Professor John Anderson
- Independent Chair, ENNI (Education Network Northern Ireland) Innovation Forum
- Non-Executive Director
Professor John Anderson
- Independent Chair , ENNI (Education Network Northern Ireland) Innovation Forum
- Non-Executive Director
About John Anderson
A qualified teacher, researcher, author and former lecturer at the New University of Ulster Education Centre, John was a national director in the UK Microelectronics Education Programme from 1980 to 1985 as well as a research officer for the UK National Development Programme in Computer Assisted Learning.
He has been honorary professor of education at Queen’s University, Belfast, an adjunct associate professor in Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, and for ten years was on the faculty of an international education summer school in Boston.
John spent seven years from 1999 - 2006 working with the five former education and library boards through the Classroom 2000 / C2k project as the strategy coordinator for education technology in schools, a further year in the Department of Education’s policy and strategy unit and as an associate for eight years with the Regional Training Unit in Northern Ireland.
He has worked variously in project management, consultancy, evaluation, research and lecturing with the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency, the British Council, the European Union’s Schoolnet (EUN), The Teaching Council in the Republic of Ireland and with eight ministries of education across Europe and Scandinavia as well as in the USA, Jordan, South Africa and Japan.
John retired recently from the post of managing inspector after 35 years in the Education and Training Inspectorate in Northern Ireland, with experience in all school sectors, wider educational settings and further and higher education and training organisations as well as in the corporate management and staff development of the inspectorate.
John is now the independent chair of the ENNI (Education Network Northern Ireland) Innovation Forum, a non-executive Director of the Controlled Schools’ Support Council, and a Professional Associate with the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools.
Professor Sherry Beaumont
- Department of Psychology, University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC)
Professor Sherry Beaumont
- Department of Psychology , University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC)
About Sherry Beaumont
Dr. Sherry Beaumont (PhD, DVATI) is a Visiting Professor from the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) in Canada where she is a Professor in the Department of Psychology. In addition to her Professor position, she is a mixed-media visual artist and a professional art therapist in private practice.
Dr. Beaumont’s teaching at UNBC is in the general areas of developmental and positive psychology, with an emphasis on lifespan (adult) development and well-being. She was one of the first Canadian university professors to develop an undergraduate course in positive psychology over 15 years ago, and she continues to be one of the few professors in Canada who regularly teaches both introductory and advanced courses in positive psychology.
Her teaching methods in psychology include guiding students in developing a personal contemplative practice (e.g., mindfulness meditation and reflective writing) that supports their learning. Similarly, her teaching in art therapy focuses on the transformative roles of contemplative and expressive arts in personal and spiritual development.
In addition to her commitment to teaching, Dr. Beaumont is also an accomplished researcher and writer. Her research and publications focus generally on the roles of mindfulness, art-making, and reflective writing in the development of self-identity, wisdom, spirituality, and transformational growth. Her most recent publications in the Canadian Art Therapy Association Journal are two of the journal’s most-read articles and highlight her ongoing research interests in the development of narrative identity and personal mythology through art-making.
Professor Paul Buggy
- Retired Judge Office of Industrial Tribunals, Fair Employment Tribunals
Professor Paul Buggy
- Retired Judge Office of Industrial Tribunals, Fair Employment Tribunals
About Paul Buggy
Paul Buggy qualified as solicitor in Northern Ireland in 1981.
Paul initially worked with Law Centre NI before moving to the NIHE to take up the position as Head of Legal Services, where he worked for more than 20 years. Paul was engaged as a part-time Employment Judge in the Office of Industrial Tribunals and Fair Employment Tribunals in 1998 and became a salaried in 2007. He retired in 2019.
Professor Riann Coulter
- Curator / Manager, FE McWilliam Gallery, Banbridge
Professor Riann Coulter
- Curator / Manager , FE McWilliam Gallery, Banbridge
About Riann Coulter
Riann Coulter is a curator and art historian whose research focuses on identity in Irish and Northern Irish art. A graduate of Trinity College Dublin (BA) and the Courtauld Institute of Art, London (MA, PhD), she has taught art history at TCD and been awarded post-doctoral fellowships by the Paul Mellon Centre for British Art and the Irish Research Council.
