Biography
Niamh O'Brien is a Lecturer in Education at South East Technological University, Waterford, with a strong research focus on wellbeing, mental health, and physical activity within educational settings. Her experience spans Primary to Higher Education, with a consistent emphasis on designing student-centred, inclusive learning environments.
With a PhD from University College Cork, focusing on mental health and physical activity intervention design, and a Master's in Education from Waterford Institute of Technology, Niamh combines academic research with practical application. Her work has earned recognition, including the Éadbhard O’Callaghan Award for Excellence in Youth Mental Health Research.
Niamh is committed to developing positive mental health interventions, promoting mental health literacy, and supporting social inclusion. She has a particular focus on working with Autism Spectrum Disorders, anti-bullying initiatives, and behaviour strategies that enhance educational experiences.
At SETU, I lead the Master of Arts in Education Management and lecture on the Masters of Education programme in the School of Education. I lecture on contemporary issues in education, theoretical foundations of education, sustainability in education, and wellbeing in education, while also supervising PhD and M.Ed. research students. I also teach across other programmes in the university, including Teaching for the Exercise Professional on the BSc (Hons) in Health & Exercise Science.
I contribute to the academic community through my roles on the Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Committee, Faculty of Education Research Committee, and Reseacrh Ethics committee as well as participating in working groups focused on micro-credentials and the Professional Doctorate in Education.
Previously, I held academic positions at Maynooth University, Hibernia College, and University College Cork, where I led programme design and delivery, supervised research, and contributed to strategic initiatives in student engagement, inclusion, and wellbeing in education.
My primary research interests are in the field of wellbeing and mental health in education (from higher level students to primary level). My main research is action-based mixed-methods intervention research that aims to enhance student teacher and teacher wellbeing and mental health knowledge to promote wellbeing in curriculum, teaching practices and policies that shape the educational socio-ecological system. This research leverages educational psychology and behaviour theory with pedagogical methods to promote behaviour change and skills that will increase resilience, wellbeing for a sustainable, flourishing career in education.
I actively engaged in research because I am an advocate for increasing wellbeing and health promotion in workplaces and education settings, where physical, social, and mental wellbeing is central to human, organizational and community development. I have a deep commitment to promoting health and equality in education, diversity of representation in teaching, and challenging social justice issues that affect the wellbeing of all members of society. I am actively submitting research to national and international conferences and high-impact journals.
PhD - Hayette Ballekehal Learners(SETU) Perspectives on Environmental Sustainability in Higher Education in Ireland
PhD - Eilish O'Shaughnessy (UCC) Building strong children: the wellbeing and resilience levels of primary school children in Ireland following the COVID-19 pandemic.
PhD - Jenny Sweeny (UCC) An Investigation of Teacher Wellbeing in Second-Level Schools.
O’Brien, N. (2024, December 12). Wellbeing is Everybody’s Business in Higher Education: Lessons Learnt from Irish Post-Primary Teachers. Presented at the Digital Education Conference 2024, South East Technological University (SETU).
O’Brien, N., O’Brien, W., & Goodwin, J. (2024, November). Wellbeing in Education Unveiled: Teachers' Insights Mapped onto Bronfenbrenner's Social-Ecological Model in Post-Primary Education. Conference paper presented at ICERI 2024. https://doi.org/10.21125/iceri.2024.0343
O’ Brien. N & Murphy, H. (2023, November) Development of a Quality Assurance and Conceptual Framework for Micro-credentials in Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability. EU-CONEXUS Conference Rostock November 2023.
O’ Brien, N. (2022, May) Balancing wellbeing: A Positive Mental Health Intervention for Student Teachers. Festival of Education in Learning and Teaching Excellence 2022 (FÉILTE). 1 October.
O’ Brien, N. & Goodwin, J. (2022) ‘ Enhancing Wellbeing and Promoting Positive Mental Health Across School Systems’. Association FOR Teacher Education in Europe 2022 (ATEE), 25-27 May.
O’ Brien, N. & O’ Brien, W. (2020) ‘State of Mind Ireland: A Positive Mental Health Intervention for UCC College Students’. National Suicide Research Foundation 2020 (NSRF), 9 October.
O’ Brien, N. & O’ Brien, W. (2019) ‘Intervention mapping: A co-production approach to increase mental fitness among a vulnerable population’. Challenging Mental Health Systems:
Critical Perspectives From ‘Inside Out and Outside In’. 13 November.
O’ Brien, N., O’ Brien, W. & Lawlor M. (2019) ‘Teaching Higher Level Students that Wellbeing is Not a Destination - It’s a journey’. Centre for Recovery and Social Inclusion (CRSI). 7 June.
O’ Brien, N. & O’ Brien, W. (2018) ‘Levels of wellbeing, resilience, and physical activity amongst Irish preservice student teachers: A baseline study’. The 7TH International Society for Physical Activity and Health Congress (ISPAH). 15-17 October.
O’Brien, N., O’Brien, W. & Goodwin, J. Wellbeing in education unveiled: teachers’ insights in Irish post-primary education. Discov Educ 3, 243 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-024-00307-3
Goodwin, J., Behan, L., & O’Brien, N. (2023). Teachers’ views and experiences of student mental health and well-being programmes: A systematic review. Journal of Child & Adolescent Mental Health. https://doi.org/10.2989/17280583.2023.2229876
O’Brien, N., O’Brien, W., Costa, J., & Adamakis, M. (2022). Physical Education Student Teachers’ Wellbeing during Covid-19: Resilience Resources and Challenges from School Placement. European Physical Education Review, 1356336X2210883. https://doi.org/10.1177/1356336x221088399
O’Brien, N., Lawlor, M., Chambers, F., O’Brien, W. (2020) State of Mind Ireland-Higher Education: A Mixed-Methods Longitudinal Evaluation of a Positive Mental Health. Intervention. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 17, 5530. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17155530
O’Brien, W., Adamakis, M., O’Brien, N., Onofre, M., Martins, J., Dania, A., Makopoulou, K., Herold, F., Ng, K., & Costa, J. (2020). Implications for European Physical Education Teacher Education during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-institutional SWOT analysis. European Journal of Teacher Education, 43(4), 503–522. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2020.1823963
O’Brien, N., Lawlor, M. Chambers, F. & O’Brien, W (2020). Mental Fitness in Higher Education: Intervention Mapping Programme Design. Health Education, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17155530
O’Brien, N., Lawlor, M., Chambers, F., Breslin, G. & O’Brien, W. (2019). Levels of Wellbeing, Resilience, and Physical Activity amongst Irish Pre-Service Teachers: A Baseline Study. Irish Educational Studies, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/03323315.2019.1697948