Deirdre Ahern

Deirdre Ahern is a Professor and Director of Research at the School of Law, Trinity College Dublin. She also leads the Technologies, Law and Society Research Group and serves as a visiting fellow at the European University Institute and University of Florence during 2023/2024. Her academic career spans roles at Cambridge University, Duke University, and the Duke-Geneva Transnational Law Institute. Before academia, she practiced commercial law with A&L Goodbody and KPMG, and served as a principal officer with the Law Reform Commission.

Professor Ahern’s research focuses on comparative corporate law, corporate governance, and artificial intelligence regulation. Her current project examines directors’ duties in EU sustainability and human rights contexts within global supply chains. She actively contributes to policy through Ireland’s Company Law Review Group (2022–2026) and the European Commission’s Expert Group on Corporate Governance (2020–2024).

Her honors include Fellowship of Trinity College (2012) and shortlisting for the Kevin Boyle Prize. She advises PhD/postdoctoral candidates in company law, directors’ duties, and AI regulation. She chairs the League of European Research Universities’ Legal Team on Artificial Intelligence.