Our researchers are known for their cutting-edge research, which they carry out in collaboration with leading national and international psychological researchers. These studies are published in top international journals – well over half of the publications involve co-authors from across Europe, North America, Australia and Africa. 

While many of the Department’s research studies are based in our purpose-built labs on the UL campus, we are involved in a number of transnational projects conducted across numerous international sites.

Some of our international projects:

Homelessness as Unfairness

We are playing a key role in a major EU-funded programme to tackle homelessness. There are three million homeless people in Europe, and the situation is getting worse. Dr Ronni Greenwood is the lead investigator in the project, which aims to understand EU citizens’ perceptions of homelessness and find solutions based on the ‘Housing First’ model. Dr Greenwood and her colleagues are working with service users to better understand the experiences of homeless people in different kinds of homeless services.

Inclusion Training in Intellectual Disability for Educators in Europe (iTide)

The iTide project involves five countries and is funded by the Erasmus programme. Throughout the EU, learners with intellectual disabilities are still not being included in education at all levels or achieving their potential. iTide aims to address this deficit by making available outstanding open-access, practice-leading training materials on Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) to spread accessible, accredited, vocational learning to these groups within EU states and beyond. Dr Barry Coughlan is the Limerick PI for this project.

Trauma, Culture, and Community Resilience In Nepal

Societies most affected by trauma are often disproportionately affected by poverty. Supported by the Irish Research Council and in collaboration with the Katmandu University, Nepal, the aim of this project is to help us understand how social and community factors can support people through traumatic times. Led by Dr Judi Pettigrew and Professor Orla Muldoon in collaboration with Khagendra Acharya, the work seeks to broaden our comparative knowledge of the impact of political violence in Nepal and Northern Ireland. Sadly, during the lifetime of this project, Nepal was devastated by an earthquake; consequently, the focus of our recent research efforts relates to the impact of that disaster.

Research and Teaching Visits

We encourage all members of the Department to undertake visits to other research and academic institutions in Ireland and overseas. Visits can be made during periods of special research leave or sabbatical leave. Staff can apply for leave in line with UL’s sabbatical leave policy. Applications are considered by the Faculty committee in January each year for the following academic year.
 
With funding available from UL through the Staff Mobility Erasmus+ scheme, short visits can be made to other EU institutions. The scheme supports travel and subsistence costs during the visit. Such visits can involve a one-week stay and eight hours of specific activities. Please contact Dr Elaine Kinsella for further information and contacts.

We often welcome academic visitors to conduct research and give guest lectures.