UCD College of Social Sciences and Law continues to excel as a university leader in education, research and engagement. This was demonstrated in the 2025 published rankings, where the College was ranked in the 125-150 category in the Times Higher Education Subject Rankings and had four top 100 subjects listed in the QS rankings.
We are immensely proud of the contributions of our alumni community, who are integral to changing and influencing our society for good. In December 2024, UCD School of Law alumna, Ms Justice Síofra O’Leary, the first female President of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), was awarded the UCD Ulysses Medal. Awarding the medal, the highest honour that UCD can bestow, UCD President, Professor Orla Feely said: “This award recognises Judge Síofra O’Leary’s remarkable contribution to human rights law over the course of an illustrious career as a legal scholar, judge, and judicial statesperson,” and commented on what a powerful role model she is for UCD students.
In January, we celebrated 90 years of Social Policy, Social Work and Sociology at UCD with a panel event featuring alumni from the programme. This celebration highlighted a proud history of interdisciplinary collaboration, research excellence, and impactful education, rooted in the establishment of the Diploma in Social Science in 1934. Alumni panellists included Frances Fitzgerald, Gender Advisory Committee to G7, former MEP and Tánaiste; Richie Stafford, Assistant Principal, Drugs Policy, Refugee & Inclusion Health Unit, Department of Health; and Rory O’Carroll, Senior Social Worker, National Forensic Mental Health Service, HSE.
In early April, UCD Sutherland School of Law welcomed Michael McGrath, EU Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, to deliver a lecture. The Commissioner described the student audience as “the next generation of solicitors, barristers, prosecutors, government officials, and judges – both for Ireland and for Europe”.
The annual John M. Kelly lecture was held in April in a packed auditorium at UCD Sutherland School of Law. The audience was welcomed by Professor Laurent Pech, Dean of Law, followed by distinguished alumnus Mr Justice Donal O’Donnell, Chief Justice of Ireland, who introduced Professor Kim Lane Scheppele of Princeton University. Professor Scheppele captivated the audience with a far-reaching and insightful lecture on ‘Democracy in Danger: The Global Challenge of Autocratic Legalism’.
In April, the College’s Politics and International Relations student society celebrated its ten-year anniversary by presenting the Jean Kennedy Smith award to former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, in recognition of her work on human rights, global justice and diplomacy. At the event, Robinson gave insights into the importance of civil society in upholding and supporting human rights and encouraged the students to use their voices for good just as their predecessors have done.
The College’s exceptional research performance was demonstrated in the most recent European Research Council Consolidator (ERC) awards. Four of six awards made nationally were made to colleagues from three schools within the College: Associate Professor Ruth Boeker, UCD School of Philosophy; Associate Professor Lai Ma, UCD School of Information and Communication Studies, and Professor Cathryn Costello and Professor Maebh Harding, both from UCD Sutherland School of Law. In addition, a new €3 million Horizon Europe EU research project led by UCD Centre for Digital Policy, exploring the benefits and risks of Artificial Intelligence (AI) from a societal perspective in order to enhance AI capabilities and EU regulatory frameworks, commenced in February. The FORSEE (Forging Successful AI Applications for European Economy and Society) is led by Dr Elizabeth Farries, Director of UCD Centre for Digital Policy. The consortium includes eight partners from universities, research institutions and think tanks across six European countries.