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
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
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
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
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.
