Biography
My educational background is in Sociology and Development Studies. My direct fieldwork experiences have spanned the entire lifecourse, from children in early years settings, to those in primary and secondary schools, to young adults in alternative education settings, asylum seekers in direct provision centres, to families living in homeless accommodation services, and to older people in care homes
I joined the School of Education, Trinity College Dublin as a Senior Research Fellow in 2016. Prior to this I was a Senior Research Fellow and Acting Director at Trinity's Children's Research Centre.
Before joining Trinity in 2007, I was a Senior Research Officer in the Division of Population Health, HSE North West. In this role I designed and conducted large-scale programme evaluations in child and youth settings in relation to nutrition, smoking, mental health, and school health education.
My doctoral thesis, 'Risk, responsibility and choice: food and eating in Irish second level schools' examined food provision and education issues amongst students, teachers, parents and caterers in different school types in Northern Ireland / Republic of Ireland using a Foucauldian governmentality perspective.
Since completing my doctorate, my interest in the social and cultural aspects of food and eating has continued. I have led numerous policy and practice-focused research studies that have enhanced awareness of key food issues among marginalised groups and have informed service provision. Key studies include: Early school leavers and nutrition (SafeFood) and Homeless families in emergency accommodation (Focus Ireland); Food Sharing during the Covid-19 pandemic (FoodCloud).
I am a co-editor of the European Journal of Food, Drink and Society, External Examiner for the MSc in Food Product Development at Technological University Dublin, and a Trustee of Airfield Estate, Dundrum (Airfield has a remit to educate people about sustainable and healthy food choices).
My research interests include grandparenting and grandchildcare. These interests have expanded to a study of transnational grandparenting among Polish families in Ireland and a project on the lifecourse of Polish families in Ireland.
I also have expertise in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning and in the development of collaborative teaching and learning practices. I was appointed as a Trinity Education Project Teaching Fellow from 2016-2017. I also teach and supervise students enrolled on Trinity's Masters in Education (Teaching and Learning in Higher Education).
In collaboration with Academic Practice at Trinity Teaching and Learning, I deliver academic development programmes in supervision and examination practice and was part of a team that designed and delivered the New Directions Teaching and Learning Programme at Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology (2015-2018).
Research in teaching and learning has spanned the PhD viva; postdoctoral careers and in 2021, the analysis of the national PGR Student Survey.ie data.
Publications and Further Research Outputs
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Michelle Share, Managing multiple temporalities: Polish families' migration experiences in Ireland, XII Congress European Society on Family Relations, University of Madeira, Portugal, 27 June, 2025
Fitzsimons, P.; Mc Daid, R.; Share, M., Standardised Testing among Children learning English as an Additional Language (EAL) in Ireland: Normative and exclusionary practices., REACH: Journal of Inclusive Education in Ireland, 2025
Michelle Share, I was more emotional at the beginning " missing Poland a lot. But once you have kids it's different., European Society for Family Relations Conference, Roskilde, Denmark, 14 June, 2024
Michelle Share and Alicja Bobek, Polish families in Ireland: A life course perspective, Cham, Palgrave macmillan, 2024, XXI, 295pp
Introduction in, editor(s)Michelle Share Alicja Bobek , Polish families in Ireland: A life course perspective, Cham, Palgrave Macmillan, 2024, pp1 - 24, [Michelle Share Alicja Bobek]
European Journal of Food, Drink and Society, 4, 1, (2024), Michelle Share, Dorothy Cashman, Mairtin McConomaire, one year
