On 1 August 2021, Professor Mary Murphy commenced her appointment as Head of the Department of Sociology and the Centre for the Study of Politics at Maynooth University.
She said "It is a real privilege to take over from Professor Seán Ó Riain as the new Head of Department of Sociology and the Centre for the Study of Politics. The last 18 months have been challenging for staff and students alike and I hope that over the following year we will be able to resume our campus life and renew the full range of our departmental and university activity. I am looking forward to playing a role in developing the Department of Sociology in Maynooth University. As the oldest Department of Sociology on this island, we have already made significant contribution. I want to ensure our continued commitment to public sociology while also enhancing our growing international reputation."
A graduate of Trinity College Dublin and Dublin City University, Professor Murphy has been a member of the Sociology Department at Maynooth University since 2007. Her research and teaching interests lie in the areas of eco social policy, participation income, gender and social security, globalisation and welfare states, and power and civil society.