DrNat O'Connor

Nat O'Connor is Assistant Professor of Social Policy at the School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice, University College Dublin (UCD). Nat has a PhD from Trinity College Dublin and an MA from the University of Dundee, and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in the UK.

Prior to joining UCD, Nat was Senior Public Affairs and Policy Specialist at Age Action (2021-2025), Political Director of the Labour Party (2018-2020), Lecturer in Public Policy and Public Management at Ulster University (2015-2018) and Director of TASC (Think-tank for Action on Social Change; 2011-2015). Previously Nat worked as a policy analyst at TASC and as the information analysis in the Homeless Agency, as well as a freelance consultant. Nat was an occasional lecturer of social policy analysis at Maynooth University's Department of Applied Social Studies (2005-2023).

Nat is currently the chairperson of the Irish Social Policy Association (www.ispa.ie), co-chairperson of the HSE Population Based Planning Expert Advisory Group, a panel member (social policy) on the Government of Ireland COVID-19 Evaluation, a member of the UCD Geary Institute for Public Policy, a member of the Research Steering Group to the Vincentian Minimum Essential Standard of Living Research Centre and a member of the Living Wage Technical Group. 

TwitterX: @natpolicy