Well-being across the life course: Polish families in rural Ireland in Polish families in Ireland in, editor(s)Michelle Share Alicja Bobek , Polish families in Ireland: A life course perspective, Palgrave Macmillan, 2024, pp223 - 247, [Maura Farrell; Marie Mahon; Michelle Share]
Michelle Share, Listening to the voice of PGR students in Ireland: Qualitative findings from PGR Student Survey.ie, Quality in Postgraduate Research, Adelaide, South Australia., 17-19 June, 2024
`I was more emotional at the beginning " missing Poland a lot. But once you have kids it"s different": Keeping families connected in, editor(s)Michelle Share Alicja Bobek , Polish families in Ireland: A life course perspective, Palgrave Macmillan Cham, 2024, pp195 - 219, [Michelle Share]
Conclusion: Converging paths and new directions of Polish migrant families in Ireland in Polish families in Ireland. in, editor(s)Michelle Share Alicja Bobek , Polish families in Ireland: A life course perspective, Palgrave Macmillan, 2024, pp275 - 290, [Alicja Bobek; Michelle Share]
European Journal of Food, Drink and Society, 3, 1, (2023), Michelle Share, Dorothy Cashman, Mairtin McConomaire, one year
Michelle Share; Andrew Loxley, Invisible and uncertain: postdoctoral researcher careers in Irish universities, Irish Educational Studies, 2023, p10.1080/03323315.2023.2222735
Michelle Share; Caitriona Delaney; Rory Mc Daid, How Do Doctoral Students Experience Writing and Thesis production?, All Ireland Journal of Higher Education, 15, (2), 2023
Share, P., Share, M., & Delaney, C., 'Thinking Outside the Box': Extending Our Analysis of Surplus Food Movement, Dublin Gastronomy Symposium, Dublin, 31 May, edited by M. Mac Con Iomaire , TU Dublin, 2022, pphttps://arrow.tudublin.ie/dgs/
European Journal of Food, Drink and Society, 2, 1, (2022), Michelle Share, Dorothy Cashman, Mairtin McConomaire, [Editor], one year
Michelle Share, Perry Share, Caitriona Delaney, More Than Food: Surplus Food Distribution during the Covid-19 pandemic: Abridged Report, Dublin, FoodCloud, June, 2022, p1 - 37
Michelle Share, Caitriona Delaney, Rory McDaid, PGR StudentSurvey.ie Qualitative Data Analysis Report, Dublin, THEA, July, 2021
European Journal of Food Drink and Society, 1, 2, (2021), Michelle Share, Dorothy Cashman, Mairtin McConomaire, [eds.], one year
European Journal of Food Drink and Society, 1, 1, (2021), Michelle Share, Dorothy Cashman, Máirtín McCon Iomaire, [Editor], one year
European Journal of Food Drink and Society, Dublin, ARROW, 2020
Michelle Share, Housing, food and dignity: the food worlds of homeless families in emergency accommodation in Ireland, Journal of Social Distress and Homelessness, 2019, pdoi.org/10.1080/1053078
Michelle Share, Whose community? Whose work? Whose family? Family homelessness in Dublin and the emergence of new forms of family institutions., Eighth International Community, Work and Family Conference, University of Malta, 25 May, 2019
Michelle Share; Marita Hennessy, Food, connection and care: Perspectives of Service Providers in Alternative Education and Training Settings, Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies, 19, (1), 2019, p33 - 50
'I just can't imagine that my kids will not speak, will not write and read in Polish': Heritage language transmission among Polish families in the Republic of Ireland in, editor(s)Magdalena Ślusarczyk; Paula Pustulka; Justinya Struzik; , Contemporary Migrant Families: Actors and Issues, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Cambridge Scholars, 2018, pp182-206 , [Michelle Share, Liz Kerrins, Cayla Williams]
Michelle Share, Dining without dignity: food and families in emergency homeless accommodation, Dublin Gastronomy Symposium, TU Dublin, 29 May, 2018
Doing the 'right thing'? Children, families and fatness in Ireland in, editor(s)Edwards, C & Fernandez, E. , Reframing health and health policy in Ireland, Manchester, Manchester University Press, 2017, pp46 - 71, [Michelle Share; Perry Share]
Michelle Share, Can you teach an old dog new tricks? Institution-wide pedagogical reform at an elite university in Ireland, Students Transitions Achievement Retention Success [STARS] Conference, Adelaide, South Australia, 3 July, 2017
Michelle Share; Ciara O'Farrell, Can you teach an old dog new tricks? Institution-wide pedagogical reform at an elite university in Ireland, Student Success, 8, (2), 2017, p87 - 93
