Professor Mary O'Shaughnessy

Biography

Professor  Mary O’Shaughnessy is at Cork University Business School, College of Business and Law, University College Cork & Visiting Professor, Roskilde University, Denmark. She is a subject matter expert in sustainable rural development and social enterprise.

Professor O’Shaughnessy publishes in high impact journals and her research informs national, EU and OECD policy. Her research approach is rooted in community, respect and sustainability. She is academic advisor to Ireland's first National Social Enterprise Policy (2019) and her research is cited in the 2024 National Social Enterprise Policy. She regularly advises national and international governments and agencies. Mary was appointed to the board of Micro Finance Ireland and is a founding director of the EMES International research network (social enterprise). She is a member of the National Social Enterprise Task Force (Ireland) and UCC President's nominee to the HEI Research Network Our Rural Futures and HEI Social Enterprise Network. She is on the editorial board of the Journal of Rural Studies and has guest edited the Journal of Co-operative Studies and Non Profit Policy Forum. She chaired the Supervisory Management Committee of H2020 Marie Sklodowska Curie ITN Doctoral Network and was appointed Short Term Scientific Mission Manager of EU COST Action -SE Empower. She is regularly invited to give a key note speech and expert address including European Commission DG Empl, OECD Rural Development Conference, Social Enterprise World Forum Academic Symposium and 19th Edition of the Trento Festival of Economics.  Mary was awarded UCC Research Supervisor of the Year Award 2019, UCC President's Teaching Award in 2021, the UCC Staff Award for Cross Campus Engagement (Urban Agriculture Initiative) in 2023 and the UCC College of Business & Law Researcher of the Year in 2024.