Denis O’Hora is an experimental psychologist and behavioural scientist in the School of Psychology in University of Galway.  

Profile

Denis is an Associate Fellow of the Psychological Society of Ireland (and previously the British Psychological Society ), a Fellow of the Association for Contextual Behavioural Science and a member of the Society for Judgement and Decision Making.

Open Scholarship

Denis is a proponent of Open Science and Open Scholarship . He is a COS (Center for Open Science) Ambassador , a Catalyst in the Berkeley Initiative for Transparency in the Social Sciences and a member of the Open Scholarship Community Galway. His work on the Open Science Framework is available here.

Interested in open scholarship? Watch this video about the Open Science Framework to begin your journey.

Biographical Detail

Denis OHora graduated from University College Cork in 1998. He began his postgraduate work at UCC before moving to the National University of Ireland Maynooth in 1999 to complete his studies with the support of a Government of Ireland Scholarship. In 2002, he took up a lecturing post in London Metropolitan University where he worked for a year before being appointed as a lecturer in behaviour analysis at the University of Ulster. He was appointed to his post in the National University of Ireland, Galway in January, 2007.

Google Scholar Profile

ORCID profile

Summary

Denis studies the dynamics of learning and decision making; that is, how we interpret, respond and adapt to the situations we find ourselves in. His work addresses fundamental questions concerning cognition, but he also seeks to contribute solutions to current societal challenges, especially in relation to consumer behaviour, pro-environmental behaviour and workplace safety.

Research Groups

Denis leads the Cognition in Action research group in the School of Psychology, and is a member of the Brain and Behaviour research stream. He is also an affiliate member of the Data Science Institute and a member of the Ryan Institute for Sustainability.

Fundamental Questions

Denis’ research is an attempt to answer two questions, Why do we do what we do? and How do we do what we do? The Why question is one of motivation. He is particularly interested in what motivates our behaviour and how that changes depending on the circumstances we are in. The How question is one of behaviour dynamics, or how behaviour changes over time.

As an experimental psychologist, Denis uses tightly controlled environments to identify features of situations that help us learn or influence our decisions. His lab uses novel data collection techniques (e.g., eye tracking and computer mouse tracking) to explore these topics by having participants play learning and decision making games.

Societal Challenges

In addition to his laboratory research, Denis collaborates with other scientists and professionals to apply his research in a variety of settings, from farming to computer gaming. He particularly enjoys working on transdisciplinary challenges. For example, he has worked with farmers to improve farm safety and sustainable farming, with engineers to understand and mitigate wind turbine noise annoyance and with economists to understand housing-related issues.

Recognition

Denis is a highly regarded teacher, whose commitment to his students and their development has been recognised by his students, his academic peers and industry representatives.

• Received a Teaching Excellence Award from the College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies in 2025.
• Nominated for Teaching Excellence Awards 3 times
• Designated a Best Professor for the X Culture programme in 2024-25
• Nominated for a Regional Skills West Award by the local business community for his work on the MSc in Consumer Psychology

Leadership in Teaching

Denis developed and directed the MSc in Consumer Psychology at University of Galway from 2021 to 2025. This innovative programme was the first of its kind in Ireland and was highly thought of by students, industry partners and international colleagues prior to its closure in 2025.

Throughout his tenure at University of Galway, Denis has taken on significant educational leadership roles, including serving as Director of Undergraduate Studies during the challenging COVID-19 pandemic and coordinating various undergraduate year groups.

His expertise in psychology education has led to speaking engagements at both national and international conferences, where he has shared insights on teaching innovations. He has advised universities on the development of industry-focused psychology programmes.

Teaching Approach

As an experimental psychologist, behavioural and dynamical theories of learning and cognition formed the foundation of Denis’ pedagogical approach. Recently, the foregoing foundation has been supplemented by Fink's (2013) significant learning and opportunities for experiential learning. Fink provides a holistic approach encompassing cognitive skills alongside personal, social, and emotional dimensions, offering a comprehensive framework for designing impactful educational experiences.

His philosophy is enacted through a student-centred approach, informed by regular feedback, and evidence-based pedagogical approaches, including:

• Threshold Concepts: Identifying and explicitly addressing key concepts that unlock deeper subject understanding.

• Case-based Learning: Utilizing real-world problems to foster analytical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
• Universal Design for Learning (UDL): Creating inclusive learning environments through recorded lectures, diverse assessment options, and captioned videos.

Topics

Denis has taught a wide variety of modules at University of Galway. His primary interests relate to the science of learning and decision making, including applications to consumer behaviour. He has taught research methods and statistics from undergraduate to postgraduates and professionals.

He has also convened an experiential learning module, International Business Project, that connects with the international x-culture project, in which students collaborate on global virtual teams to develop solutions for international companies.