Team

Dr. Laura Foley manages PublicPolicy.ie. She is the Policy Engagement and Impact Officer at the UCD Geary Institute for Public Policy. She is also Co-PI on the Empowering Policy Excellence (EPEx) programme at UCD that is is committed to strengthening the evidence base for policy through collaborative research, innovative learning programmes, expert residencies, and strategic international partnerships. Laura completed her PhD in Politics from the University of Sheffield. Her doctoral thesis analysed the governance of labour migration in Malaysia. Prior to joining the Geary Institute, Laura worked at Queen Mary University of London analysing the role of global processes and institutions in the global governance of labour migration. Laura holds an MSc in International Relations from UCD, an LLM in International Human Rights and Development from London South Bank University, and a BA in Sociology and French from Trinity College Dublin. Her research interests are in the areas of governance, gender, labour markets, human rights, migration, and decent work.

Email: laura.foley@ucd.ie

With a career at UCD since 2007, Emma Barron possesses a wealth of experience and expertise in project management, accounting, and EU-funded and nationally funded research. Currently, she holds the role of overseeing daily operations and research management at UCD’s Geary Institute. Emma’s involvement includes contributing to significant Horizon Europe-funded projects like “Equalstrength” and “GUIDEPrep,” along with her role in European Social Survey Round 11, and various other projects supported by the Geary Institute.

Dr. Megan O’Byrne is a postdoctoral research fellow at the UCD Geary Institute for Public Policy. She is working on the Empowering Policy Excellence (EPEx) programme at UCD, which is committed to developing the evidence base for Irish policymaking through collaborative research, skills development and strategic partnerships. Megan is also working on the EU HORIZON-funded project RURALISE (2026-2029) which will examine housing-led regeneration approaches within rural communities, using six European countries as pilots. Megan completed her PhD in Human Geography and Environmental Planning at Cardiff University in 2026. Her doctoral thesis examined how circular consumption practices, like sharing, repairing and reusing, were organised through policymaking and within community initiatives in Ireland and Wales. Megan holds an MSc in Environment, Politics and Society from University College London, and a BA in Geography and Sociology from Trinity College Dublin. Her research interests relate to environmental policy, circular economy, material consumption, place-based community  interventions and policy-knowledge exchange.

Michelle is director of the UCD Geary Institute for Public Policy and Professor of Social Policy. Her research interests focus on housing policy and urban regeneration, particularly on the management and financing of social housing. The regeneration of social housing estates and inner urban areas, comparative analysis of housing provision in Europe, the history and socio-economic implications of Irish housing policy and its relationship with the welfare state. She has led over 20 research project on these issues since 2000 and produced over 170 publications on the results.