Masculinities and Friendships Among Young Queer People in Ireland 

Examines how queer masculine individuals in Ireland aged 18-35 navigate masculinity within friendships. Through qualitative interviews, the project explores how friendships challenge gender norms and redefine emotional vulnerability and intimacy, offering insights into diverse masculinities in contemporary Irish society. Outputs from the project include articles exploring contemporary discourses of masculinity, childhood experiences, and perspectives of friendship, kinship, and intimacy among young queer masculine individuals. Principal Investigator: Dr. Theresa Schilling.

Theresa Schilling earned a PhD in Social Justice from University College Dublin (UCD) in 2024, supported by the Ad Astra PhD Scholarship. Her research to date focuses on masculinities, gender, and sexualities through queer and feminist lenses. She has published and collaborated on peer-reviewed articles, chapters, and reports in masculinities and queer studies, pedagogy, and participatory methodologies. Theresa has experience teaching and supervising undergraduate and master's students in UCD's School of Social Policy, Social Work, and Social Justice and has an extensive background in qualitative research, project management, content editing, and research dissemination.