UNESCO Chair
UNESCO Chair on Bullying and Cyberbullying
Professor James O’Higgins Norman, UNESCO Chair on Bullying and Cyberbullying
The UNESCO Chair on Bullying and Cyberbullying, the first such Chair in the world, was awarded to Professor James O’Higgins Norman at Dublin City University in 2018. The UNESCO Chairs programme advances research and education in all of UNESCO’s fields of competence by building university networks and encouraging inter-varsity cooperation through transfer of knowledge across borders. Professor O’Higgins Norman, with other members of the Chair, conducts a programme of research within and supported by DCU Anti-Bullying Centre (ABC) that spans a range of global partnerships involving universities, NGOs, Governments, schools and youth organisations. This work encompasses research, education, and policy development.
Background
Professor O’Higgins Norman is a member of the Government of Ireland’s Steering Committee on School Bullying and has contributed to the development of two national action plans on bullying in 2013 and 2022. He is also a member of the Government of Ireland’s National Advisory Council on Online Safety (NACOS) and was previously a member of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment Sub-Committee on Intercultural Education in Schools. James is Chair of UNESCO’s International Scientific Committee on Tackling Bullying and lead the development of UNESCO’s Whole Education Approach to Tackling School Bullying and Cyberbullying.
He was Chair of World Anti-Bullying Forum 2019. He has lead several Government and EU funded research projects on school bullying, inclusion and diversity. He is the Principal Investigator on an EU COST Action focused on migration and school bullying. James is the PI on three industry funded research projects worth over €5 million developing educational and digital solutions to bullying and cyberbullying. In 2021 Professor O’Higgins Norman received the President’s Award for Research Impact.