Make an appointment with a Career & Skills Consultant
Find out how you can make an appointment with one of our Career & Skills Consultants to discuss anything career-related.
Dr David Foster
Director of Career Development & Skills
David is responsible for the strategic and operational development of UCD Careers Network (Belfield and Blackrock campuses). David regularly contributes to institutional working groups in areas such as the student and educational experience and represents UCD on the Universitas 21 Employability Group.
An elected Director of the Association of Higher Education Careers Services, David is active also in other groups such as the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services, an international organisation. Academically and professionally qualified, David holds a BSc (Hons) in Psychology & Linguistics, a Graduate Diploma in Career Guidance, a MSc in Guidance and Counselling and a PhD examining Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy and Vocationalism in Undergraduate Students. David also holds a level 9 Professional Recognition Award in Leadership and Management from the City & Guilds Institute of London.
Tel: +353 1 716 7678
Email: david.foster@ucd.ie
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Sophie Carey
Deputy Director
Sophie joined as Deputy Director, UCD Careers Network in June 2021. She deputises for the Director, manages a team of Career & Skills Consultants, and oversees projects across a range of areas relevant to careers. Prior to this, she spent two and a half years as MBA Director, running the MBA programme in the Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business. Additionally, she managed a team of careers professionals in the Smurfit Business School as Senior Manager responsible for building stakeholder relationships with employers and providing careers advice to postgraduate business students.
Her prior experience includes working as a Careers Consultant in UCD working with Arts, Humanities, Law and Social Sciences students, and she spent a large part of her career working in human resources in the banking sector across a variety of roles from recruitment, project management and internal communications.
She has a Master of Business Studies (HR) as well as a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Studies and a BA in English and History of Art from UCD. Sophie was appointed Executive Director of the Association of Higher Education Careers Services in 2016 – 2018. She is also a member of the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services.
Email: sophie.carey@ucd.ie
Marita Porter
Data & Operations Manager
Marita joined the Career Network team in 2019 as their Data & Operations Manager. A UCD graduate with experience in the pharmaceutical, food and regulatory sectors, her job has two parts - data management and overseeing the operational activities of the front office team.
Data management is about turning data into something usable to inform practise so Careers Network can continue to improve and innovate their services to remain aligned with the needs of students. Marita manages several data related projects including: the Graduate Outcome Survey, a survey that measures graduates' early career development and provides visibility to potential career paths for current students; Career Registration, a survey that measures students career readiness, work experience and sectors of interest to inform initiatives to meet the career development needs of the students while still on campus; and provision of data for QS World University Rankings.
Marita also oversees the work of the front office. This team is committed to ensuring that students have access to: the expertise of the Career & Skills consultant team; up to date and engaging online material to remain informed and recruitment ready; and to provide connections with potential employers through recruitment fairs, vacancy posting and employer events.
Marita has a BSc (Hons) in Industrial Microbiology from UCD and an MSc in Data Business from IMI/UCC. Marita is a member of the Association of Higher Education Careers Service and the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services.
Email: marita.porter@ucd.ie
Anna John
Administration Team Leader
As Admin Team Lead, Anna manages a team of four Executive Assistants and one Senior Executive Assistant. Her core role is to effectively coordinate all operations and responsibilities of the Careers Network's Front Office Team. Anna strives for excellent customer service for both students and Employers and ensures our services are widely promoted. Anna also manages numerous projects, oversees an extensive programme of On-Campus & Virtual Employer Events and manages the UCD Recruitment Fairs annually.
Anna holds a BA in Applied Foreign Languages from the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris, and an MA in European Studies from the University of Passau. Anna is a member of the Association of Higher Education Careers Service and the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services.
Email: anna.john@ucd.ie
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Kevin R De Groote
Surveys and Data Analyst
Kevin joined the Careers Network team in September 2021 as the Surveys and Data Analyst and works closely with Marita, the Data & Operations Manager. As Surveys and Data Analyst Kevin serves as the gatekeeper for the Careers Networks’ data so stakeholders (internal and external) can understand the data and use it to make strategic business decisions. Along with preparing, processing, and analysing the data, Kevin also builds dynamic and interactive dashboards (Tableau) to make the data accessible to colleagues (and stakeholders) in order to help the Careers Network continue to improve and innovate their services in line with the latest data and aligned with the needs of students.
The Career Registration Survey and the Graduate Outcomes Survey are among the data related projects Kevin works on. The former explores students’ career readiness, work experience and sectors of interest and helps to inform initiatives to meet student career development needs; the latter tracks graduates' early career development, providing visibility to potential career paths for current students.
Kevin holds a BA in Classics & Geography (UCD), an MA in Maritime Archaeology (University of Bristol) and a PhD in Archaeology (UCD).