Dr Coulter has curated and co-curated over 40 exhibitions for institutions including the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Ulster Museum, National Gallery of Ireland and the F.E. McWilliam Gallery, Co. Down where she has been curator since 2009. Key projects include exhibitions and publications on Mainie Jellett, Gerard Dillion, Nano Reid, Colin Middleton, Deborah Brown, Gerda Frömel, David Crone, Susan MacWilliam, Sharon Kelly and Amanda Coogan.
She is co-editor with Roisin Kennedy of Censoring Art: Silencing the Art Work, (IB Taurus, 2018) and has contributed to numerous publications including The Art and Architecture of Ireland (Dublin, 2014), Familiar but Unknown: Irish Women Artists (Dublin 2010), Sources in Irish Art 2 (Cork, 2021) and Brightening Glances: Irish Art since 1900 (Dublin, 2022). Dr Coulter is the Vice Chair of the Irish Museums Association and a member of the International Council of Museums. She has served on the Boards of National Museums NI, the Northern Ireland Museums Council and the Strategic Committee of the Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris.
Professor Moira Doherty
- Deputy Secretary, Department for Communities, Northern Ireland Civil Service
Professor Moira Doherty
- Deputy Secretary, Department for Communities , Northern Ireland Civil Service
About Moira Doherty
Moira is the Deputy Secretary of the Engaged Communities Group within the Department for Communities. Moira and her team deliver a diverse portfolio of policies and programmes aimed at supporting and enriching communities. The group’s functions include: arts, culture and languages; sport; tackling deprivation through Neighbourhood Renewal; heritage, the Public Records Office for Northern Ireland; and strategic partner with the voluntary and community sector.
Moira joined the Civil Service in 1999, and has been in her current role since 2019. Prior to that she worked in a range of policy, project delivery and operational roles across a number of Executive departments. Moira is also the Trustee of a local charity, The Turnaround Project, which helps to turn around the futures of people serving sentences in prison or in the community.
Professor Chris Dolan
- Director, Refugee Law Project, Makerere University
Professor Chris Dolan
- Director, Refugee Law Project , Makerere University
Role at Ulster University
Chris Dolan is Director of the Refugee Law Project, School of Law, Makerere University in Uganda, and a Visiting Professor at Ulster University’s International Conflict Research Institute (INCORE) and Transitional Justice Institute and. He is best known for his work in drawing international attention to the phenomenon of conflict related sexual violence against men and boys in the Great Lakes region of sub-Saharan, and for challenging humanitarian systems to adopt more inclusive approaches to gender programming, as well as more holistic and comprehensive investigations into sexual violence against men as a war crime, crime against humanity and genocide. In addition to media coverage (e.g. BBC World Service, Al Jazeera, The Independent etc), this work is reflected in numerous films, documentaries, published articles and guest lectures.
Professor Sean Farren
- Former Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly
Professor Sean Farren
- Former Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly
Role at Ulster University
Dr Sean Farren, a graduate of the National University of Ireland (BA), of Essex University (MA), and of Ulster University (DPhil), was a faculty member at the School of Education from 1970 until 1998 when he was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly following the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement. He was nominated Minister responsible for Higher and Further Education and subsequently Minister for Finance and Personnel in the first power-sharing Executive following that agreement.
After his retirement from the Assembly he rejoined the School of Education as a Visiting Professor. In that capacity he chaired the UNESCO Centre’s International Development Committee, represented the Centre in the Irish Africa Research Capacity Building Partnership, and participated in the School-University Mentorship project linking UU’s School of Education with similar schools in universities in Malawi, Mozambique and Uganda.
More recently he co-authored with Professor Linda Clarke (UU) and Professor Teresa O’Doherty (Marino Institute) the recently published (2019)Teacher Preparation in Northern Ireland, a monograph in Emerald Publishing’s Studies in Teacher Preparation in National and Global Contexts.
Dr Farren has published widely in peer reviewed journals on English curriculum studies, education in a divided society, the history of education in Ireland and on politics in Northern Ireland.
In these disciplines, he has authored or co-authored six books and contributed chapters to several others.
