Daniel Faas

Biography

Daniel Faas is Associate Professor in Sociology, Founding Director of the MSc in Comparative Social Change and Member of the University Council at Trinity College Dublin. He is Visiting Professor at Universidade de São Paulo and Beijing Foreign Studies University, and a graduate of the University of Cambridge (PhD, MPhil), the University of Stuttgart (MA) and Trinity College Dublin (MA jo). His research and teaching interests are in the sociology of migration with specific emphasis on the intersection of migration and education. His work focuses on youth identities in relation to immigrant integration, national identity, multiculturalism and social cohesion, religion and schooling in Ireland and Europe, curriculum design and development, as well as comparative case study methodologies. He has published widely on these topics in high-impact peer-reviewed international journals, as well as a sole-authored monograph (Negotiating Political Identities: Multiethnic Schools and Youth in Europe) and is internationally reputed for his work in these areas. In 2015, Professor Faas was elected to Fellowship of Trinity College Dublin in recognition of his scholarship and research achievements and his contribution to College and to the School. Daniel Faas is winner of the Trinity Global Engagement Award (2016) in recognition of outstanding global relationship building, collaboration, outreach and cultural understanding, winner of the Provost's Teaching Award at Trinity College Dublin (2012) in recognition of his contribution in the pursuit of teaching excellence and innovation, and recipient of the 2009 European Sociological Association award for best journal article. Professor Faas was Head of the Department of Sociology at Trinity College Dublin (2012-16), Fulbright-Schuman Fellow in the Department of Sociology at UC Berkeley (2009) and Marie Curie Research Fellow at the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy in Athens (2006-2008). Professor Faas has acted as expert evaluator for the European Commission (Horizon 2020 and FP7), Research Promotion Foundation of Cyprus, Swiss National Science Foundation, Foundation for Science and Technology in Portugal, and the Volkswagen Foundation. He has served as College Tutor, Director of International Affairs in the School of Social Sciences and Philosophy, Member of the College International Committee and Member of the Equality Committee. He has been strongly involved in the College Global Relations Strategy development and implementation, including chairing a Task Force on Mobility leading to the publication of a policy report on 'Barriers to Inward and Outward Student Mobility' (2013) and developing an International Foundation Programme (2015) as part of the College Strategic Plan.

Research Interest

My research is in the sociology of migration and consists of three interlinked strands: (1) identities and integration, (2) comparative curriculum analyses, as well as (3) religion and schooling in Ireland and Europe. It strongly links to the College's priority research theme on "Identities in Transformation", where I currently sit on the Steering Committee. My work creates new knowledge by asking fundamental questions: How do societies and institutions differ in the ways in which they incorporate minorities who hold multi-layered identities? How do national school curricula address migration-related diversity and European issues? How is religion integrated in schools and education system? I am internationally reputed for my innovative work in these areas. For example my work on identities has brought together, for the first time, within-country and between-country differences in identity formation, revealing a range of factors which shape contemporary identities. My work is policy-oriented, allowing me to build bridges between academic and policy communities at national and European level. I have received major research grants and highly competitive fellowships including a Fulbright-Schuman Fellowship, Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship, and other external funding as PI and Co-PI in European collaborative projects. In 2015 I was elected to Fellowship at Trinity College Dublin (FTCD). Involvement and coordination in research projects has allowed me to build an international interdisciplinary network of collaborators including researchers in the Netherlands, Britain, Greece, Cyprus, Denmark and the United States. I play an active role in European research networks, and present the findings of my research in academic and non-academic settings, frequently as an invited speaker. These include national and international conferences, presentations for policy-makers and the general public and media engagement. I receive invitations as expert in the field including visiting professorships, consultancies and advisory roles. I have a substantial and sustained research output of around 60 publications, including (edited) books, book chapters and journal articles. I publish in the top-ranked peer-reviewed international journals in the field of education, sociology and ethnic studies such as "British Journal of Sociology", "Ethnicities", "British Educational Research Journal", "British Journal of Sociology of Education". The impact of my work and international reputation is not only evidenced via strong citation metrics, but also in the form of awards (European Sociological Association Award for Best Journal Article), visiting professorships (UCL, Beijing Foreign Studies University, Universidade de São Paulo) and peer evaluations (only social scientist at Trinity to reach two ERC finals as Starter and Consolidator). I have lived, researched and published across five different countries, supervised 12 PhD students, 24 Masters students and 5 postdoctoral researchers. Several of these have gone on to securing prestigious grants or employment posts at top universities. In my role as Head of Sociology (2012-16), I promoted research leadership in numerous ways. Firstly, I encouraged staff to engage in collaborative research through creating and deepening links with the ESRI, the Trinity Long Room Hub priority theme on Identities in Transformation, the TCD-UCD Strategic Alliance as well as international networks such as IMISCOE. Secondly, I fostered dialogue by promoting research discussions in the Department and College, for instance through dedicated sessions focused on exchanging research expertise among colleagues. Thirdly, I have mentored staff, for example through the HR Momentum Programme in College, and have discussed their research plans and publication strategies enabling them to expand their vision and operating successfully within Trinity and beyond. I consider this part of cultivating the next generation of Trinity scholars.