Deirdre joined LWTT in 2007 and has over 20 years experience in community development. She is the co-ordinator of Forth Valley 4 (the current degree cohort) and has responsibility for the development of LWTT research activities. These have included a year long research project into community capacity building and community involvement in former coalfield communities and an ongoing action research project related to the aspirations and experience of current degree participants.

Deirdre joined LWTT from the Scottish Council Foundation, an independent think tank based in Edinburgh, where she was policy and research manager. Before this she was Head of Research at Community Learning Scotland. She has extensive experience in designing, undertaking and managing qualitative research into a range of social policy areas. These have included research projects into community and public engagement in policy processes, such as engaging the public in managing radioactive waste safely and research into sustainability of public focus and patient involvement both on behalf of the Scottish Executive. She has also explored the links between community based volunteering and health and well-being for Volunteer Development Scotland and is in the final stages of writing up her doctoral thesis which explored the role of community development in supporting capacity building in neighbourhood settings.

She previously worked in local government, with the Scottish Community Development Centre and with Rural Forum (Scotland) in both developmental and research capacities. Deirdre was a member of the editorial team for the Journal of Community Work and Development and has published work on a range of subjects, including research into rural financial inclusion and capability issues, community councils, community engagement, decentralisation and volunteering. She is a member of the CPD sub committee of the newly formed Standards Council for CLD.