Ciaran MacDonncha

Ciaran MacDonncha is a Professor in the Department of Physical Education & Sport Sciences at the University of Limerick, affiliated with the Physical Activity for Health Research Centre and the Faculty of Education and Health Sciences. He has over 20 years of experience in physical activity measurement, health promotion, and public health research. His work focuses on determinants of physical activity and sedentary behavior across the lifespan, with contributions to national policy frameworks like Ireland's Physical Activity Guidelines.

Education: PhD (1998), MSc in Exercise and Health Sciences (University of Bristol, 1992), B.A. in Physical Education (University of Limerick, 1991).

Teaching and Leadership: Program Director, Head of Department, Assistant Dean of Research, and currently supervising 5 PhD students. His research spans 60+ publications, 8 completed PhDs, and €1.6M in grants. He co-leads the DE-PASS project on physical activity determinants and chairs the DEDIPAC Data Pooling Taskforce.

Research Interests: Determinants of physical activity/sedentary behavior, data harmonization, adolescent health, and school-based interventions. His work addresses SDGs related to education and health.

Professional Contributions: Member of Ireland’s National Physical Activity Steering Group (2008-2012), EU JPI Policy Evaluation Network, and EMPATIA Erasmus+ project (2018-2020).