Prof. Dolan is joint founder and Director of the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre and an Academic Director of the M.A. in Family Support Studies. He also contributes to the wider undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes of the School of Political Science and Sociology as well as supervising Ph.D. candidates and Masters Dissertations in Family Support, Social Work and Community Development.
Dr. John Canavan is joint founder and Associate Director of the Child and Family Research Centre. He has extensive experience in researching and evaluating social intervention programmes in the areas of child and family care, educational disadvantage, and community and local development. He received his PhD from Queens University, Belfast in 2006 and holds an MA in Community Development from NUI, Galway.
Aileen Shaw joined the Child and Family Research Centre as the Manager of Strategic Development in 2007. She has extensive experience in fundraising and nonprofit management.
Emily O’Donnell was appointed to the position of Business Manager of the Child and Family Research Centre in 2008. Emily is responsible for the day to day operational and financial management of the centre.
As a graduate of NUI, Galway, Emily holds a BA in French and Italian, Higher Diploma in Business Studies and a Higher Diploma in Marketing Practice.
Prior to joining the Child and Family Research Centre, Emily worked in a number of business and marketing roles in the financial, education and communications sector.
Gillian is currently the administrator for the Child and Family Research Centre. Since joining the CFRC in 2006, Gillian has provided support to the MA in Family Support Studies and works on a range of event management and operational areas at the Centre. Gillian holds a BA in Business Studies from the GMIT, Galway and a Higher Diploma in Education from NUI, Galway.
Prior to commencing employment at the CFRC, Gillian worked in a number of administrative roles in the Health and Technology sectors.
Bernadine Brady has been employed by the Child and Family Research Centre since 2003. She is an experienced mixed-methods researcher, with particular expertise in relation to children’s policy and services. In recent years, Bernadine was lead researcher on evaluations of the Foroige youth citizenship programme and the Big Brothers Big Sisters Programme in Ireland and has previously undertaken studies in relation to children’s participation, family welfare conferencing and young carers in the CFRC.
Liam Coen (BA, M.Litt) began working with the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre in 2006 and formally joined from the School of Political Science and Sociology in July 2007. Previously, Liam taught public and social policy at the National University of Ireland, Galway and the University of Limerick. Past research interests have included the Irish administrative system with specific reference to the reform of local government and the transition to local governance; and the governance of the Irish health system.
Carmel is a Lecturer and Course Director of the Master Degree in Family Support Studies in the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre at NUI Galway. Carmel is lead researcher on a number of practice based projects for the HSE and has designed and delivered a number of Family Support training initiatives for managers and practitioners. Carmel has also worked for many years in children and family services as both a practitioner and manager. Carmel’s recent publications and conference presentations are in the area of Family Support, child welfare and protection, and wellbeing.
Allyn Fives has been a postdoctoral researcher at the Child and Family Research Centre since January 2009. His research projects include the RCT evaluation of the Barnardos Wizards of Words (WoW) reading programme, the national study of Young Carers in the Irish Population commissioned by the OMCYA, the evaluation of the Triple P parenting programme delivered by LWPP, and evaluations of the Restorative Practice programme in Tallaght West and the Belong project.
Cormac is the Programme Coordinator of the BA in Youth and Family Studies (GY120), a three-year degree offered by NUI Galway in conjunction with St. Angela’s College, Sligo. As well as lecturing on this programme, he also provides inputs to the MA in Community Development, the MA in Family Support and to the Structured Ph.D. Programme at the School of Political Science and Sociology.
Noreen Kearns, PhD (Sociology), DBS, BSocSc, has worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Child and Family Research Centre (CFRC), NUI Galway since May, 2007. She has a particular interest in a social ecology approach to wellbeing and health which focuses on cultural and community dimensions, in addition to other key influences including personal and family circumstances, lifestyle, physical environment, public services and public policy.
Danielle Kennan joined the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre in March 2009 and has been working primarily on the UNESCO Chair programme in Children, Youth and Civic Engagement.
Danielle previously worked with the Irish Human Rights Commission as a Research and Policy Fellow and at the United Nations in Geneva at the UN Human Rights Council. Her current research interests include: children’s rights, child and youth participation, including participatory research, and the civic engagement of children and youth.
Fergal joined the Child and Family Research Centre in September 2009 as Researcher – Service Development and Design. Fergal previously worked in practice with the HSE as a Community Development Worker with responsibility for the development of family support services in North Tipperary, as a Child Protection Social Worker in Galway and as a Social Worker with out of home adolescents as part of the Crisis Intervention Service in Dublin.
Dr. Orla McGarry is a research associate with the UNESCO CFRC in the area of youth migration. Orla is currently the lead researcher on an evaluation of the BELONG programmme, a Northern Irish initiative that provides supports for ethnic minority and migrant children and families. In this capacity she has co-ordinated qualitative and quantitative research into educational experience, resilience, bullying and cultural confidence among migrant youth.
Lisa Moran graduated with a BA (Hons.) in English and Political and Sociological Studies, and a Diploma in Irish from NUIG in 2003. She completed a MA in European Integration at the School of Government, Politics and Public Administration, University of Limerick, in 2004. For her MA degree, she read EC Law, Economics, Politics, History, External Relations and Social Research Methods. Her dissertation on EU Water Policy was awarded with First Class Honours.
Berni Smyth has a Masters in Family Support (NUIG). She has conducted research into Social Support and Resilience in relation to adolescent refugees and asylum seekers.
Iwona O'Donoghue provides research assistance to Professor Pat Dolan, UNESCO Chair in Children, Youth and Civic Engagement. Since joining the CFRC in 2009, Iwona has been responsible for the administration, coordination and management of activities relating to the UNESCO Chair.
In addition to her work with the UNESCO Chair, Iwona assists in the delivery and coordination of centre projects and events.
