University refuses to comment on second PhD claim by Galway academic
It has emerged that the former head of journalism at University of Galway also made separate claims about undertaking a PhD at the Centre for European Studies at UL, where he previously worked as a lecturer
The Galway professor embroiled in controversy over reports of a “fake doctorate” last week made separate claims regarding PhD studies at University of Limerick (UL), Galway Live can reveal.
RTÉ Prime Time reported last Friday that Tom Felle, an associate professor at University of Galway, had been falsely claiming to have a doctorate from a prestigious English university.
It alleged that the former Fulbright scholar and fake news expert had claimed to have attained a PhD by prior publication at City, University of London (now City St. George’s), where he used to lecture, in 2022.
Prime Time reported that Mr Felle could not recall the title of his PhD thesis, that there was no record of a thesis by him at the university, and that the university did not award any doctoral degrees by prior publication during the relevant period.
It has emerged that the former head of journalism at University of Galway also made separate claims about undertaking a PhD at the Centre for European Studies at UL, where he previously worked as a lecturer.
He was described in a number of articles published between March and November 2009 as a PhD researcher at UL. There is no doctoral thesis by Mr Felle at the university’s library.
Asked to confirm whether Mr Felle had been a PhD researcher or attained a doctoral qualification at the university, a spokesman for UL refused to comment.
Mr Felle was recruited by University of Galway in 2018, tasked with restoring the reputation of its journalism department following a series of controversies and damaging negative publicity.
Its MA programme was suspended for a year, and postgraduate students lodged a collective complaint over the standard of the course, which resulted in them receiving partial fee refunds.
It is understood that the position to which Mr Felle was recruited had a requirement for a PhD or equivalent evidence of relevant experience.
Prime Time reported that a number of references to “Dr Tom Felle” had been removed from the university’s website after questions were raised about the legitimacy of his qualification. This title was also featured in official prospectuses.
According to the website, Mr Felle’s research interests include “trust, transparency and the role of journalism in democratic life”, as well as “information disorder, verification, and the manipulation of online information”.
In 2024, he was appointed an expert assessor for Coimisiún na Meán, the media regulator. He is also a judge at the Irish Journalism Awards.
A spokesman for University of Galway, which received almost €100 million in direct funding from the state last year, told the Galway Live: “Any questions about the veracity of academic records would be a matter for the university to address internally and privately.”
Mr Felle did not respond to requests for comment.