Patrick Clancy is Emeritus Professor of Sociology and former Dean of the Faculty of Human Sciences at University College Dublin. His main area of specialisation is in the Sociology of Education and Higher Education.

His publications include four national studies of access to higher education and his comparative book, Higher Education in Ireland: A Comparative Perspective (Dublin: IPA, 2015). He was a founding member and subsequently served as a member and Chair of the Board of Governors of the Consortium of Higher Education Researchers.