Email: kevin.degroote1@ucd.ie
Leona Barry
Leona holds a Masters in Business Studies from Dublin City University and a BA in Marketing and also holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Career Education, Information and Guidance in Higher Education from Warwick University. Leona is a member of the Association of Higher Education Careers Services (AHECS) and the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS)
Tel: +353 1 716 7596
Edel Caraway
Career & Skills Consultant
Edel works with students of the UCD College of Science to enable and empower them to make the right career choices and to enhance their employability skills. Her work with students ranges from design and delivery of embedded career development within the College of Science curriculum, design delivery and assessment of credit-bearing modules, facilitation of workshops on all aspects of career management and skill development and one-to-one guidance and support. Edel is also the Team Lead for the STEM Team which includes the Colleges of Science, Engineering and Architecture, Health Sciences, Agriculture and Veterinary Science.
Edel holds a Master’s in Education (Guidance and Counselling) from Trinity College Dublin, and a Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning. She also holds a Graduate Diploma in Accountancy and Finance (ACCA), Graduate Diploma in Business Studies (Marketing) and a BA in Pure Economics. Edel is a certified MBTI practitioner and holds accreditation from the British Psychological Society to administer A and B psychometric inventories. .Edel is a qualified member of the Association of Higher Education Careers Services (AHECS)), the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS) and the Institute of Guidance Counsellors (IGC).
Tel: +353 1 716 7559
Email: edel.caraway@ucd.ie
Michelle Coen
Career & Skills Consultant
As the Career & Skills Consultant for the College of Arts & Humanities, Michelle teaches ‘Career Readiness for Arts & Humanities’ modules, facilitates workshops and coaches on a variety of career related topics.
Michelle holds a Bachelor of Social Science Degree from UCD as well as a Postgraduate Higher Diploma in Human Resource Management. She also holds a Diploma in Coaching, as well as a Diploma in Media & Communications and a Certificate in Training and Development. Michelle is a member of the Association of Higher Education Careers Services, the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services and MBA Career Services and Employer Alliance (MBA CSEA).
Tel: +353 1 716 7562
Email: michelle.coen@ucd.ie
Mark Cumisky
Career & Skills Consultant
As the Career & Skills Consultant for the College of Health and Agricultural Sciences, Mark works with students, academics, and employers to develop meaningful and fulfilling career pathways that add value to individuals and organisations.
Mark was manager of the Career Development Centre at the University of Otago in New Zealand (2005-2010). In 2017 he completed an MA in Career Education, Information, and Guidance in Higher Education at the University of Warwick. He has been Chair of The University Careers Advisers' Association of New Zealand and Secretary of the Association of Graduate Career Services in Ireland (now the Association of Higher Education Careers Services). He is also a member of the Association of Graduate Career Advisory Services and the National Association of Colleges and Employers (US).
Tel: +353 1 716 7679
Email: mark.cumisky@ucd.ie
Leonie Phipps
Career & Skills Consultant
As Career & Skills Consultant for the Undergraduate School of Business, Innovation Academy and Access & Lifelong Learning, Leonie provides one to one coaching and guidance as well as delivering careers and skills workshops for her caseload.
Leonie holds a Masters Degree in Human Resource Management from Dublin Business School and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in French and German from Maynooth University. Leonie is a member of the Higher Career Education Services, the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
Tel: +353 1 716 7514
Email: leonie.phipps@ucd.ie
Nicola Fortune
Career & Skills Consultant
As the Career & Skills Consultant for the College of Engineering & Architecture, Nicola works with employers, faculty and staff to develop opportunities for students, and to support them both individually and in groups on their career journey.
Nicola has an MSc in Cyberpsychology and a PgDip in Guidance and Counselling and is a member of the Association of Higher Education Careers Services and the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services.
Tel: +353 1 716 7579
Email: nicola.fortune@ucd.ie
Ann McCarry
Career Consultant
Ann is a member of the Association of Higher Education Careers Service and the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services
Tel: +353 1 716 7597
Email: ann.mccarry@ucd.ie
Rebecca Boyle
Career Consultant
Email: rebecca.boyle@ucd.ie
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Caitriona Farrell
Career Consultant
Caitríona graduated with a BEng. in Chemical & Bioprocess Engineering from UCD in 2013 and spent her ERASMUS at Ecole National Supérieure des Mines de Saint Etienne. She looks back fondly on her internships in academia and industry, and writing for the University Observer in UCD. She is delighted to be back assisting students with their careers.
After completing her studies in UCD, Caitríona worked with Veolia Water and then moved into Science & Engineering recruitment with the recruitment agency, Cpl where she hired in the biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical industry. She is also an entrepreneur providing her services as CoachLanguage.
She has worked with universities including the University of St Andrews and TU Delft. Her international professional experience extends to France, the Netherlands, Poland, Brazil, Portugal, the UK and Spain along with volunteering on global waters with the Japanese NGO, Peace Boat.
She also holds a CELTA English language teaching qualification awarded by the University of Cambridge and a Diploma in Coaching Skills from Coaching Development Ireland, a programme accredited by the International Coaching Federation.
Email: caitriona.farrell@ucd.ie
Georgina Dwyer
Senior Communications and Marketing Assistant
Georgina has recently joined the team from UCD Sport and has nearly 15 years expereince working with the students in UCD.