Professor Conchúr Ó Giollagáin
Professor Conchúr Ó Giollagáin
About Conchúr Ó Giollagáin
Conchúr Ó Giollagáin is a Dubliner who lived for many years in various Irish-speaking Gaeltacht regions prior to coming to the University of the Highland and Islands in 2014. He now lives in Inverness. He is the UHI Gaelic Research Professor and the director of the UHI Language Sciences Institute. He is also the academic director of Soillse, a multidisciplinary and multi-institutional research project, based at Scotland’s national college for Gàidhlig, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, on the Isle of Skye. In 2015 he was appointed as an Adjunct Professor in the School of Political Science and Sociology, National University of Ireland, Galway.
Conchúr is a prominent scholar in language planning and minority language culture and sociology. He has written extensively on issues concerning the sustainability of minority cultures, especially the Gaeltacht communities in Ireland and Scotland.
Conchúr previously lectured in the School of Political Science and Sociology in the National University of Ireland Galway on the sociology of language. His teaching and research interests include language planning, sociolinguistics, linguistic anthropology and Gaeltacht biography. Previously, he was the Head of the Language Planning Unit in Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge (Ireland’s Irish-medium college in NUI Galway), where he devised and led Ireland’s first MA programme in Language Planning. He also contributed to the development of the Acadamh’s MA in Language Sciences.
He published in 2020 with colleagues the most comprehensive sociolinguistic survey of the societal extent of Gaelic speakers’ use of the language in the remaining vernacular communities in Scotland: The Gaelic Crisis in the Vernacular Community: A Comprehensive Sociolinguistic Survey of Scottish Gaelic (Aberdeen University Press; Research Digest). He co-authored the government-commissioned Gaeltacht survey Comprehensive Linguistic Study of the Use of Irish in the Gaeltacht (2007). The update of the study Nuashonrú ar an Staidéar Cuimsitheach Teangeolaíoch ar Úsáid na Gaeilge sa Ghaeltacht: 2006–2011 (An Update of the Comprehensive Linguistic Study of the Use of Irish in the Gaeltacht) was published in 2015).
Along with Tamás Péterváry, Brian Ó Curnáin and Jerome Sheahan he published the first major study of bilingual acquisition in Ireland, Iniúchadh ar an gCumas Dátheangach: An sealbhú teanga i measc ghlúin óg na Gaeltachta / Assessment of Bilingual Competence: Language acquisition among people in the Gaeltacht. He co-edited two ground-breaking books, Beartas Úr na nGael: Dálaí na Gaeilge san Iar-Nua-Aoiseachas [A New Deal for the Gaels: Irish in Postmodernity] (2016) and An Chonair Chaoch: an Mionteangachas sa Dátheangachas (2012) examining the minority language condition from the perspective of those whose primary identity is the minority culture.
With Micil Chonraí, he published Stairsheanchas Mhicil Chonraí: Ón Máimín go Ráth Chairn. (Cló Iar-Chonnachta 1999), which was subsequently translated by the late Jean Le Dû, and published as Une Vie Irlandaise. Du Connemara à Ráth Chairn: Histoire de la Vie de Micil Chonraí (Terre de Brume 2010).
Professor Katrina Godfrey
- Permanent Secretary, Department for Infrastructure, Northern Ireland Civil Service
Professor Katrina Godfrey
- Permanent Secretary, Department for Infrastructure , Northern Ireland Civil Service
About Katrina Godfrey
Katrina is the Permanent Secretary in the Department for Infrastructure, a department which carries both policy and operational responsibilities for most aspects of strategic infrastructure in Northern Ireland, including the road, rail, public transport, drainage, inland waterways and water and sewerage networks. She joined DfI in 2018 following 2 years leading work on a new Programme for Government at the centre of government here and 12 years at senior levels in the Department of Education.
The Department for Infrastructure leads work on transport policy, planning policy, active and sustainable travel and road safety policy; oversees the delivery of water and sewerage and public transport services by its arm’s length bodies; acts as planning authority for regionally significant planning decisions; delivers driver and vehicle testing and enforcement services; leads on river and sea defence maintenance, flood risk assessment and the construction of flood alleviation schemes; and fulfils the responsibilities of both a strategic and local roads authority. Along with its counterpart department in the south, it also oversees the work of one of the north-south bodies, Waterways Ireland.
Katrina has developed and led policy development courses in the NI Civil Service and has also participated in a wide range of national and international policy groups, mostly in the field of education. She has worked with both the British Council and the OECD to develop the sharing of learning and best practice in an international context and as part of an OECD expert team carrying out a review of aspects of the education system in Lithuania.
