Ciara is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Law.  Her research focuses on the intersection between business and human rights. She is particularly interested in how corporations, international and domestic law have shaped the corporate obligation to respect human rights and how, in cases where these obligations have not been fulfilled, a remedy can be sought.  Regarding remedy, she researches access to and enforcement of remedy.  She is further interested in the corporate form, corporate governance and corporate social responsibility.

Ciara is the author of a monograph entitled "Development in an era of Capital Control" (published by Palgrave in 2017).  This focussed on the relationship between and within states and other organisations and the impact this has had on regulatory capital.  Her current research investiagates how the language of international guidelines within business and human rights equips and empowers corporations to respect human rights.  In so doing, she is interested in the effect that this has had on those seeking a remedy as a result of human rights violatons caused by corporate harm.  

Ciara has presented her work across Europe, Asia and North America.  in 2011 she was a Visiting Scholar at the Interfaith Centre for Corporate Responsibility in New York.  She is member of the Global Business and Human Rights Scholars group, the UK Business and Human Rights Network, the Business and Human RIghts Teaching Forum, the Northern Ireland Business and Human Rights Forum and the Northern Ireland Sports and Human Rights Group. 

Her research allows her to work alongside some colleagues in the school, including Dr. Ciaran O'Kelly, Dr. Clare Patton and Dr. Luke Moffett

Ciara's teaching in the school primarily centres around private and commercial law subjects. Over the years, she has taught and coordinated on a range of Undergraduate Modules such as, Law of Torts, Contemporary Issues in the Law of Obligations, Business and Human Rights, Dissertation, Research Projects. At a postgraduate level, she has taught on Tort Law, Company Law, Corporate Governance, Corporate Social Responsibility and Business and Human Rights.

Her teaching is comprised of a mix of traditional lecture style format along with in class discussions (usually around a contemporary case study). Classes are relaxed, with references to popular culture and everyone encouraged to contribute in some way to the debates, roundtable discussions and quizzes! She is also very passionate about skills development, and in her modules, there are significant chunks of time dedicated to enhancing the legal skills of the students in the class.

In 2015 she was awarded a QUB Teaching Award for her work in this area.  

Ciara established the QUB Student Law Journal in 2015.  This biannual journal showcases the work of undergraduate students.  It is available to view here: https://blogs.qub.ac.uk/studentlawjournal/