervise PhD scholars who interrogate and reimagine care and care relations from a transdisiplinary perspective, with co-supervisors from three of the four colleges in UCC. I also welcome approaches from prospective PhD scholars in this area.

Academic qualifications and profile

Following a decade working as a management and marketing consultant and practitioner in Germany and Ireland, I decided to transition to an academic career in Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) in 2004. I subsequently joined UCC in August 2007.

Doctorate and Doctoral Studies

I was awarded my DPhil in Service Management, which I completed part-time in collaboration with a leading global symphony orchestra, while working fulltime in UCC, from the triple accredited Cranfield University, United Kingdom in 2013.

Building on my growing commitment to and passion for interdisciplinary research,  I decided to pursue and self-fund a second PhD (Oct 2022-Oct 2027, currently in year 3), jointly supervised by Dr. Rosie Meade and Dr. Orla O' Donovan, Associate Professors/Senior Lecturers in the School of Applied Social Studies, UCC. I am completing my PhD studies as part of a 4 year DSoc programme for professionals working in social care and the social sciences domain, in tandem with my full-time Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor in Service management role in UCC.

My DSoc in Social Science explores human and and more-than-human care and care relations. My PhD fieldwork empirically explores and interrogates  social farming and social care in ireland and involves a collaborative partnership between the Health Service Executive (HSE), Social Farming Ireland and UCC.

To date, I am thoroughly enjoying the experience and support of being a doctoral student in the School of Applied Social studies UCC, and the support and mentorship provided by the School , my Supervisors and the DSoc programme directors. I also find that being a doctoral student in the school of applied social studies, while teaching and supervising other doctoral and postgraduate students in UCC has greatly improved my supervision, teaching and provided me with a far richer student-centred perspective.

Masters Qualifications 

I also hold two first class honours masters qualifications; an MBS in international marketing (top 2% in year) from the Michael Smurfit School of Business, University College Dublin and an MSc in Personal and Executive Coaching from University College Cork. 

Other postgradate Qualifications 

I also self-funded and recently completed a  Level 9 Postgraduate Certicate in Trauma Informed Care: Theory and Practice (Sep 2025-May 2026), together with social care practitioners from throughout Ireland, in UCC, to become a more trauma informed/responsive care researcher.

My other postgraduate qualifications include a Higher Diploma and Certificates in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education from University College Cork. 

Degree (Hons)

I also hold a BA (Hons) in International Marketing and Languages (French and German) from Dublin City University and Bayreuth University Germany,  Higher Diploma. I am proficent in German, French, Irish and Italian, and fluent in English (native language). I enjoy having to opportunity to converse in these diverse languages when and where I can.

Other

Inspired by my use of participatory and creative methods in research,  I  completed and self-funded a foundational qualification in art therapy in 2026,  which I now integrate into my care scholarship and research praxis.

Research leadership and scholarship - participatory research, care and care relations 

In 2016, I co-founded and led, with Dr. Jacqui O' Riordan, School of Applied Social Studies, UCC's Institute of Social Science in the 21st century (ISS21), interdisciplinary care research cluster. ISS21 is an interdisciplinary research that seeks to build, sustain and enhance research on social, economic and cultural issues that will shape 21st century societies.  Since then, I remain a longstanding, valued and active member of the Executive Management Committee (EMC) of UCC's Collective Social Futures.

I am also  Co-PI, with Dr. Claire Edwards, School of Applied Social Science UCC, for Carevisions which sought to re-imagine care and care relations in Ireland post pandemic. This research programme and team of two postdoctorate scholars and one PhD scholar is generously funded by the Carolan Research Trust. 

I was Co-PI for PPI (Public and Patient Involvement) Ignite@UCC and the UCC representative on national PPI Ignite Network, together with Professor Patricia Kearney, School of Public Health, UCC between 2021-2025.  During that time, I co-led, with Dr. Jon Salsberg, University of Limerick, a team of over forty patients with living and/or lived experience, charity and voluntary organisations (CVOs) representing patients and patient groups, academics, researchers, doctoral students in the national co-development of a postgraduate module on PPI (5ECTS) for the national PPI Ignite network. This co-created 5ECTS module subsequently formed the basis for UCC's first pilot postgraduate introduction to PPI in health and social care research module. 

As Co-PI of PPI Ignite@UCC, I also led and delivered the University’s first PPI Payment Policy, with the UCC Finance Office and the PPI Ignite Network national office, to enable PPI contributor reimbursement in the University. Durind this time, I also developed, launched and chaired the PPI Ignite UCC student seed funding programme and established and chaired the UCC PPI Advisory Group comprised of colleagues from all four UCC colleges and the OVPRI, as well as the PPI Ignite UCC Partner Group. 

I was also invited and honoured to serve as Associate Editor for the Journal of Business Research (Association of Business School Ranking 3) and as Member of the Editiorial Review Board of the Journal of Service Research (Association of Business School Ranking 3) between  2021-2024 (i.e. until the commencement of her second PhD).

Research awards and recognition

I have been awarded national, international and philantrophic funding for my ongoing interdisciplinary research on care and care relations, including three Irish research council new foundation awards in partnership with national voluntary organisations.

I am a member of a number of  Horizon Europe transdisciplinary consortia, EU COST actions and other international research collaborations and partnerships focused on care and care relations.

I have  received several research awards for my research and care relations, including:

• UCC Research Team of the year 2024
• UCC College of Business and Law Mid Career Researcher Award in 2024
• UCC Early Career Researcher of the Year (2019)
• UCC College of Business and Law Early Career Researcher of the Year (2019)
• American Marketing Association Service Research Interest Group (AMA SERVSIG) Best conference paper award 2012 (while completing her first PhD)
• American Marketing Association Service Research Interest Group (AMA SERVSIG) Liam Glynn Research  Scholarship Award 2007

as well as various institutional and external research awards.

Academic leadership and service - other

Together with my former colleague Professor Stravroula Leka (formerly UCC, now University of Nottingham, UK), we were proud to co-lead the development and implementation of the UCC's College of Business and Law Wellbeing Barometer during and post Covid pandemic, which subsequently informed the introduction and launch of annual UCC's staff wellbeing surveys.

I was served as an active, committed and engaged member of the inaugural CBL and CUBS Athena Swan committees and subseqent EDI committees until 2025. 

As part of my commitment to student and staff wellbeing in UCC,  I  also provided several pro-bono coaching sessions to the UCC PG student community.

My current research interests, publications and funded projects draw on and contribute to the interdisciplinary domain of care and care relations from a posthumanist feminist perspective and participatory service co-design.  

Social and Participatory Research Methods, Creative and Arts-based Research Method, Service Management and Design.