Professor Sir George Hamilton
- Former Chief Constable, Police Service of Northern Ireland
Professor Sir George Hamilton
- Former Chief Constable , Police Service of Northern Ireland
About Sir George Hamilton
Sir George joined the Royal Ulster Constabulary August in 1985 spending the early years of his police service in County Fermanagh and Belfast. In 1994, on promotion to Inspector, Sir George was selected for a three-year secondment to England where he worked on a number of training and organisational development programmes. On his return he worked in uniform patrol and neighbourhood duties in Lisburn before being seconded to assist with the transition in policing arising from the Patten Reforms, which included work on the creation of the PSNI Code of Ethics.
From 2002 to 2007 Sir George worked in CID as a Detective Chief Inspector and Detective Superintendent where he led on a number of high profile and complex investigations as well as being involved in the creation of Crime Operations Department as part of policing reforms.
In 2007 he was selected as the District Commander for South and East Belfast. During his time there he was responsible for the amalgamation of two command units facing some significant challenges which included a substantially high volume of crime, interface and community issues.
In 2009 Sir George was selected as Assistant Chief Constable for Crime and Public Protection with Strathclyde Police. In this role he led a major change programme and was the lead for Homicide and Serious Crime issues for all of Scotland through the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS).
In December 2011 he returned to Northern Ireland and was appointed as Assistant Chief Constable Criminal Justice where he instigated a change programme that resulted in the creation of Service Improvement Department. The new department took on responsibility for Professional Standards and Anti-Corruption as well as the portfolio of Equality and
Diversity as part of a new Policing with the Community Branch. In this role he was the Service’s Victims' Champion and, in partnership with the Public Prosecution Service, delivered the new Victim and Witness Care Unit and other significant criminal justice reforms.
In June 2013 Sir George was appointed as Assistant Chief Constable Rural Region and oversaw an operationally challenging yet successful year which included the G8 Summit in Fermanagh, the UK City of Culture events in the North West and the first ever All Ireland Fleadh to be hosted in Northern Ireland.
In May 2014 the Northern Ireland Policing Board appointed George Hamilton as Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland. He took up this post on Monday 30 June.
Sir George holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Politics and Economics and a Masters in Business Administration. He is a member of the Institute of Directors and the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Leadership Association.
In June 2015 Sir George was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal in the Queen’s Birthday honours. In January 2019 he announced his intention to retire from policing in June 2019.
In June 2019 he was awarded an Honorary Degree, Doctor of Laws (LLD), by Ulster University for his outstanding contribution to policing with the community and for his leadership of the PSNI. Sir George was knighted in the 2019 Birthday Honours for services to policing and the community in Northern Ireland.
In July 2019 Sir George Hamilton joined the board of Co-operation Ireland.
Professor Anthony Harbinson
- Director of Access to Justice and Director of the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunal Service, Department of Justice
Professor Anthony Harbinson
- Director of Access to Justice and Director of the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunal Service , Department of Justice
About Anthony Harbinson
Expertise
A professional Accountant and from Global President of ACCA and Chair of the CCAB he is a leading advocate for the development of ethics standards in the finance and accounting as well as the combatting of organised crime. He has also held a number of senior policy roles within Whitehall and the NI Civil Service.
Role at Ulster University
Prof. Harbinson contributes to the dissemination of various research and professional education related activities in the Business School. He has supported the dissemination of research in the area of gender equality issues and is a module coordinator on the university’s MPA course. Prof Harbinson has also organised and hosted several events for students and staff in Stormont.
Professor Liam Kennedy
- Royal Irish Academy's National Committee for Social Sciences
Professor Liam Kennedy
- Royal Irish Academy's National Committee for Social Sciences
Role at Ulster University
Professor Liam Kennedy read for an undergraduate degree in food science before becoming an historian.
His formative intellectual influences included Raymond Crotty (Irish agricultural production) and Sir John Hicks (A theory of economic history). In 2005 he held a visiting professorship at the University of Toronto. He is a member of the Royal Irish Academy's National Committee for Social Sciences. He has been a Visiting Professor of Irish History at Ulster University since 2007. Professor Kennedy’s interests in Irish migration and the economic history of the famine have involved joint research and grant applications with colleagues at Ulster. Professor Kennedy is a frequent guest speaker at History’s research seminars.
