Niamh McCrea

Dr. Niamh McCrea is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Humanities socialCORE, South East Technological University (SETU), based on the Carlow campus. She teaches on the social care programme and specializes in Equality Studies. Her research focuses on equality, philanthropy, community development, youth work ethics, and financialization. McCrea co-leads an Erasmus+ funded project developing a digital tool for academic writing, collaborating with institutions in Estonia, Finland, and Ireland. She also investigates trade unions in Irish social care with Dr. Morgan O'Brien and co-hosts the Múscailt podcast to disseminate academic research.

Education includes a BA in French and History (Trinity College Dublin), MSocSc in Youth and Community Work (University College Cork), and a PhD in Equality Studies (University College Dublin). She previously served on the editorial board of the Community Development Journal for a decade and worked in development education/youth work before academia.

Research projects include a citizen science initiative on microplastics sampling (2019–2021) and collaborations on youth unemployment studies. She has published widely on topics like identity politics, equality ethics, and community finance, with outputs in journals like Community Development Journal and Studies - An Irish Quarterly Review.

McCrea has advised on commissioned reports (e.g., youth unemployment practices) and actively engages in public scholarship via podcasts and media. Her work aligns with UN SDGs related to education and social justice.