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Dr. Mairéad Hurley

Assistant Professor (Education)
      
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Dr. Mairéad Hurley

Assistant Professor (Education)

 MAIREAD.HURLEY@tcd.ie

 


Dr Mairéad Hurley is a lecturer in the School of Education, and co-convenor of the Science & Society research group. Her research interests lie at the intersection of science communication, education, and public engagement, with a particular interest in research and practice in non-formal learning environments that connect the STEM disciplines with the arts. She is increasingly focusing her work on issues of climate justice, democracy and global citizenship education, through her role as Principal Investigator of the €2.4M Horizon Europe, UKRI & SERI project LEVERS, and as lead for Trinity College Dublin's participation in the Critical ChangeLab project, led by the University of Oulu. Prior to joining the School of Education, she was Head of Research & Learning in Science Gallery Dublin, where she led the €3M European Commission funded SySTEM 2020 project, which mapped informal science learning in 22 countries. She holds a PhD in astronomy (Dublin City University), a Professional Diploma in Education (University College Dublin) and a B.Sc in Physics & Astronomy (National University of Ireland, Galway)
  Non-formal Science Education   SCIENCE COMMUNICATION   Science Education   science teacher education   STEAM Education   STEM EDUCATION
Project Title
 LEVERS: Learning Ventures for Climate Justice
From
01/03/2023
To
28/02/2026
Summary
The LEVERS project has been awarded €2.4M from the European Commission, UKRI & SERI to investigate the potential of localised learning ecosystems to support community climate responses in nine countries: Ireland, the UK, Portugal, Belgium, Switzerland, Slovenia, Serbia, Greece, and Cyprus. The project researches the implementation of a transdisciplinary, lifelong-learning approach to science education in diverse settings across Europe, addressing the complex challenge of the climate and environmental crisis.
Funding Agency
European Commission [+UKRI + SERI]
Programme
Horizon Europe
Project Type
Coordination and Support Action
Person Months
247
Project Title
 Critical ChangeLab [DEMOCRACY MEETS ARTS: CRITICAL CHANGE LABS FOR BUILDING DEMOCRATIC CULTURES THROUGH CREATIVE AND NARRATIVE PRACTICES]
From
01/04/2023
To
31/03/2026
Summary
DEMOCRACY MEETS ARTS: CRITICAL CHANGE LABS FOR BUILDING DEMOCRATIC CULTURES THROUGH CREATIVE AND NARRATIVE PRACTICES The overall goal of the Critical ChangeLab project is to strengthen democracy in Europe by creating and implementing a flexible model of democratic pedagogy using a bottom-up approach that empowers young people to `own" everyday democracy and engage in direct action towards justice-oriented transformations. The Model is created following a participatory process with youth, educators, and other stakeholders, using Participatory Action Research (PAR) and participatory evaluation. The Critical ChangeLab project aims to build a resilient European democracy by reinvigorating the relationship between youth and democracy through civic interventions in which young people envision alternative futures for (shared) European democracy, and act on that. The project aims to create a flexible Critical ChangeLab Model for Democratic Pedagogy in and through learning environments. In the model, learning environments implement Critical ChangeLabs, which draw on creative and critical practices for supporting youth-led civic interventions. These interventions tackle societal challenges that are close and relevant for youth. To address these challenges, youth are invited to explore the past-present-future of a given situation, rethinking democratic systems, and making justice-oriented transformations. The target groups for the project and the Critical ChangeLabs are 11-18-year-old youth in formal and non-formal learning environments, but the Labs will also include civil society organisations and industry, and citizens in co-creation activities. The aim is to grow young people's transformative agency by supporting them to make a difference in their close environments and co-build democracy. The Critical ChangeLab Model will be created and implemented in collaboration with stakeholders " youth, educators, civil society organisations and industry and citizens in nine partner countries including Ireland " in three cycles of research, drawing on participatory design and action research traditions in its working as well as in creative and narrative practices. Critical ChangeLab will also contribute to European democracy education via teacher education and professional development actions. The Model and the research outputs will generate robust evidence for democratic curriculum development.
Funding Agency
European Commission
Programme
Horizon Europe
Project Type
Research and Innovation Action
Person Months
373