Professor Peter Lloyd Jones
- Professor of Design, Sheffield Hallam University
Professor Peter Lloyd Jones
- Professor of Design , Sheffield Hallam University
About Peter Lloyd Jones
Peter Lloyd Jones is a studio scientist who in 2020 became a Professor of Design within Lab4Living at Sheffield Hallam University (SHU), where he is also a member of the Art, Design & Media Research Centre.
Prior to joining SHU, he was the inaugural Associate Dean for Emergent Design and Creative Technologies in Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University and co-founder of the Sabin+Jones LabStudio at The University of Pennsylvania in his role as a tenured Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Lecturer in Architecture.
An overarching theme of Peter's research is to radically improve human health and wellness and especially for individuals, local communities and global populations whose needs are unmet by current care systems.
Peter has authoured more than 200 manuscripts, proceedings, commentaries and books/chapters in science, architecture and design, many of which have been published in notable journals including Science, Nature, The Lancet, 306090 and A+U.
In parallel, his collaborations have been supported and shown internationally, including at the American Society for Cell Biology, the American Physiological Society, MIT, SIGGRAPH galleries, ACADIA, DesignPhiladelphia, Ars Electronica, The MAK Center L.A. and V&A London - often appearing alongside design luminaries including Jenny E Sabin. Cecil Balmond, Zaha Hadid, Gregg Lynn, Philip Beasley and Olafur Eliasson.
Professor Deepa Mann-Kler
- Chief Executive, Neon
Professor Deepa Mann-Kler
- Chief Executive , Neon
About Deepa Mann-Kler
Deepa Mann-Kler is Chief Executive of Neon; Visiting Professor In Immersive Futures at Ulster University in Northern Ireland and is an award winning visual artist. Neon harnesses the power of immersive technologies to create authentic augmented and virtual reality narrative driven experiences. This year the company has launched AR Peace Wall and AR Street Art apps on iOS and android.
Deepa directed and produced her first virtual reality experience Retne which demoed at SxSW17. Deepa is an internationally acclaimed, multi-disciplinary artist with over fourteen years experience of major international exhibitions and public art programmes.
Deepa is also an exceptionally experienced public, private and charity sector Chair and Non-Executive Director, having served on 10 Boards across the UK over the past fourteen years.
As a TEDx speaker and thought leader she regularly keynotes on the intersection of digital transformation, technical innovation, inclusion, ethics, bias, data and AI. Deepa is author of the first report on race discrimination with policy recommendations for the public sector in Northern Ireland "Out Of The Shadows."
As an artist Deepa has a strong focus on public art light installations, notably Light Up Leicester 2020, Lumiere Durham 2019, London 2016 & 2013 in Derry/Londonderry UK City of Culture.
Awards include:
- Royal Television Society Finalist “Interactive Entertainment” 2017
- WinTech Series Finalist “Tech Start Up Of the Year” 2018
- Digital DNA Finalist “Tech For Good” Talking Sense AR App 2020
Links
Professor Fiona McCandless
- Deputy Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Northern Ireland Civil Service
Professor Fiona McCandless
- Deputy Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs , Northern Ireland Civil Service
About Fiona McCandless
Fiona has over thirty years’ experience working in the public sector with over 10 years contributing to the overall strategic direction of the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) as a member of the Senior Civil Service Group. She was appointed Deputy Secretary in 2013 and has since worked in three Departments.
In 2018 Fiona joined the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) and is currently responsible for the overall leadership, management and delivery of the Department’s Rural Affairs Division, Forest Service including plant health and the extensive DAERA Estate. Recently she has also taken on responsibility for Brexit Operational Readiness Division.
Prior to joining DAERA Fiona held the role of Chief Planner for Department of Infrastructure providing advice and guidance to the Minister on all professional planning related matters. She also led delivery of the programme to transfer planning powers to local government.
In October 2020 Fiona was appointed Gender Champion for the NICS. In this key leadership role Fiona works across all Departments influencing and ensuring a diverse and inclusive culture. She also has a keen interest in supporting staff in terms of mental health, wellbeing and resilience.
