51��ɫ

For information on pursuing a PhD or LLM by Research, contact the Director of Postgraduate Studies, Dr Laura Cahillane 

The School of Law at UL hosts a wide network of PhD students, conducting innovative research under the expert supervision of School of Law faculty members. Below is just a sample of the exciting research currently being undertaken by PhD students in the School of Law:

E. Adeola Babatunde

Adeola is a researcher in the field of Immersive technology. She has a particular interest in the intersections between psychological principles and youth offending among the younger population and how related key risk factors can be measured using Virtual Reality. Adeola has a background in Psychology and has worked with different Virtual Reality organisations over the last five years. She has a vested interest in the risk factors of youth offending and how advances in Immersive technology can contribute to reducing reoffending rates.

Adeola currently works with the Stable Lives Safer Streets Hub (SLSS), a research group in REPPP within the School of Law at the 51��ɫ as a doctoral research candidate. Her current research focuses on using Immersive Technology & Virtual Reality to measure psychological risk factors of youth offending using a multidisciplinary approach. It is designed to explore the use of VR for youth offending risk assessment; testing its ability to predict theorized outcomes and comparing the findings against traditional measures of self-control (written scenarios and self-report questionnaires).

Damian Philip Clancy

Damian began his legal academic career at the former Letterkenny RTC before moving to Cardiff University and studying for his LL.B (Hons) under the tutelage of Professor John Wylie, who was also Head of the Law School.  Damian completed his Law Society finals (Post Graduate Diploma in Law) at the University of South Wales before qualifying as a Solicitor (Eng/Wales) in 2000.  He continued to practice law, primarily as a family lawyer in all aspects of family law from Public Law representing parents and children to financial proceedings and representing some high-profile clients.  Damian also qualified as an Arbitrator in family law both in the area of financial remedies and child law, where he was in the first cohort of lawyers in England and Wales to become an arbitrator.

Damian returned to his studies in Ireland in 2019 completing a number of preparatory diplomas with City Colleges before undertaking his Masters in Law (General) at the 51��ɫ graduating with First Class Honours in 2023. He began his PhD journey in November 2022 under the supervision of Dr Lydia Bracken and Dr Susan Leahy.  He is undertaking his research into the prospect of introducing Arbitration into Family Law (both financial remedies on divorce and child law)and exploring whether this is possible in terms of Constitutional, legislative and regulatory provisions which currently exist.  Damian is also working as a member of the Family Lawyers Association of Ireland sub-committee on arbitration under the Chair of Sara Phelan SC. 

Beth Duane

Beth graduated from the MA in Human Rights in Criminal Justice at UL, where her thesis focused on issues relating to mental health in the Irish criminal justice system. Prior to this, she graduated from NUI Galway with a BA in History, Sociology & Politics, obtaining a first-class honours degree. She has previously interned with the Association for Criminal Justice Research & Development and is currently involved in establishing a new programme with ADAPT Services to raise awareness of domestic violence and how it impacts upon youth. She is currently undertaking a PhD under the supervision of Dr Margaret Fitzgerald O’Reilly and Dr Susan Leahy; her research is titled “Assessing the Causes, Effects, and Potential Responses to Prison Violence in Adult Prisons in Ireland”. Her research interests include human rights, criminology, false convictions, techniques of punishment, and criminal law.

Hira Fatima

Fatima is a second year PhD student in the University of limerick. She completed her LLM in Public International Law from Queen Mary University of London, UK. She is currently doing her PhD in hate crimes under the supervision of Professor Jennifer Schweppe. Her thesis revolves around the exploration of the concept of hate crimes in international law. Her research interests are criminal justice, human rights and public international law. She is also a member of CCJVS.

Anna Flynn

Anna Flynn has a BA in Psychology from Maynooth University and an MA in Criminology from the University College Cork. In 2019, she started a PhD in Law at the 51��ɫ in collaboration with the Irish Prison Service Psychology Service. Her research explores the management of people serving life sentences in Ireland. It is funded by an Irish Research Council Employment-Based Postgraduate Scholarship and the Irish Prison Service. She is currently under the supervision of Dr Eimear Spain (UL) and Dr Emma Regan (IPS). Anna has also completed a Policy and Advocacy Internship with the Irish Penal Reform Trust and has worked as a Research Assistant with the School of Law at the 51��ɫ and the Irish Prison Service Psychology Service.

Gerard Greaney 

Gerard holds first class honours degrees in Business (BBS), Law (LLB), and International Commercial Law (LLM) from UL. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland (FCA), having trained and qualified in practice with ; he has extensive international business experience as a finance director in the multinational sector. Gerard’s research interests are in the areas of commercial, company, and contract law, intellectual property law, and international tax law. He has published on EU patent law in . He is currently undertaking a PhD under the supervision of Prof. Raymond Friel and Dr Eimear Spain. His thesis is entitled “Intellectual property: Developing a new taxonomy for a more responsive approach to the needs of an innovation-based economy”.

