Selina McCoy

Economic and Social Research Institute

Selina leads Education Research at the Economic and Social Research Institute and is Adjunct Professor of Sociology at Trinity College Dublin. She has over 25 years of experience with responsibility for research and evaluation projects in the fields of European education, inequality, academic achievement and student development. For the last 10 years, Selina has been the Irish national expert at the European Commission Independent Experts in Education and Training. Selina was also a member of the 15-member European Commission Expert Group on Quality Investment in Education and Training. 

She has published extensively on inclusive education, assessing the prevalence of special educational needs, school experience and engagement, the role and operation of special classes, teaching and learning approaches and post-school transitions. She has also been focused on the implications of COVID-19 for student wellbeing and engagement. Among her current projects, Selina is examining the post school pathways of students with additional needs and has just commenced research exploring how voluntary secondary schools in Ireland are educating young adults for life.