The School of Social Sciences and Philosophy at Trinity College Dublin has welcomed seventeen new academic staff across its four departments for the year 2026, including six in the Economics Department and four in Political Science.

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This September, the School of Social Sciences and Philosophy at Trinity College Dublin is welcoming a cohort of seventeen new academic staff members. These new hires arrive from various prestigious universities across Europe, North America, and beyond, and they have just concluded a two-day induction program to integrate into the academic community.

Across four departments - Economics, Political Science, Philosophy and Sociology - the new hires will contribute to research and teaching in the upcoming academic year.

New Faculty Members in Economics

• Dr. Sergio Ascencio - has been appointed as an Assistant Professor in Political Economy. He has previously held positions at the University of Essex, the University of New Mexico and NYU Abu Dhabi. He studied as an undergraduate at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) and received his PhD from the University of Rochester in the USA. Find out more about Sergio Ascencio on his TCD Profile Page or his personal website.
• Dr. Tsenguunjav Byambasuren - is an Assistant Professor in Economics. He is an Economic Historian and Political Economist, whose research interests also include policies that improve the well-being of vulnerable communities, particularly women and children in developing countries. Tsenguunjav received his Ph.D. from Cornell University. Find out more about Tsenguunjav Byambasuren on his TCD Profile Page or his personal website.
• Zhao Dong - is an economic historian and political economist whose research examines state capacity and long run development in imperial China. She is in the final stages of her PhD at the University of Oxford. Find out more about Zhao Dong on her personal website.
• Nilmini Herath - is a Development Economist focusing on social networks. She is in the final stages of her PhD at London School of Economics. Before starting her PhD she was head of research at J-PAL Africa. Find out more about Nilmini Herath on her TCD Profile Page or her personal website.
• Dr. Weizheng Lai - is an applied microeconomist working on political economy, development economics, labor economics, and applied microeconometrics. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Maryland in the USA. Find out more about Weizheng Lai on his TCD Profile Page or his personal website.
• Dr. Joan J. Martinez - is Assistant Professor of Economics at Trinity College Dublin and an affiliated researcher at IZA@LISER and CESifo. She completed her undergraduate studies in Peru, before completing her Masters in Economics at University College London. She received her PhD in Economics from UC Berkeley. Her research studies how market conditions and institutional policies shape labor market inequality. Find out more about Joan J. Martinez on her TCD Profile Page or her personal website.

New Faculty Members in Political Science

• Violeta Haas - Researcher in politics of belonging
• Joseph Phillips - Political Psychologist
• Christian Gläßel - Researcher in International Relations
• Oguzhan Turkoglu - Researcher in Forced Migration

New Faculty Members in Philosophy and Sociology:

• Rowan Mellor - Assistant Professor in Philosophy
• Jade Hadley - Teaching Fellow
• Jamie Turner - Teaching Fellow focusing on Islamic Philosophy
• David Kretschmer - Researcher in Intergroup Relations
• Thembi Luckett - Environmental and Feminist Sociologist
• Camille Portier - Quantitative Sociologist
• Mark Ward - Associate Professor, awarded ERC Consolidator Grant

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Read the full press release here.