People

Professor Raj Chari

Raj is a Professor in Political Science at Trinity College Dublin whose research centres on comparative public policy, particularly lobbying regulation and the relationship between business and politics. His work draws from an international background—originally from Canada, he completed his BA (hons.) and MA at the University of Saskatchewan before pursuing his PhD at Queen's University, where he conducted doctoral research at Madrid's Juan March Institute.

His academic output includes 10 books, edited collections, and special issues published through prestigious presses such as Oxford University Press and Manchester University Press. Notable recent publications include a 2-part Special Issue examining Lobbying Regulation in Interest Groups and Advocacy, alongside the upcoming Oxford Handbook on Lobbying and its Regulation (2026). His broader scholarly work encompasses 40 published papers and book chapters. Trinity College Dublin recognized his teaching excellence with the Inspiring Educator Award in 2025.

Beyond academia, Raj has advised governments and institutions worldwide on developing lobbying legislation across Ireland, the UK, Scotland, the Czech Republic, Serbia, New South Wales (Australia), and Finland. He has served as an expert advisor to international organizations including the Council of Europe and the European Parliament, while also authoring reports for bodies such as the United Nations. His policy engagement included working as an independent researcher for the Open Government Partnership from 2014-2018, where he assessed Ireland's transparency initiatives. Since 2022, he has been a member of Ireland's Advisory Council Against Economic Crime and Corruption, contributing to anti-corruption and financial crime policy development.

Mariagiovanna Carpinteri

Mariagiovanna Carpinteri is a Research Programme Officer with Trinity Research in Social Sciences (TRiSS), where she supports social sciences researchers in identifying funding opportunities, developing competitive grant proposals, and navigating research funding processes.

Prior to joining Trinity College Dublin, Mariagiovanna worked across academia, non-profit organisations, industry associations, and community foundations. Her professional experience includes EU-funded project and programme management, stakeholder engagement, policy development, and the coordination of national and European-funded research and innovation projects focused on societal and environmental challenges.

Mariagiovanna holds a master’s degree in Political Science and International Relations from LUISS Guido Carli University in Rome, a Master of Arts in Human Rights and Conflict Management from the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, and a bachelor’s degree in Economic Development and International Cooperation from the University of Palermo.
Her professional interests include research funding strategy, European research and innovation policy, interdisciplinary collaboration, research impact, and international partnerships.

Chris Lysaght

Chris supports the Director with the overall day-to-day running of TRiSS. She manages bookings of the TRiSS Seminar Room and Boardroom, oversees the TRiSS software packages and co-ordinates the TRiSS Research Fellowships and Travel Bursaries programmes. Chris completed her degrees in Economics, Public Relations and Marketing at the University of Queensland, and Bond University, in Australia.