Alun Jones

Professor Alun Jones serves as Professor of Geography and Head of School at University College Dublin's School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Policy. Previously, he held professorships at the University of Leicester and University College London, with visiting positions at Oxford, Cambridge, and Bonn. His institutional leadership includes roles as Head of Geography at UCD (2007-present), Head of Department at Leicester (2005-2007), and Chair of Research Assessment Exercises.

His research centers on EU governance, Europeanization processes, and Mediterranean studies, with significant contributions to understanding rural transformations in France and Germany. Current work examines EU-Mediterranean discourses within theoretical frameworks of Europeanization, supported by competitive grants from IRCHSS and EPA. His scholarship bridges political geography and institutional analysis of European integration.

• Elected Member of the Royal Irish Academy (2010)
• Academician of the Learned Societies for Social Sciences (2005)
• Edward Heath Award for EU Governance Research (2004)
• Leverhulme Trust Senior Research Fellowship (2002)
• Multiple international scholarships including DAAD and Robert Schuman

Professor Jones supervises doctoral research on EU governance, Irish rural representation in Brussels, migration impacts, and agricultural innovations. He has secured over €1.8 million in research funding, including €1.4 million as Coordinator for the EU Fourth Framework Programme on agricultural innovation. His advisory roles span the Dublin European Institute, Royal Irish Academy's Geographical Sciences Committee, and editorial boards including Environment and Planning C.