Dr Hazel O'Brien is a lecturer in sociology at SETU. She is a member of the Analysing Social Change (ASC) Research Group where she leads the ASC Postgraduate Forum, and a member of the Spirituality in Society and in the Professions Research Group in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.

Specialising in qualitative and ethnographic research methods, her research agenda commits to facilitating marginalised voices, generating participant-focused research, and effecting social change. Her work has been disseminated nationally and internationally and she has collaborated with colleagues in Ireland, the UK, and the US to build networks, generate conversations and publish academic work. 

She is the author of Irish Mormons: Reconciling Identity in Global Mormonism, co-editor of the book series Global Mormonisms, and co-editor of The Study of Religions in Ireland: Past, Present, and Future. Dr O'Brien is an editorial board member for Mormon Studies Review and a peer reviewer for numerous journals.

Onging current projects include: exploring Irish Mormonism in a global mileau, synthesising the study of religons in Ireland, digital religion and social media, and the supervision of postgraduate projects in the areas of identity and culture. 

A vital part of Dr O'Brien's work has been an examination of the role of collective memory and tradition in contemporary societies. This theme has continued across her endeavours on religion and race in Europe, digital religion during Covid-19, and Global Mormonism in an Irish context. Dr O'Brien is intersted in exploring the relationships between majority/minority cultures. These ideas are enmeshed within her research, research-led teaching, and collaborative publications. 

2008- Present Lecturer in sociology, SETU 

Research project coordinator, MA in Social Justice and Public Policy

Research supervisor, MA in Applied Spirituality 

Module leader for Level 10 and Level 9 modules Advanced Qualitative Methods, Research Methods, and Research Project

Dissertation coordinator for undergraduate sociology dissertations

Teach sociology across BA Arts, Psychology, and Social Science programmes