Irena Loveikaite

Dr. Irena Loveikaite is a Lecturer in the Department of Social Care and Early Childhood at South East Technological University (SETU). She holds a PhD in Philosophy from SETU (2018) and has extensive academic qualifications in social care, early childhood studies, and psychology. Her interdisciplinary research focuses on gender, identity, and youth experiences in digital contexts, particularly examining how teenage girls navigate 'appropriate femininity' in Ireland through social media. She has led projects like 'Out in the Club' (2022–2026) exploring young women's nightlife experiences and a co-created social media literacy program (2021–2025).

Dr. Loveikaite teaches Sociology of Contemporary Ireland, Gender Studies, and Social Research Methods at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. She emphasizes integrating her research findings into pedagogy, notably through workshops at the University of Leuven (Belgium) on youth engagement and social media practice. Her qualitative research strengths include feminist methodologies and discourse analysis.

She has supervised three postgraduate students (2 PhD, 1 MA by research) and collaborated on projects involving the Night Time Economy, media literacy, and youth advocacy. She is affiliated with the Analysing Social Change Research Group at SETU.