Kirsten is the Research Officer on the New Avenues to Teaching programme. Kirsten has worked in UCC since 2011 - starting with the Disability Support Service as a peer mentor for students with autism, then moving to Adult Continuing Education to develop, coordinate and lecture on the Autism Studies programmes. In 2018 she took up the role of Project Coordinator for the Autism Friendly University Initiative – a three year project that aimed to make the physical, social and academic environments of the University more ‘autism-friendly’.

Kirsten moved to the School of Education in 2021 to work on the New Avenues to Teaching project. She continues to lecture on the Autism Studies programmes and is also a guest lecturer on the Doctor of Clinical Psychology programme in UCC.

Kirsten holds a BA (Hons) in Chinese and Spanish and an MA in Applied Linguistics as well as a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (all from UCC). She is currently undertaking an MSc in Psychology with University of Glasgow.