Eileen Hogan

Eileen Hogan is a Lecturer in Social Policy. She has a PhD in Music for her ethnographic research on the interrelationship of music-making and well-being. She is interested in the multifaceted and intriguing ways in which social policy and social justice-oriented concerns intersect with culture, identity, and creativity.  She is particularly interested in practices that promote youth participation, youth volunteering, and community engagement, contextualised within broader discourses of arts participation, identity-making, creative labour, DIY cultures, and cultural funding. 

Other research interests include cycling as a social practice, with particular attention to understanding how cycling shapes people’s sense of well-being and their relationship to the city, and how this might inform pro-cycling urban policy-making. This is connected with a broader interest in climate activism and environmental sustainability. Eileen is a research associate with UCC's Institute for Social Science in the 21st Century (ISS21). 

She is also interested in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, with a particular practical and academic focus on digital education and technology-enhanced teaching and learning practices. Currently, she is leading research on the PERSPECTIVES 360 project, an exciting new initiative that uses virtual reality (VR) simulation in social professional education. 

Since January 2026, she is Vice-Head for Teaching, Learning and Curriculum in the School of Applied Social Studies. Other current leadership roles include that of Co-Director of the Masters in Social Policy and Social Justice (Online), Deputy Director of the Postgraduate Diploma in Youth Work, and Director of the EDI in Higher Education microcredential. She is Chair of the School Teaching and Learning Committee, a member of the School Executive Management Committee, and a member of the School Graduate Studies Committee. She is also a member of the College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences Teaching and Learning Committee. 

• Creativity, cultural participation and well-being

Published work developed through her doctoral research focuses on the interrelationship of music-making and well-being, identity and place.

Other research outputs relate to music-oriented collaborative projects including a music-themed art research project with young asylum-seekers, in collaboration with Dr Caitríona Ní Laoire (Applied Social Studies, ISS21) and Tadhg Crowley and Fiona Kearney (UCC Lewis Glucksman Gallery), funded by Research Ireland. Others relate to the Sir Henrys@UCC Library Exhibition, an archival exhibition about Cork's iconic music venue (1977-2003) - curated with Martin O'Connor (UCC Library) and Stevie G/Stephen Grainger (Cork DJ), which ran from July to September 2014. Other outputs include research on youth arts policy and practice in Ireland in collaboration with the National Youth Council of Ireland.

• Women and leisure in Ireland, 1920s-1930s

• Sustainability and environmental social policy

Recent collaborations include research with Cork Cycling Campaign, The Environmental Forum, and the Urban Cycling Insitutue (Amsterdam), on the socio-cultural significance of cycling in Cork city, funded by Research Ireland.

Eileen is currently collaborating in research on feminist climate activism, led by Dr Fiona Dukelow, funded by Research Ireland.

• Youth volunteering research

Recent collaborative work in partnership with Cork Volunteer Centre focused on youth volunteering. The project synthesised key learning from existing research, and the final report provided exemplars of good practice and innovation in youth volunteering from Ireland and internationally and a toolkit for youth volunteer-involving organisations. 

• Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

Eileen holds a Masters in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education level from UCC, for her research on blog-facilitated research supervision. 

She has led two collaborative projects funded by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, namely The Social Commons: Assessment in Social Research Methods Education and SPEEDS (Social Policy Education: Enhancing Digital Skills).

Eileen is currently leading research on a new learning and teaching project, PERSPECTIVES 360 that advances the use of VR technologies in social professional education.