Natalie Culligan

Natalie Culligan is an Assistant Professor/Lecturer at Maynooth International Engineering College, affiliated with the Faculty of Science & Engineering at Maynooth University. She holds a PhD in Computer Science and has cross-disciplinary teaching roles across Computer Science, Engineering, Media, and Philosophy departments. Her research focuses on pedagogical coding environments, data analysis in education, and digital media technologies.

Education:

• PhD in Computer Science, Maynooth University (funded by John and Pat Hume and Irish Research Council Scholarships)
• Sound Engineering, Ballyfermot College of Further Education

Research: Her PhD work, “Two Roads Diverge: Mapping the Path of Learning for Novice Programmers…”, utilized large-scale data and neural networks to study student learning in coding environments like MULE (Maynooth University Learning Environment). Current interests include Virtual Reality, Digital Visual Technology, and Media Convergences.

Awards:

• John and Pat Hume Postgraduate Award
• Irish Research Council Postgraduate Scholarship

Teaching & Grants: Taught modules in Introduction to Programming, Photoshop, Philosophies of the Digital Age, and VR technologies. Holds a Professional Certificate in Teaching and Learning from Maynooth University. Research funded through postgraduate scholarships.

Labs/Teams: Developed the MULE coding environment as part of her PhD research, integrating pedagogy and data science.