Fiona is a graduate of Queen’s University Belfast and worked in a number of local authorities in the South of Ireland before joining the NICS in 1998 including Dublin, Donegal and Roscommon.
She is a former Chair of the Royal Town Planning Institute (Northern Ireland).
Fiona is married and has two children.
Professor Rory McGloin
- Associate Professor, Department of Communication, University of Connecticut
Professor Rory McGloin
- Associate Professor, Department of Communication, University of Connecticut
Role at Ulster University
Rory McGloin, Ph.D. is an award-winning communication professor at the University of Connecticut. Rory's career in higher education spans 14 years, including engagements with over 10,000 learners to date and 28 peer-reviewed journal publications. During this time, Rory has curated a wealth of knowledge on how the process of communication impacts every element of our lives. Rory’s previous research focused on the effects of interactive media environments, with specific interests in online information processing as well as the effects of video games and their associated affordances. Rory’s current work is focused on the use of communication best practices in digital environments as well as organizational training and development centered around the improvement of employees’ communication skills. Rory is also an entrepreneur who runs his own consulting firm, in which he shares his expertise with organizations seeking to engage in meaningful transitions through the power and value of effective communication.
Professor Ian Menter
- Former President of the British Educational Research Association
Professor Ian Menter
- Former President of the British Educational Research Association
Role at Ulster University
Ian Menter is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in the UK and was President of the British Educational Research Association (BERA), 2013-15. He is Emeritus Professor of Teacher Education at the University of Oxford and was formerly the Director of Professional Programmes in the Department of Education at the University. He previously worked at the Universities of Glasgow, the West of Scotland, London Metropolitan, the West of England and Gloucestershire. Before that he was a primary school teacher in Bristol, England. He is now a Visiting or Honorary Professor at three UK universities and is a Senior Research Associate at Kazan Federal University, Russia.
He was President of the Scottish Educational Research Association (SERA) from 2005-2007 and was a member of the steering group for the BERA/RSA Inquiry into Research and Teacher Education. His main research interests are in research, policy and practice in teacher education, including comparative studies of this topic. Recent and forthcoming publications include: Learning to Teach in England and the United States (Tatto, Burn, Menter, Mutton and Thompson; Routledge, 2018); A Companion to Research in Teacher Education (Peters, Cowie and Menter, Eds.; Springer, 2017); Knowledge, Policy and Practice in Learning to Teach - a cross-national study (Tatto and Menter, Eds.; Bloomsbury, 2019)
Professor Aoife Nolan
- Professor of International Human Rights Law and Co-Director of the Human Rights Law Centre, University of Nottingham
Professor Aoife Nolan
- Professor of International Human Rights Law and Co-Director of the Human Rights Law Centre , University of Nottingham
About Aoife Nolan
Aoife Nolan is Professor of International Human Rights Law and Co-Director of the Human Rights Law Centre at the University of Nottingham. Professor Nolan’s professional experience in human rights and constitutional law straddles the legal, policy, practitioner and academic fields. She is Vice-President of the Council of Europe's European Committee of Social Rights, which she joined in 2017. She has published extensively in the areas of human rights and constitutional law, particularly in relation to children's rights and economic and social rights. She currently leads a major three-year international research project on ‘Advancing Child Rights Strategic Litigation’.
Professor Nolan has acted as an expert advisor to a wide range of international and national organisations and bodies working on human rights issues, including numerous UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, the Council of Europe, multiple NHRIs and NGOs. She has held visiting positions at academic institutions in Europe, Africa, the US and Australia. She is an Academic Expert member at Doughty Street Chambers where she co-leads the Children’s Rights Group.
Her recent work has focused on climate justice and the rights of children and future generations. In January 2021, she was invited to join the advisory board to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on its forthcoming General Comment No.26 on children’s rights and the environment with a special focus on climate change.