Michelle Share; Cayla Williams; Liz Kerrins, Displaying and performing: Polish transnational families in Ireland Skyping grandparents in Poland, New Media & Society, 2017
International Student Exchange in, editor(s)J. Mirsky & L. Rubinstein , Transnational Teaching and Learning in Child & Youth Welfare, Padova, Italy, Centro Studi e Ricerca Sociale, 2016, pp7 - 184, [Zinn, D., Fargion, S., Share, M., Swords, L. & Nuttman-Shwartz, O]
Share, Michelle, The PhD viva: a space for academic development, International Journal for Academic Development, 21, (3), 2016, p178 - 193
Williams, C. Share, M. & Kerrins, L., Ethnic identity and heritage language maintenance among second generation Polish children growing up in Ireland., Troubling times for Europe? Families, migration and politics, TRANSFAM Conference., Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland., 4 June, 2016
Kerrins, L., Share, M. & Williams, C., Negotiating intergenerational solidarity norms and practices across EU borders: family support after childbirth within transnational Polish families in the Republic of Ireland., Troubling times for Europe? Families, migration and politics, TRANSFAM Conference., Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland, 4 June, 2016
Share, M, Williams, C. & Kerrins, L., Poles apart virtually connected, Troubling times for Europe? Families, migration and politics, TRANSFAM Conference, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland., 4 June, 2016
Davison, J., Share, M., Hennessy, M. & Stewart-Knox, B., Caught in a 'spiral': Barriers to healthy eating and dietary health promotion needs from the perspective of unemployed young people and their service providers, Appetite, 85, 2015, p146 - 154
Grandchildcare: Grandparents and childcare in Ireland in, editor(s)C. O'Doherty & A. Jackson , Learning on the Job: Parenting in Modern Ireland, Cork, Oak Tree Press, 2015, pp223 - 243, [Share, M.; Kerrins, L. ]
Davison, J. Share, M.,Hennessy, M. Bunting, B., Markovina, J. & Stewart-Knox, B. , Correlates of food choice in unemployed young people: The role of demographic factors, self-efficacy, food involvement, food poverty and physical activity , Food Quality and Preference, 46, 2015, p40 - 47
Michelle Share, Grandparents and grandchildcare in the Republic of Ireland: the silent partners in family, work and welfare, Sixth International Community Work and Family Conference., University of Malmö, Malmö, Sweden, 20 May, 2015
McNally, S. Share, M. Murray, A., Prevalence and predictors of grandparent childcare in Ireland: Findings from a nationally representative sample of infants and their families, Child Care In Practice, 20, (2), 2014, p182 - 193
Michelle Share, Lifting the stone on the PhD viva process in Irish Higher Education Institutions, 11th Biennial Quality in Postgraduate Research Conference, University of Adelaide, Australia, April 9-14, 2014, ppp.169
Michelle Share, Women's educational access and employment through a community-based home visiting programme, Fifth International Community, Work and Family Conference, Sydney, 17-19 July, 2013, pp154 - 155
Share, M. & Kerrins, L., Supporting parental involvement in children's early learning: lessons from community childcare centres in Dublin's Docklands', Child Care In Practice, 19, (4), 2013, p355 - 374
Michelle Share, Barbara Stewart-Knox, Determinants of Food Choice in Irish Adolescents, Food Quality and Preference, 25, (1), 2012, p57-62
Share, Michelle, Assessing adolescent food choice: time for a rethink, 8th International Conference on Social Science Methodology, Sydney, Australia, 9-13 July 2012, 2012
Share, M. Kerrins, L & Greene, S., Developing Early Years Professionalism, National College of Ireland, January, 2011
Share, M., McCarthy, S. & Greene, S., Baseline Evaluation of the Early Learning Initiative: Final Report, National College of Ireland, 2011
Michelle Share, Empowering local women through a reading home visiting programme, European Early Childhood Educational Research Association [EECERA] Conference, Geneva, Switzerland, 16 September, 2011
Capacity Building and Urban Regeneration in Dublin, Ireland in, editor(s)Kenny, S; Clarke, Matthew , Challenging Capacity Building: Comparative Perspectives, London, Palgrave Macmillan, 2010, pp185-210 , [Michelle Share]
