People - Advisory Board

Dr Emma O'Brien

Lecturer

Dr Emma O’Brien is an entrepreneurial educator and researcher in the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management at TU Dublin. Emma’s focus has been on designing innovative and inclusive enterprise education initiatives that foster entrepreneurial skills and competencies through experiential learning. Emma’s current research and community collaboration interests include inclusive entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship and the pedagogy of entrepreneurial education. She has led several EU funded projects, and her research has been published in international journals and recognised with community engagement awards and entrepreneurship bursaries.

Prior to working in TU Dublin, Emma was the entrepreneurial and education director of a large-scale industry/academic research institute at Dublin City University (DCU). A lifestyle entrepreneur herself, Emma holds a PhD in Entrepreneurship, MBA, M.Sc. Science Communication, and a B.Sc. Analytical Science. This multifaceted background provides a transdisciplinary approach to her teaching and research. Emma’s widely published PhD involved a study of higher education’s role in the development of inclusive entrepreneurial education for disadvantaged communities which has led to policy and practice development.

Emma is an external examiner and reviewer for several international entrepreneurship journals. She is a founding member of the Centre for Entrepreneurial Behaviour, Inclusion and Innovation, TU Dublin and a member the European Council for Small Business.

Research interests and projects:

· Entrepreneurship

· Entrepreneurial Education

· Higher Education Community Engagement

· Inclusive entrepreneurship

· Digital Marketing

· Design Thinking

· Sustainability

· Gen AI in Higher Education

· Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Publications: View Dr Emma O'Brien's publications on Arrow, Google Scholar, Orchid and PURE.

Social Media: Connect with Emma on LinkedIn.