Sinéad O’Neill is a lecturer in the School of Applied Social Studies, lecturing at undergraduate and post graduate level. She is Year 1 Coordinator and Recruitment/Selection Coordinator on the Bachelor of Social Science in Youth and Community Work. Her research interests relate to social justice, youth work and community work, participatory approaches to working with communities, adult and community education, and access to education. Sinéad has extensive practice based experience in the fields of adult education and youth and community work. A professionally qualified JNC accredited youth worker, Sinéad has worked with a diverse range of groups and communities experiencing marginalisation, within and outside of Ireland. She has broad experience of working in the area of widening access to higher education for adult learners in both Munster Technological University and University College Cork. She has led the development of a number of access initiatives in Cork, including the ACE (Centre for Continuing Adult Education) pathway into the Bachelor of Social Science in UCC developed in 2017, the first access route of its kind in the University. Sinéad is the Academic Director for the ACE Diploma in Youth and Community Work. She is currently a member of the BSocSc (Youth and Community Work) and Post Graduate Diploma in Youth Work programme teams which involves engagement in all academic related activities including teaching, supervision, programme administration, recruitment, research and civic and community engagement. Sinéad is a member of the ISS21 Research for Civil Society and Social Action (REACT) cluster. Sinéad is a member of the following committees and professional organisations: Cork Learning Neighbourhoods Steering Group, Cork Education Engagement Group, Youth Work Edu

Research interests relate to social justice, youth work and community work, participatory approaches to working with communities, adult and community education, and access to education.

Teaching interests include the theory and practice of youth work and community work, participatory approaches to community development, sociology, adult education and critical education theory.