Professor Brigid Laffan
Brigid Laffan, one of the foremost scholars in European Union studies, is visiting Australia between 23 September and 10 October as the guest of the Vice-Chancellor of La Trobe University, Professor Paul Johnson. She is Jean Monnet Professor of European Politics in the School of Politics and International Relations and Principal of the College of Human Sciences at University College, Dublin. She is the founder and chair of the Ireland for Europe Group, an elected member of the Royal Irish Academy, and member of the International Advisory Panel of NORFACE (a partnership of 7 European Research Councils). Her research interests include governance in the EU; constitution building in the EU; finances and the EU; Ireland and European integration. Select publications include: Integration and co-operation in Europe (Routledge, 1992); "The politics of identity and political order in Europe", Journal of Common Market Studies (1996); The finances of the European Union (Macmillan, 1996); Constitution-building in the European Union (contributing editor; Institute of European Affairs, 1996).

Dr Rebecca Pelan
Prior to joining UCD, Rebecca Pelan was Director/senior lecturer in Women’s Studies at the National University of Ireland, Galway. She has lived in Australia for many years, where she lectured in English at The University of Queensland. Rebecca is a member of the Editorial Board of Hecate (Australia), and of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Australian Journal of Irish Studies.  She is also on the Board of the Women, Gender, Culture and Social Change Research Centre, (School of English, Media Studies and Art History, The University of Queensland). In Ireland, Rebecca is General Editor of Irish Feminist Review. Her research interests include Irish women’s writing, Edna O’Brien’s fiction, feminist/literary theory, and Women’s Studies.