Writing Instructors

Writing Instructors

Writing Centre Instructors are either PhD students or post-doctoral students from different disciplines. They are passionate about writing and have experience in tutoring and/or lecturing, writing academically, and assessing students' written work. 

Alessandra Accogli is a PhD Candidate at UCD Sutherland School of Law. Her research looks at the interactions between climate change, ecosystem protection, and human rights. She has experience as a Tutor in EU Law and Mooting and Advocacy at the School of Law. She also coached a team of three master's students for the Helga Pedersen Moot Court Competition, providing them with feedback on their written and oral submissions. She is particularly interested in helping students write in a structured way, but at the same time helping them to see writing as a creative act.

Fiona Baldwin is a final year PhD candidate in the UCD School of Music, where she also works as a tutor / teaching assistant. Her research focuses on Sarum chant and liturgy in the late medieval provinces of Dublin and Armagh. She co-edited issue 10 of The Musicology Review, a peer-reviewed journal produced by the School of Music, and previously worked for twelve years as a newspaper and magazine editor in the UK and Ireland. A recent recipient of a UCD Teaching & Learning Award, Fiona’s primary interest lies in helping students achieve clarity, coherence, and precision in their work. 

Richard Bunworthis a PhD Candidate at UCD Sutherland School of Law. His research focuses on EU competition law. He acts as a Tutor in EU Law, Contract Law, and Mooting and Advocacy at UCD. Richard is also a qualified solicitor and teaches on the Law Society’s Professional Practice Course. He has competed in the International Vis Moot Competition and has extensive experience in various forms of academic, legal, and persuasive writing. He is particularly interested in helping students write in a clear, structured, and coherent manner, while also assisting them in thinking about how to use language in a convincing way.

Dr Anne Cormican completed her PhD in the School of Art History and Cultural Policy in 2019. She completed her MA in Anglo-Irish Literature and Drama at the School of English, Drama and Film, UCD. Her interests are interdisciplinary. Working as a tutor at the School of Art History and Cultural Policy and correcting essays and examination scripts has greatly fuelled her interest in the process of academic writing. Anne is keen to encourage students to address areas of particular difficulty and to further develop their academic writing skills, thereby alleviating anxieties associated with the writing process. 

Dr Zeljka Doljanin is the Managing Director of the Writing Centre. She completed her PhD in 2012. She has tutored and lectured on a variety of courses in the School of English, UCD. Her interests lie in the areas of contemporary Irish literature, academic writing, language acquisition, and translation. Zeljka enjoys working with students across different disciplines and from different backgrounds. She is interested in helping students learn how to develop, process, and clarify ideas through writing, how to hone their critical writing skills, and how to articulate their meaning to others with clarity, precision, and focus.

Dr David McKinney was awarded his PhD from University College Dublin in 2017. His research interests include the work of Samuel Beckett and the contemporary Irish novel. He teaches undergraduates across numerous courses in the School of English, Drama and Film. He is especially interested in helping students establish the differences between descriptive and academic writing, and is focused on helping students create strong thesis statements.

Dr Audrey McNamara completed her PhD in 2013. Her research focused on George Bernard Shaw and her interests include Irish Studies and Drama studies. She is a lecturer in Academic Writing in Practice for the Humanities and is coordinator for College Writing for the Science study abroad programme. She is currently co-coordinating and delivering a writing module for Science postgraduate students. Audrey is the external examiner for Sligo IT's Research and Writing module.

Dr Matthew O’Brien completed his PhD with UCD’s School of History and Clinton Institute of American Studies in 2023. His research focuses on Black Power grassroots activism in Chicago between 1968 and 1983, and he has previously tutored on the School of History’s Modern America module, with guest lecture spots on Ireland’s first Black Studies module, launched in January 2019. Matthew has been published in peer-review journals and also has a keen interest in oral histories, sitting on the steering committee for the Oral History Network of Ireland. He enjoys working with a broad range of interdisciplinary research and is committed to encourage students who feel uneasy with all forms of writing.

Demian Iglesias Seifert is a PhD candidate at the UCD Sutherland School of Law. His research explores the links between corruption and trust in public institutions from a socio-legal perspective. He has experience as a Lecturer and Teaching Assistant in EU Law, International Human Rights, and Comparative Constitutional Law. Demian has published in journals, edited collections, and academic blogs. He is particularly interested in helping students become more confident and effective in their writing process.

Tegan Sutherland is a third year PhD candidate in the UCD School of Music. Her research explores eighteenth-century cultural changes in anglophone music composition and performance practice, specifically in the development of virtuosity. Beyond her doctoral work, Tegan's research interests include twentieth-century popular music, nineteenth-century American cooking schools, and instrumental music pedagogy. Within the School of Music, she works as a tutor for both music history and theory modules. As a writing tutor, she is particularly interested in working with students to discover their individual writing roadblocks.

Dr Leanne Waters completed her PhD in 2019 in the School of English, Drama and Film, UCD. Her research interests include the nineteenth-century novel, religious studies, Victorian melodrama, and illegitimate theatre more generally. She has four years' experience in the publishing industry, working in both fiction and non-fiction, and she published her own memoir in 2011. She has also worked extensively in Irish media, including print, radio and television. She is particularly interested in helping students improve their writing at the sentence level, and achieve greater clarity by understanding the importance of proper grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure.

Justine Zapin is a PhD candidate in the school of English, Drama and Film. Her research focuses on Bernard Shaw's Irish plays and interests include Space and Performance Studies. Prior to UCD, she worked as an Adjunct Professor in the Writing and Literature programs at American University. Justine also spent three years as tutor and two training fellow tutors in the Writing Center at American University.