Congratulations to Dr Hugh Donlon, a 2023 graduate of the Doctorate in Educational Psychology degree at the UCD School of Education, who won the Professor Desmond Swan Award for Contribution to Research In Educational Psychology at the Psychological Society of Ireland's annual conference, on 10th November 2023. 

Hugh's research, supervised by Dr Seaneen Sloan, focused on the relationally-focused practices of teachers in Nurture Groups in Ireland. Through interviews with teachers, Hugh proposed an attachment-informed model of Nurture Group practice, that extends the literature on the application of attachment theory within education.

Hugh is now working as a Child and Educational Psychologist in the Dublin/Louth region.

Professor Swan is Emeritus Professor at the UCD School of Education, and was Head of School from 1974 to 1998. He established the Master of Arts in Educational Psychology, the predecessor to the Doctorate.