John Pender PhD is a Senior Lecturer in Politics and Social Policy in the Department of Social Sciences, Institute of Technology, Sligo.  He holds degrees from Queen's University Belfast, Maynooth University, University of Bath and University of Leeds. Prior to his arrival in Sligo in 2004, he was Principal Lecturer in Politics and European Social Policy at Leeds Metropolitan University where from 1993 he taught an array of undergraduate and postgraduate modules including the Politics of European Integration, European Social Policy Analysis, Government and Politics of Ireland, Futures of Welfare and Agencies of Welfare. His PhD thesis, supervised by Professors Christopher Lord and Kevin Theakston, explored the extent to which and circumstances within which European Commissioners may exercise supranational political entrepreneurship. His main research interests and activities in Leeds centred on the experiences of Irish migrants, particularly around their mental health and wider social contexts. His most recent research involved undertaking and chairing a Government of Ireland funded national audit of the experiences of migrants and higher education in Ireland. His current research focuses on the impact of technology on the care of children and older people. He delivered a conference paper on 'The Futures of Care and Carers' at the 6th International Carers conference, Gothenburg in September 2015. In addition to supervising a number of post-graduate research students, he currently teaches a range of undergraduate modules to students specialising in EU social policy, Irish social policy, welfare state studies and future and forecasting studies.