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Find a PhD Supervisor

Dr Ciarán O’Kelly

School of Law
Dr Ciaran O'Kelly

Dr Ciarán O’Kelly

School of Law

My work focuses on corporate responsibility, accountability, and business and human rights. I am particularly interested in how moral language is used within corporate governance. I am also interested more broadly in the use of computational methods in the study of company law and governance.

Contact info

  • c.okelly@qub.ac.uk
  • +44 (0)28 9097 1127

Research Interests

Open to PhD applications in the following areas: 

  • Corporate social responsibility
  • Business and human rights
  • Accountability within corporate governance
  • Computational approaches to the study of company law, corporate responsibility and corporate governance

Make a PhD enquiry


Public outreach & key achievements

  • Co-Chair, EGPA Permanent Study Group VII Quality and Integrity of Governance

Research students

PhD area "Please help me!" Should a duty to rescue be imposed on technology firms when conversational artificial intelligence systems process data suggesting that vulnerable individuals are being exposed to harm?
Name Anna Montgomery
   
PhD area     
The constitution, citizenship and equality
Name Lydia Griffith
   
PhD area Exploring legal and ethical dimensions in Belfast’s planned Digital Innovation Ecosystem
Name Rachael Goss
   
PhD area Beyond the boilerplate? An analysis of the impact of the 'Section 172(1) statement' requirement on the reporting of FTSE 100 companies
Name Jonathan Horner
   
PhD area Emerging algorithmic technologies in legal practice and the representation of legal knowledge
Name Adam Kirk-Smith

 


Alumni: Where are they now

PhD area Denial and acknowledgement in CSR reporting discourse: a BHR perspective on corporate harm-related rhetoric
Name Dr Samantha Hopkins
Years of study PhD awarded 2022
   
PhD area Corporate governance of state-owned enterprises: A theoretical perspective
Name Dr Zahraa Alandaleeb
Years of study PhD awarded 2020
   
PhD area
More than consumers? Charting a new relationship between citizen, government and financial markets
Name Dr Francis Geddis
Years of study PhD awarded 2014
Current Position:  Head of Research and Governance, Law Society of Northern Ireland
Quotation

“A PhD is a challenging, stimulating and rewarding project. It is very much a labour of love. Pick a subject for which you have a passion, as this will help you to sustain momentum. It’s a fantastic opportunity to study in depth and learn from your supervisors and peers. I commend my time at QUB as a key period in my personal and professional development.”

   
PhD area
Dependent states, global capital and the capacity to regulate: Why can't small open economies like Ireland have more robust CSR?
Name Dr Ciara Hackett
Years of study   PhD awarded 2010
Current Position:  Senior Lecturer, School of Law, QUB
Quotation

"I loved my time as a PhD student at QUB; I really benefitted from the supervision process.

 Some advice to new students starting out: Studying a PhD offers a unique opportunity to read. You will never again have this time to thoroughly immerse yourself in your area of interest. Read every day, write every day and maintain regular contact with your supervisors. And keep a bibliography from day 1 !!"

   

 


Discover More

  • Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Get ahead: tips on how to prepare your application to study for a PhD at QUB Law

Read our on the steps in our PhD applications process and how to present your research proposal.


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