Pamela Gubbins

Pamela graduated from UL with an LLB in Law Plus in 2018, and then went on to graduate in 2020 from the LL.M programme in Human Right in Criminal Justice from UL, obtaining a first-class honours degree. Her dissertation focused on ‘Accommodating Defendants with Learning Disabilities in the Irish Criminal Justice System: A Lack of Special Measures, Safeguards and Supports.’ Pamela is currently undertaking a PhD, under the supervision of Dr Gerard Coffey; her research is titled ‘Irelands Departure from the Traditional Trial Process Towards Trial Waiver Systems – A Rights Based Approach in Protecting the Interests of the Accused.’ She has been awarded a number of funding awards/scholarships for her PhD research, she has received a fee waiver from the Faculty of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (AHSS) in UL, a fee waiver from UL School of Law and The John and Pauline Ryan Research Scholarship from UL’s Doctoral College. Pamela has tutored and lectured in a variety of modules in the School of Law, she has presented her research at a number of national conferencing events and her work has also received publication in the Plassey Law Review journal. Her primary research interests include human rights, criminal justice, due process, and criminal law.

Andrew Lacey

Andrew was awarded a BA in Insurance & European Studies in 2001, LLB (Graduate Entry) in 2008, and a BA in Human Recourse Management in 2010 all with UL. In 2013 he completed an LLM in Criminal Law from University College Cork after he completed the Criminal Justice Masters clinical programme. Andrew is currently undertaking a PhD research thesis under the supervision of Prof. Kilcommins and Dr Alan Cusack that examines the departure from adversarialism in the Irish Criminal Justice process and the emerging transition towards dispositive justice. Andrew is the course director of the postgraduate diploma in Serious Crime Investigation, a programme accredited by UL and taught through the Garda College; he previously delivered on the BA in Applied Policing programme. Andrew has completed a specialist diploma in Teaching, Learning & Scholarship with the University’s Centre for Teaching & Learning and is a certified hate crime trainer for law enforcement in Europe with the ODIHR (Office for Democratic Institutions & Human Rights).

Louise McNeil

Louise McNeil is an Irish Research Council Award Holder for a full scholarship for her PhD “Pervasive Surveillance: Technology’s radical alteration of societal power dynamics and social structures in the 21st century”, supervised by Prof. Shane Kilcommins and Dr Alan Cusack.  Louise graduated with a 1st Class BSc (Hons) Criminology and Psychological Studies in 2016 from the Open University.  Then went on to graduate with a 1st Class MA in Human Rights in Criminal Justice at UL in 2018, she also received a 2.1 LLB (Hons) with the Open University in 2018. Louise has presented a number of conference papers and posters for which she has won recognition from the SLSA and UL.  Louise has tutored and moderated on a number of modules and is currently lecturing on LA6222 Postgraduate Human Rights Law and LA6052 Postgraduate Criminology. Her main area of interest is the development and evolution of surveillance techniques; how the changing dynamics of technology and surveillance have altered social structures, discourse, legal frameworks and social interactions.

Dara O'Dwyer

Dara O'Dwyer graduated from UL with an LLB in Law Plus in 2016, followed by a first class honor LLM in Human Rights in Criminal Justice. She is currenly undertaking a PhD, under the supervision of Dr Susan Leahy and Dr Margaret Fitzgerald O'Reilly, examining the responses of the Irish criminal justice system to female-perpetrated sex offending. This research examines existing legislative and procedureal measures in place in Ireland, reviewing the suitability of such measures for dealing with female sex offenders. Dara has presented papers on her research at both domestic and international conferences, She has tutored and lectured in a variety of modules in the School of Law, including administrative law, criminal law, company and partnership law, family law, child law, human rights law, international labour law and legal systems and method. She also completed a Judicial Internship in the Superior Courts. Her research interests include criminology, sexual offences, criminal justice, sentencing and child and family law. 

Bláithín O'Shea

Bláithín O'Shea is a 3rd year PhD student in the School of Law. She is a graduate of UL (LLB, 2017) and UCD (LLM, 2019). In September 2019, under the supervision of Dr Susan Leahy and Dr Alan Cusack, she began her doctoral studies in UL. Bláithín's PhD takes a socio-legal approach to investigate whether the principle of prison as a last resort (i.e. reducing imprisonment through use of diversion programmes and non-custodial sanctions) would be appropriate for persons with intellectual disabilities. The aim of this research is to formulate recommendations to promote changes in policy and practice that will bolster the rights and outcomes for persons with intellectual disabilities in the Irish criminal justice system.