Share, M.; Kerrins, L., The Role of Grandparents in Childcare in Ireland: Towards a Research Agenda, Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies, 9, (1), 2009, p33 - 47
Share, M. & Strain, M. , Making schools and young people responsible: a critical analysis of Ireland's obesity strategy, Health and Social Care in the Community, 16, (3), 2008, p234 - 243
Share, M., Choice and resistance: young people's perspectives on food and eating at school, Youth Studies Ireland, 3, (2), 2008, p18 - 36
Share M. in McGivern, Y.(ed.), Healthy Ageing Conference: Nutrition and older people in residential and community care settings. Dublin, 'Community meals provision in the North West of Ireland' Proceedings of the 2006 Healthy Ageing Conference , Tullamore, No 96, 25 October 2006, National Council on Ageing and Older People, 2007
Manandhar, M. M. Share, S. Friel, O. Walsh & F. Hardy, Food, nutrition and poverty among asylum seekers in North West Ireland , Dublin, Combat Poverty Agency, 2005
Share, M., Quinn, M., Ryan, C., Evaluation of a 5-year school based county-wide smoking education programme, Irish Medical Journal, 97, (9), 2004, p264 - 267
Non-Peer-Reviewed Publications
Share, Michelle, Bridging the cultural world of researcher and researched: photo-elicitation with homeless families, Methodologies for Inclusion, 22 January, 2025, Homeless Link UK
Mc Daid, R., Share, M. & Lolich, L., D1 & D7 School Completion Programme: Evaluation Report., Marino Institute of Education, 2023
Share, P., Share, M & Delaney C., SFD and the potential for sustainable food communities, British Sociological Association Annual Conference., Online, 20 April, 2022
Michelle Share, Perry Share, Caitriona Delaney, More Than Food: Surplus Food Distribution during the Covid-19 pandemic, FoodCloud, August, 2022, p1 - 122
Share, M., & Hennessy, M., Food Access and Nutritional Health among Families in Emergency Homeless Accommodation, Dublin, Focus Ireland, 2017
Michelle Share, TACHYwe development and delivery of VLE, Transnational Academic Careers in Child and Youth Welfare Conference, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, 29 April, 2015
Michelle Share, Early Intervention and parental involvement, Early Intervention in Ireland - Where do we go from here? National and International Perspectives, Trinity College Dublin, 21 November, 2014
Share, M., Twomey, M., Ruiz, G. & O"Leary, T, Evaluation of the Cope Foundation Early Intervention Service, Children's Research Centre, 2014
Share, M. & Carroll, C., Ripples of Hope: The Family and community impact of Trinity College Dublin access graduates, Children's Research Centre, April, 2013
Share, M., & Hennessy, M., Representations of food: young people in alternative education and training settings, International Youth Studies Conference, Maynooth, 28 June, 2012
Share, M., Hennessy, M. Stewart-Knox, B. & Robinson, J. ., Early School Leavers and Nutrition: A needs assessment from a nutrition perspective, Dublin, Safefood, 2012
Share, M,, Hennessy, M(ed.), Food, young people and alternative education and care, Dublin, 23 November 2011, Children's Research Centre, Trinity College Dublin, 2012
Share, M., & Stewart-Knox, B., Adolescent food choice: time for a rethink? , International Social Science Research Methods Conference , Sydney, 11 July , 2012
Share, M. & McCarthy, S., The Early Learning Initiative's Stretch to Learn Programme: Baseline Evaluation in primary schools in the Dublin Docklands, Dublin, National College of Ireland, 2011
Share, M., Doyle, E., Callahan, A., Greene, S., Wachtler, M & Boyd, E., Baseline Evaluation of the Dublin Docklands Parent Child Home Programme, National College of Ireland, 2011
Share, M., Daly, F., Shannon, S., & Greene, S., Baseline Research for the Development of the Rialto Learning Community, The Children's Research Centre, July, 2009
Share,M.,Quinn, M. & Ryan, C., Health Kicks Evaluation, Ballyshannon, NWHB, 2004
Share, M and Quinn, M. , Smoke Free Leitrim: evaluation of a school-based smoking education programme, Ballyshannon, NWHB, 2003, 1, 88
Research Expertise
Projects
- Title
- Food Sharing During the Covid-19 pandemic
- Summary
- This research aims to capture the impact of the pandemic on FoodCloud's operations, in particular the experiences of CVOs who benefit from the redistribution of food and those involved as consumers of such food.
