President
president@irishfulbrightalumni.com
Dr Liam Carr
Vice President & Treasurer
treasurer@irishfulbrightalumni.com
Dr Liam Carr is a critical environmental geographer examining the use and management of Ireland’s coastal and marine resources, with a focus on marine spatial planning. He investigates how policy decisions impact communities and economies dependent upon the health of those natural resources.
He began at the University of Galway in 2015 as a visiting US Fulbright Scholar, and has since joined the faculty in the Discipline of Geography as Lecturer, Director for the MSc in Coastal and Marine Environments, and most recently has taken on the role as Head of Geography. When he’s not busy balancing budgets or handing out seasickness tablets, he can be found around Galway playing jazz piano or practicing his Irish.
Ms Áine Ní Shúilleabháin
Honorary Secretary
secretary@irishfulbrightalumni.com
Áine holds a BA International in English & French, a Diploma in Irish, and an MA in Advanced Language Skills from the National University of Ireland, Galway. She has worked as a translator, project manager, and business services manager in the translation industry. She was a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) at Idaho State University in 2016-17. She is currently the Irish Language Officer at Trinity College Dublin.
Tá BA Idirnáisiúnta sa Bhéarla & Fraincis, Dioplóma sa Ghaeilge, and MA in Ardscileanna Teanga ag Áine ó Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh. D’oibrigh sí cheana mar aistritheoir, bainisteoir tionscadail, and bainisteoir seirbhísí gnó i dtionscail an aistriúcháin. Mhúin sí Gaeilge mar Chúntóir Múinteoireachta i dTeanga Iasachta (FLTA) in Ollscoil Stáit Idaho in 2016-17. Is Oifigeach Gaeilge í anois i gColáiste na Tríonóide, Baile Átha Cliath.
Dr Rita Melia
Membership Secretary
membership@irishfulbrightalumni.com
Dr Rita Melia is an Early Years Specialist working with Tusla Early Years Inspectorate Quality Assurance Directorate. Rita has a background in nursing, early childhood education and care, child and youth research and adult education. A lifelong learner Rita`s passion is to support learning which supports high levels of wellbeing and involvement or engagement in the learning processes across the lifespan starting in the early years.
Rita was a Fulbright Scholar at Harvard Graduate School of Education Boston MA 2016-2017, where she undertook ethnographic research in Reggio inspired and Play based preschool settings for her PhD research; ‘My Self- Image and Your Interactions’: The influence of the preschool educator’s image of the child as a learner on children’s wellbeing and involvement. Rita has developed a framework, learning for Wellbeing (Melia & Forkan, 2020) which identifies the importance of autonomy supportive learning environments in supporting learners high levels of wellbeing and involvement.
Dr John Sheppard
Newsletter Editor
John Sheppard holds a PhD in Cybersecurity from UCD and is a lecturer in cybersecurity and digital forensics at Waterford Institute of Technology.
As a Fulbright TechImpact Cybersecurity Scholar, John will visit Georgetown University in Washington D.C. to conduct research into wearable technologies and will investigate the ethical implications of data associated with such devices.