Curriculum Vitae: Download pdf here
Last Updated: 13-06-2025
Personal Profile
Assistant Professor in The University of Groningen’s Department of Economic Geography. Main fields of interest include Economic Geography, Regional Science, Urban Economics, and Transportation Science. Proficient in spatial analysis which employs advanced econometric techniques (STATA, QGIS, and R).
Education
PhD: Economics
Department of Economics, University College Cork, Ireland
October 2020 – September 2023
- Dissertation Title: Urban Sprawl: Land-Use, Travel Behaviours, and Emissions in Ireland
- Supervisors: Prof. Justin Doran, Dr. Frank Crowley, Dr. Nóirín McCarthy
- PhD Committee: Prof. Aisling Reynolds-Feighan (UCD), Dr. John Eakins (UCC), Dr. Edward Lahiff (UCC)
BA: Economics and History
University College Cork, Ireland
September 2017 – September 2020
- Grade: Upper Second-Class Honours (3.33–3.67 GPA)
- Minor Dissertation: First-Class Honours (4.0 GPA)
Employment History
Assistant Professor in Economic Geography
Faculty of Spatial Sciences, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
October 2023 – Present
Senior Demonstrator in Economics
Centre for Policy Studies, University College Cork, Ireland
September 2022 – June 2023
Teaching Assistant in Economics
Department of Economics, University College Cork, Ireland October 2020 – June 2023
Research Assistant
Department of Economics, University College Cork, Ireland
April 2021 – July 2022; July 2023 – September 2023
Teaching Experience
Economic Geography
- 2024–: Economic Geography: Theory and Practice (MSc)
- 2023–: Economic Geography (BSc)
Statistics / Econometrics / Quantitative Research Methods
- 2023–: Introductory Statistics (BSc); Intermediate Statistics (BSc); Quantitative Research Methods (BSc).
- 2020-2023: Data Collection, Analysis, and Interpretation (BA); Quantitative Research Methods (BA); Mathematics For Business (BComm); Research in Economics (BA).
Economics
- 2020-2023: Introductory Microeconomics (BSc, BComm, BA); Intermediate Microeconomics (BComm, BA); Introductory Macroeconomics (BSc, BComm, BA); Intermediate Macroeconomics (BComm, BA); Economics and Social Issues (BComm, BA); Economics and Labour Markets (BComm); Money and Monetary Policy (BComm).
Research Supervision
- PhD Proposals [2]; MSc Dissertations [14]; Undergraduate Dissertations/Projects [25].
Accolades and Honours
2023: Postgraduate Researcher of The Year (2021-2022)
College of Business and Law, University College Cork, Ireland
2022: Best Paper by an Early Career Researcher - Honourable Mention
Regional Science Association International: British and Irish Section
Grants and Funding Awards
2025:
University of Groningen PhD Starter Grant co-funded by Talent in de Regio (€300,000 + €50,000)
With Dr. Femke Cnossen and Prof. Sierdjan Koster
2023:
Cork University Business School Travel Bursary (€800)
University College Cork, Department of Economics Conference Bursary (€400)
2022:
UCC Department of Economics Conference Bursary (€400)
2021:
UCC Department of Economics Conference Bursary (€450)
Affiliations and Professional Service
Research Affiliations
Research Affiliate
Rudolf Agricola School for Sustainable Development, University of Groningen
January 2025 – Present
Research Associate
The Urban and Regional Studies Institute, University of Groningen
October 2023 – Present
Research Associate
Spatial and Regional Economic Research Centre, University College Cork
October 2020 – Present
Editorial Positions
Chief Editor of The Boolean
June 2021 – September 2023
Referee Services
Journal of Transport and Land-Use, Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, Journal of Geographical Systems, Urban Climate, The Boolean, The Spatial and Regional Economic Research Centre PhD Development Series.
Professional Memberships
World Society of Transport and Land Use Research
2025 – Present
Regional Studies Association
2023 – Present
Regional Science Association International
2020 – Present
Publications
Ongoing Research Projects
Conor O’Driscoll. 2025. “Commuting in Flux: The Roles of Place and Personal Circumstance In Shaping Behavioural Plasticity”.
Conor O’Driscoll and Milad Abbasiharofteh. 2025. “Roots and Routes: Residential Relocation and Relatedness”.
Conor O’Driscoll and Federica Rossi. 2025. “Residential Relocation Decisions and Destinations: The Role of Working From Home”.
Conor O’Driscoll and Ana Maria Silva. 2025. “Working From Home and Labour Market Outcomes: The Case of Earnings and Hours Worked”.
Conor O’Driscoll and Luise Koeppen. 2025. “Subnational Institutional Corruption and Political Discontent”.
Conor O’Driscoll. 2025. “Navigating Change: Residential Relocation, Travel Behaviours, and Built Environments”. Major Revisions in Papers in Regional Science.
Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles
Conor O’Driscoll; Frank Crowley; Justin Doran; Nóirín McCarthy; Josh O’Driscoll. 2025. “Travel Behaviours and Built Environments on School-Runs”. Regional Science Policy and Practice, 17(1), pp.1-14. doi: 10.1016/j.rspp.2024.100153.
Kevin Credit and Conor O’Driscoll. 2024. “Assessing Modal Tradeoffs and Associated Built Environment Characteristics Using a Cost-Distance Framework”. Journal of Transport Geography, 117, pp.1-19. doi: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2024.103870.
Conor O’Driscoll; Frank Crowley; Justin Doran; Nóirín McCarthy. 2024. “The relationships between socio-demographics, residential environments, travel considerations, and commute mode choice in Ireland”. Regional Studies, 58(3), pp.1-18. doi: 10.1080/00343404.2023.2199779.
Conor O’Driscoll; Frank Crowley; Justin Doran; Nóirín McCarthy. 2023. “Land-Use Mix in Ireland: Implications for Sustainable Development”. Journal of Maps, 19(1), pp.1-7. doi: 10.1080/17445647.2023.2214165.
Conor O’Driscoll; Frank Crowley; Justin Doran; Nóirín McCarthy. 2023. “Land-Use Mixing in Irish Cities: Implications for Sustainable Development”. Land Use Policy, 128(5), pp.1-7. doi: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2023.106615.
Conor O’Driscoll; Frank Crowley; Justin Doran; Nóirín McCarthy. 2022. “Retail Sprawl and CO2 Emissions: Retail Centres in Irish Cities”. Journal of Transport Geography, 102(6), pp.1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2022.103376.
Industry and Policy Reports
- Jane Bourke; Conor O’Driscoll; Josh O’Driscoll; Páidí O’Reilly. 2022. “Innovating in Ireland: Can We Fail Better?”. Cork University Business School.
Select Popular Writings
Conor O’Driscoll. 2024. “The Cost of Morning Commutes: The Case of Kildare”. Kildare FM.
Conor O’Driscoll and Kevin Credit. 2024. “Here’s the real cost of your morning rush hour commute in Dublin”. RTE Brainstorm.
Conor O’Driscoll; Frank Crowley; Justin Doran; Nóirín McCarthy. 2023. “How the relationship between socio- demographics, residential environments and travel influence commuter choices”. Regional Studies Blog.
Conor O’Driscoll. 2023. “Retail Centre Locations in Cork: The Case of Carrigtwohill”. RTE Prime Time.
Conor O’Driscoll; Frank Crowley; Justin Doran; Nóirín McCarthy. 2022. “Planning For Sustainability: Future Retail Centre Locations”. The Boolean, 6(8), pp.27-32.
Conor O’Driscoll; Frank Crowley; Justin Doran; Nóirín McCarthy. 2022. “The Links Between Where We Live and How We Commute”. RTE Brainstorm.
Jane Bourke; Josh O’Driscoll; Conor O’Driscoll. 2022. “Does fear of failure hamper Irish business innovation?”. RTE Brainstorm.
Conor O’Driscoll. 2021. “Why out of town retail parks don’t make sense in a climate crisis”. RTE Brainstorm.
Conor O’Driscoll. 2021. “Shopping Malls, GHG Emissions and The Role of Policymakers in”Green” Transportation Infrastructure in Ireland”. Regional Studies Association: Student Summer Series.
Main Conferences and Workshops
2025:
Regional Science Association International: British and Irish Section; the 64th European Regional Science Association (ERSA) Congress (Scheduled).
2024:
Regional Studies Association: Irish Section; Regional Science Association International: British and Irish Section.
2023:
Regional Science Association International: British and Irish Section; Cork University Business School Postgraduate Symposium.
2022:
Regional Science Association International: British and Irish Section (Session Chair); Cork University Business School Postgraduate Symposium.
2021:
Conference of Irish Geographers; Regional Science Association International: British and Irish Section (Organising Committee Member); Cork University Business School Postgraduate Symposium; UCC Spatial and Economic Research Centre Lunchtime Speaker Series; The North American Meetings of The Regional Science Association (Session Chair).
References
Prof. Justin Doran: Primary PhD Supervisor and Head of UCC’s Department of Economics.
Email: Justin.Doran@ucc.ie.Prof. Sierdjan Koster: Dean of RUG’s Faculty of Spatial Sciences.
Email: sierdjan.koster@rug.nl.Prof. Frank Crowley: Secondary PhD Supervisor.
Email: Frank.Crowley@ucc.ieDr. Viktor Venhorst: Associate Professor in RUG’s Department of Economic Geography.
Email: v.a.venhorst@rug.nl.