Erin is a Lecturer in Social Policy at the School of Applied Social and Policy Sciences, Ulster University. She is also a Visiting Scholar at the School of Law, Queen's University Belfast and Director of the Kids' Life and Times survey in Northern Ireland (ARK).

Prior to joining Ulster University, Erin was a Lecturer in Sociology at Queen’s University Belfast. She also held a Research Fellowship at the Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities at the Institute of Education, University College London.

Erin’s research is centred around secondary data analysis and evidence synthesis to examine social inequalities in education, health and the family. She holds the following roles relating to her research profile:

Journal and Editorial Roles

• Associate Editor of Campbell Systematic Reviews
• Review Editor of Frontiers in Education (Mental Health and Wellbeing in Education)
• Special Issue Editor of International Journal of Population Data Science (Linked administrative education and health data: Scoping international collaborations)
• Editorial Board member of Sociology

Committee & Organisation Roles

• Director, Kids' Life and Times survey
• Co-Convenor of BERA Research Methodologies Special Interest Group
• Member of the UNSECO Inclusive Policy Lab
• Associate of ARK (Northern Ireland’s Social Policy hub)
• Member of the British Educational Research Association (BERA) Publications Committee (2020 - 2025)

Dr Early is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education Teaching from Queen's University Belfast. 

Undergraduate

• SOP503 Gender and Social Policy (Module Convenor, academic year 2023/24 - present).
  
• SOP106 Education Policy and Practice (Module Convenor, academic year 2024/25 - present).
• SOP543 The Environment, Social Justice and Sustainable Social Policy (Module Convenor, academic year 2024/25; Teaching staff, academic year 2025/26).
• SOP302 Social Survey Methods (Teaching staff, academic year 2024/25; Module Convenor, academic year 2025/26).

Postgraduate

• PUP711 Research Methods and Skills (Module Convenor, academic year 2023/24)
• SOP712 From Theory to Practice: Addressing inequality and social injustice through Social Policy (Teaching staff, academic year 2023/24)