Maynooth University lecturer, Dr John O’Brennan, has been awarded the Jean Monnet Professorship by the European Commission, one of the most prestigious prizes in European Studies. The professorship is designed to support research, teaching, and public engagement on European integration. Dr O’Brennan is the second academic from the university to be awarded the Jean Monnet Professorship in recent years, with Professor Maurice Devlin awarded a Chair in 2012.
The Jean Monnet Professorship will be hosted by the Maynooth University Centre for European and Eurasian Studies, of which Dr O’Brennan is a Fellow. His award also includes support from the European Commission to expand the range of EU-centred courses taught at Maynooth, allowing him to introduce innovative teaching elements to the curriculum, such as an intensive field trip to the European institutions in Brussels and a new module on the EU policy process. The awards are collectively valued at €80,000.
The project emanates from a perceived need to produce critical, informed and constructive research on Ireland’s engagement with the European Union and the broader politics of European integration. The funding will support research into the enlargement process and European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP,) including EU relations with Russia. A series of research seminars and conferences will be held at Maynooth University over the lifetime of the project to disseminate the results of the research and bring world-class academics to campus. It also will support events to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Dayton Agreement, which ended the bloody conflict in Bosnia in 1995, and a conference examining the current deep crisis in EU migration policy.
Maynooth University is a thought leader on Ireland’s engagement with the European Union and the wider European and Eurasian region. Maynooth’s Centre for European and Eurasian Studies has evolved to attract a unique pool of talent, which has helped revive interest in European Studies in Ireland.
Dr O’Brennan emphasises the importance of this revival given our current situation: “Knowledge and information deficits have characterised Irish public engagement with the EU for many years. There is an inherent danger in this, and we at the Centre for European and Eurasian Studies have acknowledged our duty to reach out beyond the boundaries of academia, to inform the public about important developments in the EU and advances in the knowledge base. All of our events are open to the public and our academics are deeply engaged in public outreach activities.”
The award will further the Centre’s outreach programme by building on already established links with a range of stakeholders, including senior civil servants interested in EU affairs, members of the Oireachtas, civil society organizations and the EU diplomatic community in Dublin. As well as producing researchers who will have a significant impact on the field of European integration, the Centre for European and Eurasian Studies shares Maynooth University’s commitment to developing graduates fully-equipped for the demands of the job market.
“There is a pressing need to upskill Irish graduates and prepare them for careers not just in public administration, national politics and the institutions of the EU, but also in the private sector. Our expanded curriculum will introduce innovative and exciting elements that will give our students the practical experience and the adaptability, which is sought after by employers in every field,” Dr O’Brennan said.