How We Work

Áine O’Brien is Co-director of the Centre for Transcultural Research and Media Practice and Director of the Forum on Migration and Communications (FOMACS). Graduating from Crawford Art and Design College in film and installation practice (1985), O’Brien received her PhD from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee in Film and Cultural Studies, 1996, where she was an international Uhelein Fellow in the Modern Studies Programme. Appointed as Assistant Professor in Film, Media and Cultural Studies at George Mason University, Virginia from 1993-1998, where she was involved in the establishment of a Doctoral Programme in Cultural Studies, O’Brien then moved to the Photography, Film and Television Department at Napier University, Edinburgh (1998–2001). She joined DIT in 2001 and was Head of the Department of Media Technologies (2002-2004) before taking up her position as Co-director of the Centre for Transcultural Research and Media Practice. Throughout her academic career she has taught and researched the intersections between ethnography, cultural studies methodologies and media production. Her work has been published in journals such as South Atlantic Quarterly, New Formations, Film Quarterly and the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. She serves on the international editorial board of the Journal of Media Practice. She has co-directed a documentary film (Silent Song, 2000) on Kurdish lyrical protest in Europe and is co-director/researcher of a longitudinal documentary film on the subject of economic migration into Ireland (Here to Stay, 72 mins, 2006), funded by the Irish Film Board. She is co-editor with Alan Grossman of a combined book/DVD-ROM Projecting Migration: Transcultural Documentary Practice (2007, Wallflower Press). At present she is completing a documentary feature-length filmBetween Promise and Unrest (2008) on the subject of globalization, gendered migration and civil society activism. She is Co-director (with Associate Professor Allen Feldman, NYU) of 'The Global City and Media Ethnography' Dublin Summer School in Practice-led Transcultural Research and Media Practice.

Before joining FOMACS in 2007, Maeve worked as Assistant Financial Administrator with the ISPCC from 2003. Prior to this, she worked with Dublin Simon Community as Receptionist/Administrator. Maeve has a BA in Anthropology from DBS (2002) and an MSc in Equality Studies from UCD (2008).

Sarah Moylan received a Bachelor of Fine Art from the Corcoran School of Art in Washington DC (1996) where she concentrated on photography, printmaking and installation work. She then went on to complete a Master’s in Architecture from the University of California – Los Angeles (2001). Sarah has shown her artwork in Washington DC, New York and Dublin and has worked in the field of architecture in Los Angeles and New York.

Ann has a B.A. in Philosophy and Greek and Roman Civilisation from University College Dublin (1994) and an M.A. in Film Studies from University College Dublin (1996).  She has worked in the Market Research Industry for the last 11 years and is currently acting Senior administrator for FOMACS.

Aodán Ó Coileáin is a graduate of Dublin City University with an M.A. in Film and Television studies (1999). Prior to that he completed a B.A. in Electronic media, at the University of Wolverhampton, and studied Communications and Media Production at Coláiste Dhúlaigh. Since 1999, Aodán has been working in the audio-visual industry, particularly in the area of film editing and graphic design.

Siobhan has a B.A. in English and Philosophy from University College Galway (1994), and an M.A. in film studies from the University College Dublin (1996). She is an animator, designer and layout artist and has worked in film production and animation in Dublin, New York and Vancouver.