Member Spotlight #1 – Dr. Simon Dunne
Name: Dr. Simon Dunne
Profession: Academic (Psychology)
Current role: Assistant Professor of Psychology / Programme Co-ordinator of Masters in Psychology (Conversion) in the School of Psychology in Dublin City University
Tell us about your work
As an academic, I juggle teaching, research and service responsibilities. I am programme chairperson of an intensive one-year conversion masters programme and teach modules on research methods and “big questions in psychology”. My research interests focus on cancer survivorship and psycho-oncology, with an increased focus on the needs of family members and informal caregivers following cancer diagnosis and treatment. Current cancer survivorship funded projects on which I am principal investigator include projects on “Being towards death among individuals with terminal cancer”, “Social support, resilience and coping among survivors of childhood leukaemia and their families” and “Designing a health literacy intervention for cancer caregivers in Ireland.”
What is something you are proud of in your career?
I recently had my first PhD student complete under my supervision (and have two more soon to complete). It is a privilege to see these students grow in confidence and develop as researchers throughout the course of their studies.
What is something (a fun fact) that your work colleagues might not know about you?
I play keyboards in a couple of bands and am an avid collector of synthesizers!
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
Spending time with my wife and children. My kids are at cute but very busy ages (Luka is just about to turn 3 and Moya is 6 months) so they take up a lot of my spare time. I also like to compose and work on music recordings in my spare time when I can find the time between work and home life!
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