Professor Pat Dolan is joint founder and Director of the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre and the Higher Diploma/Masters Degree in Family Support Studies, which has now evolved into the MA in Lifecourse Studies.
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 currently 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. Bernadine lectures on the MA in Family Support Studies, MA in Social Work and MA in Community Development and undergraduate programmes.
Liam Coen (BA, M.Litt) joined the Child and Family Research Centre in 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.
Carmel Devaney joined the Child and Family Research Centre in April 2007 as a Researcher and Course Coordinator of the Higher Diploma/ Master Degree in Family Support Studies. Carmel holds a BA in Social Studies (DIT) and MA in Family Support Studies (NUI Galway). At a practice level Carmel has worked for many years in children and family services and as Manager of a Springboard Family Support Service. Carmel has researched in the area of children and families service provision and has published in the area of suicide prevention and family support.
Allyn Fives has been a postdoctoral researcher at the Child and Family Research Centre since January 2009. Currently he is taking part in a major evaluation of the Barnardos Wizards of Words child literacy programme, as well as undertaking the Young Carers in the Irish Population study, which was commissioned by the OMCYA.
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 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, youth participation 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.
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 Jakubczyk 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, co-ordination and management of activities relating to the UNESCO Chair.
In addition to her work with the UNESCO Chair, Iwona assists in the delivery and co-ordination of a number of centre projects in particular the Wizard of Words Evaluation Study.
