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Email: tom.clonan@tudublin.ie

Dr Clonan’s PhD, (1996-2000) Dublin City University (DCU) ‘The Status and Roles assigned to Female Personnel in the Irish Armed Forces’ ended decades of gender-based discrimination and gender-based violence within Ireland’s armed forces. The research uncovered shockingly high levels of sexual violence, sexual assault and rape within Ireland’s Army, Naval Service, Air Corps and Reserve Forces – a workplace of over 20,000 soldiers, sailors and air-crew.

Clonan’s PhD led to an Independent Government Enquiry, ‘The Study Review Group’ which investigated his original research findings. It reported in 2003 and fully vindicated his findings.

As an academic in TU Dublin Clonan has an active research and publication profile. He lectures on postgraduate programmes within the School of Media including the MA in Journalism, the MA in Public Affairs and Political Communication and the MA in Public Relations. He specialises in communication theory and the political economy of communication. Clonan has a special interest in research methodology where secrecy and sensitivity are issues. He has supervised three students to PhD completion (Dr. Laoise O Murchu 2012, Dr. Cliodhna Pierce 2020 and Dr. Sinead Hewson 2021) He is currently supervising a research student, Isaac Antwi Boasiako to PhD level within the discipline of politics and public diplomacy

Dr Clonan is a journalist specialising in defence, intelligence and terrorism. He contributes security analysis to Irish and international digital and broadcast media. He was Irish Times Security Analyst 2001 – 2016. He is Security Analyst and Columnist with the Journal.ie

Dr Clonan has command experience in aid to the civil power operations (armed support operations to an Garda Siochana) in Ireland and command experience in the combat environment in Lebanon during the Israeli Operation, ‘Grapes of Wrath’ 1996. He served with OSCE as an Election Supervisor in Bosnia in 1996.