Professor Jim Roddis
- Emeritus Professor of Sheffield Hallam University
Professor Jim Roddis
- Emeritus Professor of Sheffield Hallam University
Role at Ulster University
Jim Roddis was made an Emeritus Professor of Design at Sheffield Hallam University on his retirement from full time employment and now works on a part time basis in the Art & Design Research Centre. Prior to his retirement he was the Assistant Dean for Research in the Faculty of Arts, Computing, Engineering and Sciences and responsible for The Materials and Engineering Research Institute (MERI) and The Cultural, Communication and Computing Research Institute (C3RI) These two institutes spanned research, development and knowledge transfer programmes from nano technologies to fine art. He is a member of the Creative and Performing Arts panel for the New Zealand PBRF (REF) and was a panel member of Sub Panel 34 Art & Design: History, Practice and Theory for the UK Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014. Also in 2014 Jim served as a panel member for the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) in Hong Kong (Creative Arts, Performing Arts and Design). Jim has also been a member of the UK RAE sub Panels for Art and Design at the 2001 and 2008 assessments and was deputy chair of the 2008 panel. Over his career he has contributed to many panels and strategic boards including HEFCEs Special Institution Panel the Regional Development Agencies Design Strategy Board and the AHRC peer review college.
Professor James Stewart
- Partner, Penningtons Manches Cooper
Professor James Stewart
- Partner , Penningtons Manches Cooper
About James Stewart
James Stewart is a partner specialising in Family Law in the leading London firm of Penningtons Manches Cooper. James is also a leading scholar and commentator on Family Law, and editor of Family Law: A Global Guide (Sweet and Maxwell) the fifth edition of which published in 2020.
James was Chambers ‘Family Lawyer of the Year 2018’, admitted to the legal 500 “Hall of Fame” and described in Spear’s Magazine as ‘one of the most visible faces in UK family law’. Featured in HNW, Tatler’s trusted network of influential family law advisers.
James is Co-chair of the Annual Legal Dinner which has become one of the leading social events in London’s legal calendar which raises funds for Co-operation Ireland’s Youth Leadership Programme.
James received his early education at Coleraine Academical Institution, has a deep and abiding connection to the Northwest, and a passionate interest in legal education and student development.
Professor Michael Tierney
- Barrister
Professor Michael Tierney
- Barrister
About Michael Tierney
Michael is a graduate of the University of Ulster and is member of the Bar of Northern Ireland who specialises in criminal defence advocacy but has a broad practice including civil litigation, employment and public law (through Judicial Review). He has appeared as Counsel for the Coroner in several inquests including high profile ‘legacy’ cases.
Before joining the Bar Michael worked in what is now the Department of Justice as a member of the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunal Service and consequently has a unique perspective of how the legal system in Northern Ireland operates. He remains passionate about his role which he sees as advocating for those that cannot speak for themselves.
Professor Yong Xie
- Dean of Fine Arts College, Shenyang University
Professor Yong Xie
- Dean of Fine Arts College, Shenyang University
Role at Ulster University
Professor Yong Xie became Dean of Fine Arts College, Shenyang University in 2015 following a period of 9 years as Associate Dean. He is a Member of the Chinese Artists Association, Vice Chairman of China Arts and Crafts Association and Vice President of Young Artists Association Liaoning.
His practice based research has achieved extensive impact as an Art Social Activist. A notable example is his work in relation to child internet safety in collaboration with UNISEF.
He attained a PhD by Published works in Ulster University (2020) which documents his research process for several such case studies.
He has helped develop PhD links with Ulster University, Shenyang University and LuXun Fine Art Academy, from which he is an alumni.
He has received recognition through Chinese regional teaching awards in Shenyang and Liaoning Provence, National and International Art awards in Cannes, London, Beijing, Singapore and nationally across China. He has exhibited extensively across Asia, Europe and America.
His work is held in private and museum collections in China and Japan and has been commissioned for use by commercial giants such as CocaCola.
Professor Hakeem Yusuf
- Visiting Research Fellow, School of Advanced Studies, University of London
Professor Hakeem Yusuf
- Visiting Research Fellow, School of Advanced Studies , University of London
About Hakeem Yusuf
Hakeem Yusuf is a Visiting Professor at the School of Law, and the Transitional Justice Institute and he is best known for his work on judicial accountability in post-authoritarian societies. His work in this regard has moved the theme of judicial accountability into the theory and praxis of transitional justice.
Hakeem is also known for his work on how colonial rule of law has impacted and continues to shape law and governance in post-colonial Commonwealth countries. He has won awards and international recognition for his work including the prestigious John T. Saywell Prize for Canadian Constitutional Legal History 2015.
Hakeem has consulted for governments including those of the United States and Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar. He has also consulted for non-governmental organisations including like the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, South Africa.