Orla
Why koralli?
I am drawn to koralli because it offers the opportunity to apply rigorous, academically grounded research to the business sector in a way that is genuinely exciting. Interdisciplinary approaches have rightly gained traction in recent years, especially as the most pressing problems are increasingly cutting across disciplinary, sectoral and institutional lines in unique and unpredictable ways. But responses in both the academic and corporate worlds remain deeply siloed. Koralli’s model of pairing Oxford researchers with experienced operators is a forward-looking and practically grounded answer to exactly that kind of problem. This interdisciplinary approach is a thread underpinning my own work, which spans policy research, journalism and strategic communications.
My Skills
My background is in strategic communications and research. I have experience translating dense material into relevant and engaging content for non-specialist audiences, ranging from stakeholder-facing policy reports to magazine copy and journalism for a general readership. My academic research spans both quantitative and qualitative material. I am currently producing a relational database that tracks changes in censorship legislation in twentieth-century Ireland alongside the rate and category of material actually prohibited.
My Expertise
I am pursuing a DPhil in History at the University of Oxford, researching censorship legislation and democratic backsliding in twentieth-century Ireland. I am interested in the power of language and its ability to obscure as much as it clarifies, especially as it relates to legislation and government policy. This dynamic sits at the heart of questions about the erosion of democratic practices and the regulation of information in both the public and private sectors. These areas of interest have taken on far greater urgency in the face of debates over technological regulation, freedom of expression and the role of AI.
My Experience
I received my BA and MPhil in History from the University of Cambridge, before moving to the University of Oxford for my DPhil. I spent time at BlueChip Communication in Sydney, working in strategic communications and crisis management for clients in the financial services industry. I worked as a researcher at CCLA Investment Management in London, analysing FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 companies’ compliance with the 2015 Modern Slavery Act. I contributed to the firm’s annual benchmark report, working under the guidance of Dame Sara Thornton and Dr Martin Buttle. I am currently Print Editor at the Oxford Review of Books, commissioning and editing contributions from a roster of writers for the magazine. I also contribute book reviews and opinion pieces to a range of academic and general-interest publications.