Dr. Sylwia Kazmierczak-Murray

My expertise and interests are in inclusive education, interprofessional and intersectoral collaboration, and implementation science. I am a CORU-registered Speech and Language Therapist with experience spanning research, practice, and system-level leadership in education. Priot to joining academia full time, I worked in regional and national leadership roles within the Tusla Education Support Service, where I led a multidisciplinary school support team and oversaw the implementation of prevention and early intervention programmes in schools. Earlier in my career, I worked as a Pobal-funded Researcher at the DCU's Educational Disadvantage Centre (2005-2007). My PhD (2011) conceptualised classroom language intervention through a systems theory lens, an approach that subsequently led me to implementation science. I now co-chair the European Implementation in Education subgroup of the European Implementation Collaborative.

As a researcher, I have a strong track record of influencing national policy and practice frameworks, through leading research funded by the Department of Education; Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth; Tusla Education Support Service; Childhood Development Initiative (all as PI); and co-leading research commissioned by national charities (e.g., AsIAm, as co-PI). My research has also been funded by Research Ireland (previously Science Foundation, as co-PI) and through DCU seed funding.

I am an experienced evaluator, consultant and facilitator with many years of experience working as an Associate Quality Specialist at the Childhood Development Initiative, where I have delivered a range of capacity-building projects for practitioners and organisations across public and not-for-profit sectors.

In 2024, for my work leading the development of national guidance on Participation of Disabled Children and Young People in Decision-Making, commissioned by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, I received the prestigious DCU President’s Award for Engagement (team award, with Kathryn O'Mahony and Dr Alexis Carey).

Research Interests

Inclusion and Equity in Education
Implementation Science
Interprofessional and Intersectoral Collaboration
Dyslexia and Developmental Language Disorder
School Avoidance
Children and Young People's Participation.

Teaching Interests

I teach on the Graduate Diploma in Inclusive and Special Education, Professional Diploma in Inclusive and Special Education, Masters in Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia), and at doctoral level.

I bring an interdisciplinary perspective to teacher education, drawing on expertise in speech and language therapy and implementation science. I have a particular interest in supporting learners with dyslexia and communication differences, including developmental language disorder, addressing school avoidance, and advancing meaningful participation for children and young people in educational decision-making.

Funding Highlights

School Avoidance Pilot Project National Evaluation (commissioned by Tusla), Principal Investigator (PI), 2026-
National Evaluation of AsIAm Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Support Programmes (commissioned by AsIAm), co-PI, 2025-2026
STEM for all: Supporting Teachers’ Professional Learning for Inclusive STEM (funded by Research Ireland), Investigator, 2025-2026
Implementation of Evidence-Based and Evidence-Informed Programmes and Practices in School Completion Programme (commissioned by Tusla), Principal Investigator, 2023-2024
Guidelines for Policymakers on the Inclusion of Disabled Children and Young People in Decision-making (commissioned by Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth) Principal Investigator, 2023
DEIS Review: Literature Review on School Completion Programme (commissioned by Department of Education), Principal Investigator, 2024
A Comparative Study of the Experiences of Multiple Stakeholders within Autism Special Classes in Mainstream Schools in Ireland and the United States (funded by DCU seed funding), Investigator, 2023-2024

CV

External Positions

Associate Quality Specialist, Childhood Development Initiative
01/01/2018 – Ongoing

Academic Qualifications

Postgraduate Diploma, Trinity College Dublin
Project: Implementation Science
PhD, Dublin City University
Project: Education
Postgraduate Diploma, University of Gdańsk
Project: Neurologically Acquired Communication Disorders

Professional Qualifications

National Digital Badge in Universal Design for Learning
CORU-registered Speech and Language Therapist, Reg. SL011030