Congratulations to Dr. Iarfhlaith Watson for promotion to Associate Professor!

We happily congratulate Dr. Iarfhlaith Watson (Head of School) for his promotion to Associate Professor. Congrats!

Here is a link to Iarfhlaith's research profile.

New publication: Residential Segregation and Ethnic Flight vs Ethnic Avoidance in Sweden

Mueller, T., Grund, T. and Koskinen, J. (2018) Residential Segregation and ‘Ethnic Flight’ vs. ‘Ethnic Avoidance’ in Sweden. European Sociological Review, online first


Residential segregation along ethnic categories has been associated with social disadvantages of minority group members. It is considered a driving factor in the reproduction of social inequalities and a pressing issue in many societies. While most research focuses on neighbourhood segregation in the United States, less is known about the origins of ethnic enclaves in European cities. We use complete data of residential moves within Stockholm municipality between 1990 and 2003 to test whether ‘ethnic flight’ or ‘ethnic avoidance’ drives segregation dynamics. On the macro level, we analyse the binary infrastructure of natives’ and immigrants’ movement flows between 128 neighbourhoods with exponential random graph models, which account for systemic dependencies in the structure of the housing market. On the micro level, we analyse individual-level panel data to account for differences between native and immigrant in- and out-movers. Our results show strong support for ‘ethnic avoidance’ on both levels—native Swedes avoid moving into neighbourhoods where ethnic minorities live. This is even more pronounced when controlling for socio-economic factors. At the same time, there is only little support for ‘ethnic flight’ on the micro level—native Swedes are only marginally more likely to move out of neighbourhoods where many immigrants live.

Check out this interview with Dr Thomas Grund featured in the UCD Connections Alumni Magazine

Meet the UCD lecturers from around the world 

Dr Thomas Grund is one of many lecturers that spends his days at UCD shaping the minds of the future, and is currently on a Visiting Professorship at the University of Zurich. "Seeing that spark in their eyes is extremely motivating. I challenge my students every day, but they challenge me too, keep me on my toes and make me a better version of myself". Read more 

The TRI Project

The research group Dynamics Lab-Centre for Computational Social Science at the UCD Geary Institute for Public Policy including Associate Professor Diane Payne from UCD School of Sociology are working in collaboration with the Transparent Referendum Initiative on The TRI Project.

Congratulations Ciara Murray - Sociology and Politics student selected to represent UCD at the Summer School of The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus

Congratulations to one of our second year undergraduate students Ciara Murray (2nd year Sociology and Politics)  Following a very competitive selection process, Ciara has been selected to represent UCD at the Summer School of The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus. Well done Ciara, we hope you have a great trip!

For more information regarding the summer school experience and participating students please follow this link 'UCD Students Awarded Travel Bursaries For Universitas 21 Summer Schools'

Gearing up for the FIFA world cup: Dr Grund talking about soccer networks

Dr Grund gives in this talk (held at the University of Cologne) insights about how the network structure in soccer teams comes about and how the structure of passes has an impact on the performance of teams. Dr Grund has already published several articles on this topic and is currently working on a new project which investigates the origins of interaction patterns in teams. #soccermatics

Grund, T. (2012) Network Structure and Team Performance: The Case of English Premier League Soccer Teams. Social Networks, 34(4), 682-690.

Grund, T. (2016) The Relational Value of Network Experience in Teams: Evidence from the English Premier League. American Behavioral Scientist, 60(10), 1260–1280.

Team from UCD Geary Institute including Dr Mathew Creighton from the School of Sociology appointed as National Coordinator of the European Social Survey in Ireland

Congratulations Dr Mathew Creighton

Congratulations to the School of Sociology's Dr Mathew Creighton along with Professor Philip O’Connell, Dr Micheál Collins and Susan Butler. The team from the Geary Institute have been appointed as National Coordinator of the European Social Survey in Ireland. The grant of €400,000 was awarded by the Irish Research Council.