Katriona O'Sullivan

Biography

Katriona O'Sullivan is a professor of psychology at Maynooth University, bestselling author, speaker and one of Ireland's leading voices on educational inequality, poverty and social justice. Born into extreme poverty and raised by parents with heroin addiction, Katriona left school at fifteen after becoming pregnant with her first son. Years later, through education, determination and the support of people who believed in her, she earned a first-class honours degree and a PhD in psychology from Trinity College Dublin.

Today, she leads the National Centre for Inclusive Higher Education at Maynooth University, where her work focuses on creating opportunities for people who have traditionally been underserved by education and employment. Her research has influenced national policy, secured millions of euro in funding for equity initiatives, and has been recognised internationally, including invitations to speak at the United Nations, the European Parliament and Westminster.

Her memoir Poor became an Irish number one bestseller, won Biography of the Year at the Irish Book Awards, and has been translated into multiple languages. Her second bestselling memoir, Hungry, explores body image, trauma, womanhood and the lifelong search for self-acceptance, continuing her honest and compassionate exploration of what it means not just to survive, but to thrive.