Humanities and Social Sciences success in Irish Research Council fund
DCU’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences has welcomed today’s announcement by the Irish Research Council that four projects led by academics in our School of Communications and School of Law and Government, have been awarded funding in the New Foundations scheme. A total of 77 projects were awarded under the programme, which brings researchers and community organisations together to collaborate on projects that will have a tangible impact on societal issues. DCU received nine awards in total across the university. The four projects awarded in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences were as follows:
Beyond words: Female journalists, public interactions and online hostility
Dr Dawn Wheatley, School of Communications, was awarded for her project ‘Beyond words: Female journalists, public interactions and online hostility’ in collaboration with the National Women’s Council. Dawn Wheatley is an Assistant Professor in the School of Communications focusing on journalism, political communication, and social media. She received her PhD in 2018 for her research into online news production and coverage of the Irish healthcare sector, with a particular emphasis on sources and voices, and how newsroom practices are established and reproduced. Dawn worked as a production journalist for the Irish Daily Mail and the Irish Times before turning to research and teaching in DCU.
Promoting Democratic Participation: An Active Citizenship For Migrants
Dr Valesca Lima, DCU School of Law and Government, was awarded for her project ‘Promoting Democratic Participation: An Active Citizenship For Migrants’ carried out with the Immigrant Council of Ireland. Valesca Lima is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the School of Law and Government where she researches policymaking and governance with three main areas of interest: citizen participation, housing policy and social mobilization. Her previous research funded by the Irish Research Council examined recent housing mobilization for housing justice in Ireland and Portugal.
Assisting Irish churches and religious communities to develop values-based common positions on current European issues
Prof Deiric Ó Broin, DCU School of Law and Government, was awarded for his project ‘Assisting the Irish churches and religious communities to develop values-based common positions on current European issues and to engage with European counterparts’. Deiric Ó Broin is Professor of Public Policy Practice in the School of Law and Government in DCU where he lectures in Irish politics and public policy. His research is mainly on Irish politics and public policy particularly the area of local and urban governance. He also works in the areas of public participation and deliberation, civil society involvement in public policy formulation, with a particular focus on the social economy.
Supporting Irish Language Use on a Cross-Community Basis
Dr Róisín Á Costello, School of Law and Government, was awarded for her work ‘Supporting Irish Language Use on a Cross-Community Basis - Recommendations and Insights’. Róisín Á Costello is an Assistant Professor in the School of Law and Government with a special interest in EU law, privacy law, intellectual property law, media law, language rights, law and literature. Róisín has worked with the Council of Europe, the Electronic Privacy Information Centre (epic.org) in Washington DC, and the Georgetown Centre for Privacy and Technology Law and acts as a local expert for the World Bank Report on Women, Business and the Law.
Commenting today, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD said:
“I welcome the announcement of the 77 New Foundations research awards today – another record number of projects being supported by the Irish Research Council under this programme. The 55 research partnerships with community and voluntary groups will have an invaluable impact – bringing new insights and evidence and allowing these organisations to have an even bigger impact on those they are trying to reach, especially the most vulnerable and marginalised in our society. The community and voluntary sector plays a critical role in Irish life and will continue to do so. As these projects get underway, they support enhancement of the services this sector provides, while also providing excellent partnership opportunities for our researchers.”
Further information about the New Foundations scheme is available here.