Delma Byrne

Delma Byrne worked as a Post Doctoral Fellow in the Social Research Division from 2007 to 2010 when she took up a position of lecturer in Sociology at NUI Maynooth. Her primary area of interest is in social stratification in education and the labour market. This work spans primary, second-level and higher education sectors as well as post secondary education and training; transitions between education and the labour market and the evaluation of educational interventions. Dr Byrne was awarded a PhD for doctoral research conducted at the Centre for Educational Sociology at the University of Edinburgh, and has an M.Sc in Applied Social Research from Trinity College, Dublin. Her PhD research focused on the determinants and effects of work undertaken by young people before leaving school through part-time job holding and school organised work experience. Much of her research to date has examined education and labour market issues with particular reference to youth. Her research on second-level education has focused on school-to-work transitions, the dynamics of early school leaving, curriculum differentiation, the integration of newcomer (immigrant) students in Irish primary and second-level schools, and the evaluation of educational programmes at second level (Transition Year, Leaving Certificate Applied). Delma has also worked on Higher Education issues related to access, class inequalities and student experience. In relation to wider labour market issues, she has also worked on issues relating to over-education, job search strategies and the impact of employer-led training on wages. She is currently a reviewer for Irish Educational Studies and The Journal of Youth Studies.