I am a final-year PhD candidate in Economics at Queen’s University Belfast, with a research focus on the role of public policy in shaping poverty and inequality. My work spans development economics and economic history, with my latest study examining the effect of unconditional cash transfers on primary school enrollment among impoverished households.This research exploits the 1908 Old Age Pension in Ireland and full-count census data from 1901 and 1911.
Before beginning my PhD, I served as a political advisor in the European Parliament, specialising in regional development, constitutional affairs, and civil liberties, and later as a constituency office manager in Derry City.
I hold an MSc with Distinction in Economics as well as a First-Class Class BA (Hons) in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics (PPE).