- Funding Agency
- FoodCloud
- Date From
- September 2021
- Date To
- March 2022
- Title
- Postgraduate Student Survey Qualitative Data Analysis
- Summary
- Analysis of the qualitative data in 2019 postgraduate student survey.ie
- Funding Agency
- THEA
- Date From
- 31/1/2021
- Date To
- 01/06/2021
- Title
- Food access and nutritional health among families experiencing homelessness in the Dublin region
- Summary
- The aim of this project is to: examine food poverty among families residing in emergency homeless accommodation and the impact this has on the nutrition and health outcomes of parents and their children; understand families' access to food, storage and cooking facilities in the context of emergency homeless accommodation.
- Funding Agency
- Department of Children and Youth Affairs & Department of Health
- Date From
- 27/11/2016
- Date To
- 31/3/2017
- Title
- Evaluation of the COPE Foundation Early Intervention Service
- Summary
- The evaluation of the COPE Foundation Early Intervention Service (EIS) is a mixed methods research study that examines: 1) To what extent does COPE Foundation's EIS meet international and national best practice standards 2) How does COPE Foundation's EIS impact on children and families
- Funding Agency
- COPE Foundation
- Date From
- 9 September 2013
- Date To
- 31 May 2014
- Title
- Early School Leavers and Nutrition
- Summary
- This is a mixed methods interdisciplinary research study that will examine the nutrition education needs of young people in early school leaver (ESL) settings on the island of Ireland. The study objectives are to: 1) provide an overview of the key structures/networks for accessing early school leavers in NI and ROI 2) identify relevant key existing health promotion activities and gaps in health promoting activities that focus on healthy eating and active lifestyles that target early school-leavers 3) to identify potential healthy eating and physical activity related programmes that are appropriate and acceptable to early school leavers in NI and ROI that could be implemented by safefood in the out of school setting. These objectives will be addressed using secondary documentary sources, quantitative surveys, and qualitative interviews and focus groups. The study will involve participants from ROI and NI that represent early school leaver education providers and young people in a range of early school leaver settings. The project results will inform safefood's future work in Early School Leaver settings.
- Funding Agency
- Safefood the Food Safety Promotion Board
- Date From
- 01/03/2010
- Date To
- 14/03/2012
- Title
- Baseline Research for the Early Learning Initiative
- Funding Agency
- National College of Ireland
- Date From
- March 2009
- Date To
- June 2011
- Title
- Baseline Research for the Rialto Learning Community
- Funding Agency
- Fatima Regeneration Board
- Date From
- August 2008
- Date To
- July 2009
- Title
- Intergenerational Impact of the Trinity Access Programmes
- Funding Agency
- Nissan
- Date From
- June 2012
- Date To
- March 2013
- Title
- Clongowes Wood Strategy for Social Inclusion and Diversity
- Funding Agency
- Clongowes Wood College
- Date From
- Oct 2011
- Date To
- March 2015
- Title
- Social Supermarkets in Higher Education: A feasibility study
- Funding Agency
- TCD Research Boost Awards
Recognition
Representations
Thapar Insitute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala, India I was a core member of the CAPSL team that delivered the `New Directions Programme' at Thapar University. I was invited by the Academic Secretary to work with Dr Ciara O"Farrell (CAPSL) to develop a teaching and learning strategy proposal for Thapar University in May/June 2015. Following the development of the proposal, I was a member of the design, delivery and assessment team for this cross-cultural pedagogical programme. I taught modules on group work; learning outcomes; reflective practice; and student centred learning to academic staff at Thapar in 2016, 2017, and 2018. In all, I travelled to India on 10 occasions to undertake teaching and assessment and associated activities as part of this TCD programme.
External Examiner MSc in Food Product Development Technological University Dublin
Trustee, Airfield Estate Dundrum Co. Dublin
Editor, European Journal of Food Drink and Society
PhD Confirmation Examiner (TU Dublin)
Module Developer DCU Sociology of the Life Course
Internal Examiner I have been the Internal Examiner for four TCD PhD theses
Memberships
Association for the Study of Food and Society