I came to University College Dublin as Director of the UCD Geary Institute and Professor of Applied Social Science in 2013. Prior to that, I was Research Professor and Head of Social Research at the Economic and Social Research Institute, Dublin, and Adjunct Professor of Sociology at Trinity College Dublin. I received my doctorate from Indiana University, Bloomington and taught at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. In addition to pursuing an active research agenda, I have been centrally involved in leadership at the Geary Institute and the ESRI over the past decade. Most of my work focuses on the labour market. I have an enduring interest in the quality of work and in access to employment. I have published papers on wage inequality, working conditions and workplace practices, on the transition from unemployment to work, and on the experience of migrant workers in the Irish labour market. Education and training in the labour market has been a particular focus. I have written several books on the determinants and effects of work-related education and training, and published papers on this and other labour market issues in the leading peer-reviewed journals. I have served as a consultant on human resource development and labour market issues to the European Commission and the OECD, and have been appointed by government to the Irish national Labour Market Council. Current research interests: • Active labour market programmes and the transition from unemployment to work • Working conditions and work-place change • Equality in the labour market• Migration and integration• Continuing education and training of employed workers