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.
2024 Award Winners
- Doireann O’Brien from the Department of Economics. Doireann was nominated for the Economy of Ireland A&B module by Professors Ronan Lyons and Francis O’Toole. She is a first-year PhD student under the supervision of Professors Nicola Fontana and Selim Gulesci. Her PhD project investigates whether restricting access to sex-selective abortion increases the incidence of child marriage within the context of a ban in India. Looking forward, she hopes to pursue a career in empirical research, focusing on the areas of gender and development. Doireann could not join us today but Professor Fontana will accept her prize on her behalf.
- Henry Potter from the Department of Philosophy. Henry was nominated for the History, Philosophy, and Ethics of Science 2 module by Professor Alison Fernandes. He is a third-year PhD student under the supervision of Professor Kevin Mitchell. Henry’s research focuses on the philosophical problems of action and free will from a biological perspective. The aim of his work is to develop an empirically-grounded framework for understanding the agency of living systems, and to explore the implications of this for traditional debates in the philosophy of free will.
- Marina Schenkel from the Department of Political Science. Marina was nominated for the Democracy and Development A & B module by Professor Eman Abboud. She is a second-year PhD student under the supervision of Professor Constantine Boussalis. She is currently investigating the political determinants behind adopting contrarian views in policy responses to public health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Her future aspirations lie in academia, where she aims to continue researching and teaching public policy, health policy, and computational methods, with a particular focus on the Global South.
- Imogen Eve from the Department of Sociology. Imogen was nominated for the Introduction to Sociology 1 & 2 and the Gender, Work and Family 1 modules by Professor Pablo Gracia. She is a second-year PhD student under the supervision of Professors Daniel Faas and Phil Mullen . Her research focuses on epistemic decolonisation, including how it intersects with discourses around nationalism and postcolonialism. Her doctorate specifically addresses higher education decolonisation in the Republic of Ireland and emphasises qualitative methods. This work seeks to inform both decolonial theory and curriculum initiatives in (Irish) higher education.
