Dr. David Kennedy

David Kennedy (BA, MA, PhD, SFHEA) is Assistant Professor of Theology and Religious Education in the School of Human Development, DCU Institute of Education, where he has served since 2019. He is 'Teaching and Research Associate' at the DCU, Mater Dei Centre for Catholic Education and an 'Affiliated Researcher' with DCU, Centre for Collaborative Research Across Teacher Education (CREATE).

Prior to his appointment at DCU, David was a member of the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies at Mary Immaculate College (2013–2015), where he taught in systematic, biblical, and sacramental theology and worked as a departmental researcher. From 2015 to 2019, he served as lead researcher to several national bodies in Catholic education, including the Catholic Schools Partnership (now the Catholic Education Partnership), the Association of Trustees of Catholic Schools (now the Association of Patrons and Trustees of Catholic Schools), the Catholic Primary School Management Association, and the Irish Episcopal Conference. During this period, he also lectured and supervised research on the Professional Master of Education (Primary) and the Certificate in Catholic Religious Studies at Hibernia College, and lectured part-time on the Bachelor of Religious Education (Post-Primary) programme at Dublin City University.

Between 2015 and 2019, David was appointed Lead Coordinator and Resource Writer for Catholic School Week. In 2018, he worked as theological researcher, catechetical resource writer, and national coordinator for primary and post-primary Catholic schools in preparation for the World Meeting of Families 2018, including the visit of Pope Francis to Ireland.

At DCU, David served as Programme Chair of the Certificate in Religious Studies (Part-Time) and the Catholic Certificate in Religious Studies Supplementary (2020–2024). He currently lectures and supervises research across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, including the Bachelor of Education (Primary), the Bachelor of Religious Education (Post-Primary), the Certificate in Religious Studies (Full-Time and Part-Time), the Catholic Certificate in Religious Studies Supplementary, the Bachelor of Arts (Joint Honours), and the MA in Chaplaincy Studies and Pastoral Work.

In 2021, he received the DCU President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching (Distinctive Approaches to Teaching) in recognition of innovative and impactful pedagogical practice. In the same year, he was awarded Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) under the UK Professional Standards Framework, recognising sustained leadership in teaching and learning and his influence on professional practice nationally and internationally.

In recognition of the demonstrable reach of his sustained recordof scholarly contributions to the academy and society, David has been nominated for the DCU President's Award for Research Impact 2026.

David is the creator and host of Conversations from the Classroom, a podcast series produced in association with DCU, Mater Dei Centre for Catholic Education since 2023. He is currently in the final stages of completing a monograph, A Hermeneutics of Religious Education for a Post-Secular Age: Exploring the Possibility of Truth, under contract with Routledge for publication in 2026 as part of the Routledge International Studies in the Philosophy of Education series.