Majella Dempsey

Majella Dempsey is an **Associate Professor** at **Maynooth University**, School of Education. She specializes in Curriculum Studies, Educational Leadership, and Pedagogy, with a focus on teacher education, formative assessment, and STEM curriculum development. She has led significant projects like the Erasmus+ 'Learning to Disagree' and coordinated the European Educational Research Association (EERA) curriculum network. Her work includes research on school leadership roles, pandemic impacts on education, and curriculum reform in Ireland and Poland.

Educations:

• Professional Doctorate in Education (Trinity College Dublin)
• Master's Degree in Education (Maynooth University)
• Bachelor of Science in Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics (Maynooth University)

Research Interests: Curriculum development, deputy principal leadership, formative assessment in STEM, and the impact of global crises like the pandemic on educational systems. She emphasizes pedagogical approaches that integrate key competences such as civic and social skills.

Key Awards:

• 2022: Researcher In Residence (Teaching Council)
• 2021: Teaching Hero Award (National Forum & USI)
• 2015: Teaching and Learning Fellowship (Maynooth University)

Advising & Grants:** Supervised PhD students (e.g., Marianne Lyons, Feargal Flanagan) and led projects funded by EU initiatives (e.g., FaSMEd, Learning to Disagree). Collaborates with institutions like Stirling University and Euroclio on curriculum policy and civic education.

Labs/Teams:** Leads the ESAI Curriculum Studies Special Interest Group and contributes to UNESCO’s Global Curriculum Network, focusing on international curriculum policy alignment.