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You are here News & Events > Events > Dermot McAleese TA Awards

The School of Social Sciences and Philosophy held its annual Dermot McAleese Teaching Assistant Awards on Thursday, 22 May 2025, recognising outstanding contributions to undergraduate teaching across the School’s four disciplines: Economics, Philosophy, Political Science, and Sociology.

Named in honour of Professor Dermot McAleese, former Whately Professor of Political Economy and a much-loved teacher, the awards were established in 2012 with the support of graduates of the School. Professor McAleese and his family have since provided generous ongoing support to ensure the awards continue for many years to come.

Each year, four Teaching Assistants are selected for their exceptional work in the classroom, with awards of €500 and a commemorative medal presented to one recipient from each discipline.

2025 Award Winners

Aishwarya Deshpande

Department of Economics

Aishwarya is a second-year PhD student whose research focuses on how low-income individuals make economic decisions.

Module | Intermediate Economics A & B

Proposers | Professors Francis O`Toole and Davide Romelli


Enda Russell

Department of Philosophy

Enda`s PhD research explores how modal concepts like possibility and necessity are used in interpretations of the natural sciences.

Module | Topics in Philosophy II A

Proposer | Dr Farbod Akhlaghi


Sofia Jesus

Department of Political Science

Sofia is a second-year PhD candidate researching how social identity affects welfare attitudes and perceptions of inequality.

Module | Introduction to Political Science A

Proposer | Dr Ross Gildea


Rodolfo Pezzi

Department of Sociology

Rodolfo`s research looks at how family background shapes educational outcomes and wellbeing across different countries.

Module | Inequality in the 21st Century

Proposer | Professor Yekaterina Chzhen

Nominees

In addition to the winners, a number of outstanding Teaching Assistants were nominated across the four disciplines. Each received a certificate in recognition of their contributions to teaching.

Economics

  • Nominated: Aishwarya Deshpande
    (Winner - see above)

Philosophy

  • Mackenzie Batista
    Modules: Topics in Philosophy II B & Central Problems in Philosophy B
    Nominated by Professor Adina Preda and Dr Samantha Fazekas

Political Science

  • Lucas Paolo da Silva
    Modules: Research Methods for Political Science A; Introduction to Quantitative Research Methods
    Nominated by Professor Constantine Boussalis and Dr Tom Paskhalis
  • Jack O’Neill
    Module: EU Politics B
    Nominated by Professor Raj Chari
  • Lily Rice and Louisa Barry
    Modules: Political Violence A & B
    Nominated by Dr Liam Kneafsey

Sociology

  • Míde Power
    Module: Gender, Work and Family 2
    Nominated by Dr Annatina Aerne

The School extends its sincere thanks to Professor McAleese and his family, Camilla, Susannah, and Emma, for their continued support, which ensures the awards will continue to celebrate excellence in teaching for years to come.