Naoimh O’Connor is the Research Careers Manager at University College Dublin.
{credit}Image credit: Andrea Farneti {/credit}
Say hello to Naoimh!
What is your scientific background?
Personal Construct Psychology: an approach to exploring a person’s perceived reality using grids, matrices, laddering techniques to identify the questions that will matter to that person.
Why did you decide to leave academia (if at all)?
After a Research Masters in Psychology and lots of travelling, I became an Education Programme and Research manager with the National College of Ireland. Then I got offered a job teaching undergraduate Psychology to American study-abroad students in Italy so I moved there for six years, during which time I also completed a Masters in Creative Writing and started teaching Creative Writing as well as Cross-Cultural Psychology. I was also the college counsellor there and did a diploma in complementary health around that time. I continued to publish a bit and attend international conferences when I could and then when I came back to Ireland four years ago, Italian husband in tow, I took up an all-staff Learning and Development role in the University and then moved into this Research Careers role (about 18 months ago). Over the years I’ve toyed with many a PhD proposal, but nothing has been original enough to pursue so far.
I’m not sure if the leaving academia question is covered but I don’t know if I’ve ever mentally left actually!