Full Professor
UCD School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice
UCD Geary Institute for Public Policy
Michelle is Director of the Geary Institute and Full Professor of Social Policy. She is a leading researcher on housing policy and urban regeneration, and an adviser in these areas both domestically and internationally.
Her work focuses particularly on the management and financing of social housing, the regeneration of social housing estates and inner urban areas, comparative analysis of housing provision in Europe, and the history and socio-economic implications of Irish housing policy and its relationship with the welfare state.
She has led over 20 research projects on housing policy since 2000 and produced over 170 publications on the results. In 2011 and again in 2016 she was appointed by an Taoiseach as an independent member of the National Economic and Social Council (NESC) which advises the Irish government on economic, environmental and social policy. In 2012 and again in 2017 she was appointed by the Minister for Housing as chair of the Housing Finance Agency. In 2018 and 2022 she was appointed by the Minister for Housing to the board of the Land Development Agency.
In 2020, she was appointed as an expert advisor to the Housing 2030 project, which is funded by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, UN Habitat, Housing Europe and the governments of 56 countries. It aims to improve the capacity of national and local governments to formulate policies that improve housing affordability and sustainability.
In recognition of her distinguished career, Michelle received an Irish Research Council Impact Award. Presented to those who have made a highly significant impact outside of academia, she was awarded for her significant contributions to housing policy and urban regeneration.