Marie Laffey

Marie Laffey is the Head of the Career Development Centre at the University of Galway. With a rich background encompassing both academia and industry, Marie brings a wealth of experience and expertise to her role. A graduate of University of Limerick with a BSc in Computer Science in 1991 and the University of Galway with a BA in Education & Training in 2012, a Postgraduate in Adult Guidance & Counselling from Maynooth University in 2016, followed by a MEd in Adult Guidance & Counselling in 2018. Committed to professional development, Marie pursued Level 1 ICF Coaching in 2019, completed a Postgraduate in Executive Leadership from Technological University Shannon in 2022, and completed a Postgraduate program in AI for Professionals at the University of Galway in 2024. Marie was appointed to the role of Chair of AHECS (Association of Higher Education Career Services in Ireland) in August 2024 and is a member of the board for Student Affairs Ireland (SAI). Prior to her tenure in the university, Marie spent over two decades of invaluable experience in the ICT sector in Ireland, assuming various senior management roles within large multi-national corporations Her industry tenure was characterised by the establishment and management of large global distributed project teams specialising in the development of web services.  Marie is passionate about AI and how it can be employed in the delivery of career services to extend the reach to students and better prepare students for the evolving world of work. Marie has participated in webinars on Impact of AI for AdvanceHE, AHECS, SAI, University of Ulster, Liverpool University and the University of East London. Most recently, Marie has been accepted onto the University of Derby Doctorate in Education programme where her research focus will be on the impact of AI on career guidance. Marie is also a member of the European Coimbra Employability task group in Europe with a focus on the impact of AI on Employability.