Details Date
Member: Expert Advisory Board for Education and Public Engagement at CÚRAM, SFI Research Centre for Medical Devices. 2021
Cologna, V., Mede, N.G., Berger, S. et al., Trust in scientists and their role in society across 68 countries, Nature Human Behaviour, 2025, p1 - 22, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI  URL
Mede, N.G., Cologna, V., Berger, S. et al., Perceptions of science, science communication, and climate change attitudes in 68 countries " the TISP dataset, Scientific Data, 2025, p1 - 27, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI  URL
Roche, J., Hurley, M., Fowler, K., McConville, A., Taylor, A., Mede, N. G. & Cologna, V., Science and Society in Ireland: Examining Public Trust in Scientists against a Global Background, Irish Educational Studies, 2025, p1 - 22, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI  URL
Roche, J., Hurley, M., Jensen, E. A., Massarani, L., Russo, P., & Taylor, A., GlobalSCAPE: successes and failures in connecting with science communicators around the world, Journal of Science Communication, 23, (4), 2024, p1 - 13, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI  URL
Mairéad Hurley, Book Review: Why We Teach Science (and Why We Should), Public Understanding of Science, 2024, Review Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Mairéad Hurley & Caitlin White, Exploring Critical Literacies for Global Citizenship Education, Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) 2023, Honolulu, HI, USA, 8-11th Nov, 2023, 2023, Conference Paper, PRESENTED
Marianne Achiam, Mairéad Hurley, Laura Conner, Sabrina Vitting- Seerup, Arts-based approaches to science communication and education, Public Communication of Science & Technology Conference 2023, Rotterdam, 11-14 Apr 2023, 2023, Conference Paper, PRESENTED
Roche, J., Barber, G. L., Bell, L., Brown, A., Crean, S., Darling, O., Fahy, A., Healy, S., Heffernan, T., Hurley, M., Kearns, A., Lima, A., McAteer, L., McConville, A., Mwakitalu, A., Neil, E. Q., Smyth, F., Taylor, A., Ussher, S., Wedderburn, A., White, C., & Zouboulakis, K., Interrogating illusions of progress: citizen science, science communication, and a call for inclusive reform, Frontiers in Environmental Science, 11, (1269816), 2023, p1 - 6, Notes: [https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2023.1269816], Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI  URL
Hurley, M, & Roche, J., RISING Strong: Sustainability through Art, Science, and Collective Community Action, Sustainability, 15, (20), 2023, p14800 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI  URL
Roche, J., Jensen, E. A., Jensen, A. M., Bell, L., Hurley, M., Taylor, A., Boissenin, C., Chase, J., Cherouvis, S., Dunne, K., Kashmina, J., Massarani, L., Planchard, J., Russo, P., & Smyth, F., Bridging citizen science and science communication: insights from a global study of science communicators, Frontiers in Environmental Science, 11, (1259422), 2023, p1 - 9, Notes: [https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2023.1259422], Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI  URL
  

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Mairéad Hurley, Debunked: Data Literacy For Adults Evaluation Report, ADAPT, the SFI Research Centre for AI-Driven Digital Content Technology , January 2023, 2023, Report, PUBLISHED
Darling, O., Hurley, M., Grehan, L., Kearns, A, A Data Literate Ireland: The Case for a Whole-of-Government Approach to Data Literacy Skills Development in Ireland, December, 2022, Report, PUBLISHED
Hurley, Mairéad & Colclough, Mary, RISING: Findings from a Creative Climate Action Programme, 2022, Trinity College Dublin, 2022, Report, PUBLISHED
Zolotonosa, M., and Hurley, M., Reshaping science learning: Findings and recommendations from SySTEM 2020, Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, 2021, Notes: [Relevant to Irish and European STEM education policy.], Report, PUBLISHED
Hurley, M., Butler., D., McLoughlin E., Immersive STEM Learning Experiences to Shape Shared Futures, Dublin, Dublin City University, November, 2021, Notes: [Relevant to national STEM Education Policy (2017-2026)], Report, PUBLISHED