Georgina is a gradaute of UCD with a BSc in Sport and Exercise Management. She also has a Masters in Marketing, a Higher Diploma in Digital Marketing and Social Media and a Diploma in PR.
Georgina manages the marketing and communications for the unit as well as the busy soical media platforms for the careers network. Georgina also manages a team of Career Ambassadors, who assist in promoting our services across Campus.
Email: georgina.dwyer@ucd.ie
Sara Borkent
Careers Network Assistant
Sara is an Executive Assistant for the Front Office Team in Careers Network where she supports the service for students and assists with booking appointments for students and the approval of job vacancies posted by employers. Sara's core focus however is to assist employers in advertising their roles across to UCD Students via MyCareer and maintain strong relationships with Employers. Sara coordinates our on-campus and virtual Employer Events and works closely with the Team Lead in rolling out our Annual Recruitment Fairs. She also looks after other Employer Initiatives & Programmes such as the Skills For Working Life, The Set For Success Skills Programme for Law Students, and Social Impact Week.
She has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Global Project and Change Management from Windesheim Honours College in the Netherlands and a Master of Science in Agriculture from University College Dublin.
Sara is a member of the Association of Higher Education Careers Service and the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services.
Email: sara.borkent@ucd.ie
Radhika Vasudeva
Careers Network Assistant
Email: radhika.vasudeva@ucd.ie
Hannah Lamont
Career Network Assistant
As an Executive Assistant in the Careers Network, Hannah supports the Front Office Team in managing student and alumni appointments, job vacancy approvals from employers, and providing outstanding customer service to our internal and external stakeholders. Hannah also works directly with the Career and Skills Consultants, providing project management and administrative support on a number of projects.
Hannah holds a BA in Media Arts with French from TU Dublin, an MA in Cultural Policy & Arts Management from UCD, and a Professional Diploma in Project Management from the UCD Professional Academy.
Email: hannah.lamont@ucd.ie
David Owens
University Internships Manager
David is responsible for overseeing Academic Internships across the University and supporting the implementation of the Academic Internships Framework and related Work Placement Policy. Academic internships play an important role in the relationship between the University and employers of graduates, specifically around the talent pipeline and student progression.
He also provides specialist advice and consultancy around the internships experience to Internships Managers, faculty, and employers in line with international best practice.
David also manages and chairs the UCD Internship Managers Forum, ensuring sharing of best practice, continuous quality improvement and the professional development of internship managers.
David is a graduate of UCD with a B.Comm and an M.B.S. from Smurfit Graduate Business School. He holds a Diploma in PR from the Public Relations Institute of Ireland and has taught as a CELT qualified English language teacher. David is a member of the Association of Higher Education Careers Services and the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services.
Tel: +353 1 716 7572
Email: david.owens@ucd.ie
Alanna O'Sullivan
Research Careers Manager
Alanna O'Sullivan is currently the Research Careers Manager in UCD. She is responsible for developing services that support Postdoctoral researcher’s career development both inside and out of the Academy. This includes providing one-to-one career coaching, facilitating workshops on job seeking strategies and career-plans for funding applications as well as hosting academia-to-industry networking events with PhD employers and alumni Postdocs.
Prior to joining the Careers Network, Alanna was in UCD HR People and Organisational Development supporting Postdoctoral researchers’ training and development.
Alanna holds a Masters in Occupational Psychology from the University of Nottingham and a BA in Psychology from UCD. Alanna is a certified MBTI (Myers Briggs Type Indicator) practitioner and holds accreditation from the British Psychological Society to administer A and B psychometric inventories. She is currently undertaking a Diploma in Executive and Leadership Coaching, accredited by the Association for Coaching.
Email: alanna.osullivan@ucd.ie
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Tara Hughes
Careers and Skills Consultant for Graduate Researchers
Tara's background is in HR, Learning & Development & Organisation Development. Prior to joining UCD Careers Network, she was in UCD HR where her key programmes were in Faculty Development & Mentoring.
Prior to UCD, Tara worked in HR roles in global technology-driven organisations in Dublin & London.
Tara holds an MBS in HRM from UCD, a certificate in Teaching & Learning and was recently
Tel: +353 1 716 7507
Email: Tara.Hughes@ucd.ie
Mark Davies
Careers and Skills Consultant for Graduate Researchers
Mark’s background is in postgraduate employer engagement, career consulting and tech recruiting. Formerly Head of Employer Engagement for Imperial College Business School and then MBA Careers Manager at UCD Smurfit, he had 15 years of broad experience across career coaching, programme management, alumni and recruiter relations for students in London, Milan and Dublin. Most recently, as a Technical Sourcer, he helped Meta hire niche software engineers.
Mark recently completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Career Education, Information and Guidance in Higher Education.
Email: mark.davies@ucd.ie
Aradhna Mathur
Co-Curricular Project Officer
Email: aradhna.mathur@ucd.ie