Department of Economics, Maynooth University

01/09/2026

📢 Department of Economics Leadership Announcement

We are delighted to announce that Professor David Cuberes will take up the role of Head of the Department of Economics at Maynooth University from 1 September 2026.

Professor Cuberes is an internationally recognised economist whose research spans urban economics, economic history, and economic growth. His work has examined city growth across and within countries, the effects of wars on urban populations, household location decisions within cities, gender inequality, democracy and growth volatility, and the demographic transition. He has published in leading journals including the Economic Journal, Journal of Urban Economics, Regional Science and Urban Economics, Journal of Human Capital and Macroeconomic Dynamics.

Following studies at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona), CEMFI (Madrid) and the University of Chicago, Professor Cuberes has held academic positions at Clemson University, Royal Holloway, Universidad de Alicante, the University of Sheffield, and Clark University. He has also served as a consultant to the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and Inter-American Development Bank.

As we welcome Professor Cuberes to this new role, we would also like to express our sincere thanks to Dr Aedín Doris for her outstanding service as Head of Department. Throughout her tenure, Dr Doris has provided dedicated leadership, championed excellence in research and teaching, and helped strengthen the Department's reputation and impact. We are deeply grateful for her commitment and the many contributions she has made to the Department and wider University community.

Please join us in thanking Dr Doris for her leadership and in congratulating Professor Cuberes on his appointment. We look forward to this exciting new chapter for the Department of Economics.

27/08/2026

Dr Aedín Doris, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Economics, Maynooth University, served as Rapporteur for the Delivering a Sustainable Social Protection System session at the National Economic Dialogue 2026.

Held on 15 June, this year's Dialogue focused on "Reforming now for a secure future: Putting Future Forty into practice" and brought together policymakers, sector leaders, and stakeholders to discuss Ireland's future across key areas including social protection, housing, skills, competitiveness, climate action, and public finance.

The event provided an important platform for informed discussion on the Government's budgetary priorities and long-term economic strategy.

19/08/2026

👋 Rekindle old friendships while making new connections

Department of Economics, Maynooth University is delighted to invite graduates from the classes of 2016, 2006, 1996, 1986, and 1976 back to campus on Saturday, 5 September 2026 for the Maynooth University Alumni Reunion.

As part of the Alumni Reunion 2026, the Department of Economics are hosting tables for Economics Alumni, offering them the opportunity to reconnect with former classmates, meet current MU staff, and revisit the campus. For more details please visit https://buff.ly/7Vxjutk

13/08/2026

Dr Aedín Doris Associate Professor and Head of Department of Economics, Maynooth University gave a thought provoking keynote at the Department of Social Protection’s Pre-Budget Forum on July 1st where she discussed some of the recommendations of the Tax & Welfare Commission and particularly the idea of introducing a second tier child benefit payment to low income families in addition to child benefit, whether in receipt of social welfare or not.

31/07/2026

Many of our graduates go on to work as professional economists, using their economics skills directly in their daily work. Recent graduates have taken up positions in economic consultancy and economic development, or at institutions like the Central Bank of Ireland, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service (IGEES) and the Central Statistics Office.

Others have pursued careers in areas that use the strong analytical skills acquired in the degree, such as retail and investment banking, financial services and fund management. The fact that Ireland has such a large financial services sector very much facilitates this.

Finally, some really get bitten by the Economics bug and continue onto PhD programmes to pursue an academic career.

27/07/2026

For the one-year MSc Economics programme and the second year of the two-year programme, our class size is usually 10-20 students. This small class size allows you to get to know your lecturers and classmates well.

For the first year of the two-year programme, most classes are taken with final year and sometimes second year undergraduate students, so most of these classes are quite big. However, because there are frequent thesis seminars held throughout the year just for students in the first year of the two-year programme, students already get to know each other well in the first year.

24/07/2026

The first year of the PhD programme is typically dominated by taught coursework; taught coursework may continue into second year, and sometimes beyond, depending on the evolution of your research.

For more information on supervision, PhD structure, taught coursework and progression see here:

Supervision The PhD Coordinator, Dr Mosca, will initially match successful PhD applicants with a primary supervisor. During the first year, the remaining two members of the supervisory team will be established as your research interests become clearer. The additional members of the supervisory team....

21/07/2026

Our active publication records and working paper series reflects the research interests within the department. Take a look at our research:

Selected Recent Publications: Please find below a list of recent published articles in leading journals from members of the Department of Economics 2025 Guner, N. Kulikova, Y. and Valladares-Esteban, A. (2025) "Does the Added Worker Effect Matter?". Review of Economic Dynamics, 56 . https://doi.org/...

17/07/2026

The members of staff in the Economics Department who are accepting PhD students (& their areas of expertise) are as follows:

👉️ Prof. David Cuberes:
Urban economics, economic history, and economic growth

👉️ Dr. Alex Farnell:
Sports economics and sports labour economics

👉️ Dr. Bruno Morando:
Development economics, agricultural economics and spatial data applications

👉️ Dr. Irene Mosca:
Health economics; population economics; labour economics

👉️ Dr Arnau Valladares Esteban:
Macroeconomics, labour economics, and demographic economics

15/07/2026

Advantages of undertaking a PhD in Economics at Maynooth University:

👉️ Maynooth University is a member of the Dublin Region Higher Education Alliance (DRHEA), along with University College Dublin (UCD) and Trinity College Dublin (TCD). This provides additional opportunities for taught coursework, which will strengthen your training in Economics. It also gives you access to a larger network of academics and fellow Economics PhD students with whom to discuss your research.

👉️ Maynooth University is a member of Arqus, an alliance of nine European universities located in Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal and Spain. This provides ease of access to international exchange visits that will enhance your research and subsequent employability.