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- Lecturer (Teaching)
- IOE - Education, Practice & Society
- UCL Institute of Education
- Lecturer in Education
- IOE - Curriculum, Pedagogy & Assessment
- UCL Institute of Education
- Lecturer (Teaching) MA Education
- IOE - Curriculum, Pedagogy & Assessment
- UCL Institute of Education
I was born and raised in a small town in the Republic of Ireland. In 2010, I obtained a Bachelor in Religious Education and Music (with QTS) from Dublin City University. I moved to Belgium shortly thereafter, where I was awarded an MA in Philosophy from the Higher Institute of Philosophy at KU Leuven. I remained at KU Leuven until 2014, where I later obtained an M.Sc. in Educational Sciences. I completed my PhD at the IOE in 2020.
For several years, I have worked as a secondary and primary school supply teacher across the UK and Ireland. From 2012-2014, I worked as an EFL Teacher at AEON Corporation in Tokyo, Japan. I came to London in 2014 to pursue my doctoral studies at the UCL Institute of Education, which I completed in 2020 and which focused on an engagement with the French existentialist tradition in philosophy (particularly the work of Jean-Paul Sartre) in order to offer a new way in which to account for the concrete, lived experiences of teaching. I have published a book on this topic in 2023 ('Being a Teacher' as part of the 'Contemporary Theories and Philosophies in Education' Springer book series) and am in the process of completing my second based on the intersection between (existential) literature and education (as part of the 'Literature and Education' Routledge book series). Since 2015, I have been working at UCL in various capacities, and continue to be involved in national and international research communities in the field of philosophy of education.


I am an early career researcher in philosophy of education. My PhD focused on existentialism (particularly the work of Sartre) and its relevance for the concrete, lived realities of education. I have recently published a book on this ('Being a Teacher', 2023), as part of the Springer series, 'Contemporary Theories and Philosophies in Education'.
I am interested in the intersection of literature, philosophy and education. For this, I am working on a second book on education and the existential novel as part of the 'Literature and Education' Routledge series. I am particularly interested in the educative potential of literature beyond critique.
Since 2020, I have been involved in a British Academy-funded pilot project with Warwick University that explores the relationship between school-based mental health initiatives and philosophy.
I am an elected member of the PESGB, who funded my PhD. I am the current Chair of the ‘Phenomenology and Existentialism’ SIG at PES. I am also involved in several international exchange programmes, such as 'International Frontiers' (Kyoto University) and the 'European Philosophy of Education Colloquium'.
My areas of interest include:
- Philosophy of Education
- Existentialist philosophy and literature
- Literature and Education
- Post-Critical Research Methods
- Narrativity, Autobiography and Identity
- Mental Health Education
- Teaching and Learning Policies
- Accountability in Education
- (Self)-Reflective Practice
Since 2015, I have been working on the BA Education Studies programme at the UCL Institute of Education.
I am a member of the senior leadership team as the "Teaching and Learning" Lead and am thus involved in the induction, development and coordination of all teaching staff on the programme.
I am a module leader for:
- ‘Philosophical Reflections on Education with Film (1st year)
- 'Philosophical Research in Education' (2nd year)
Other modules I’ve contributed to include:
- ‘Introduction to Education Studies’ (1st year)
- ‘Living in a Schooled Society’ (1st year)
- ‘Ways of Thinking and Ways of Being’ (2nd year)
Since 2021, I have taken up a role on the MA Education at the UCL Institute of Education as a dissertation supervisor on a wide range of projects. I also contribute to the module, 'Feminist Approaches to Knowledge and Pedagogy'.
From 2017-2020, I designed and led two courses at the UCL Summer School ('What is Education?' and 'Educational Representations through Media'). I also acted as the Departmental Representative for Education.
From 2018-2020, I was a Research and Training Facilitator at the Centre for Doctoral Education (UCL Institute of Education). I also developed and facilitated a doctoral course entitled ‘Collaborative Inquiry into Philosophical and Theoretical Texts’.
In 2020, I led a pre-sessional course for EFL students wishing to pursue post-graduate study at UCL, entitled ‘Preparation for Academic Studies in Higher Education’.
I have also been a guest lecturer at several institutions, including Kyoto University (Japan), Winchester University (UK), and the Royal College of Surgeons (Ireland).
2013 | Master of Science | Katholieke Universiteit Leuven | |
2011 | Master of Arts | Katholieke Universiteit Leuven | |
2010 | Bachelor of Education | Dublin City University | |