Michelle Norris

Professor Michelle Norris is a Full Professor and Director of the Geary Institute for Public Policy at University College Dublin's School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice. She is a leading expert in housing policy and urban regeneration with over 30 major research projects and more than 170 publications to her name.

Her educational background includes:

• BSocSc from University College Cork
• MSocSc from University College Dublin
• PhD from University College Cork

Professor Norris's research focuses on housing policy, particularly the management and financing of social housing, urban regeneration, comparative analysis of European housing provision, and the historical development of Irish housing policy. She has led significant research initiatives including the €3.4 million EU Horizon Europe project "EqualHouse" which aims to combat housing inequality across Europe. Her work bridges academic research and policy implementation, with strong connections to Irish and international policymakers.

Her recent publications reveal consistent themes around housing financialization, homelessness prevention, social housing policy, and the intersection of housing with social justice issues. She has developed nuanced understandings of how financial circuits impact housing affordability, how life course stages affect homelessness risks, and how stigmatization impacts social housing communities.

Professor Norris has received significant recognition for her work, including:

• University College Dublin's Research Impact Award (2015)
• Irish Research Council's Research Impact Award (2021)

She serves in numerous advisory capacities, having been appointed to the National Economic and Social Council by the Taoiseach in 2011 and 2016, chaired the Housing Finance Agency from 2012-2017, and served on the interim board of the Land Development Agency from 2018. In 2022, she was appointed to the Housing Commission established to review housing policy in Ireland.

Professor Norris actively supervises PhD students researching housing policy, urban regeneration, and social justice issues, and teaches modules on Housing and Social Cohesion and Housing Policies Neighborhood, emphasizing active learning and critical reflection in her teaching approach.