Naomi Foley graduated with a B.A. (Hons.) in Economics & Finance and an M.A. (Economics) from NUI Maynooth. Her postgraduate research was focused on the bioeconomic management of Irish Sea cod stocks.

Naomi was awarded a PhD sudentship under the European project PROTECT in May 2005. She is a member of inter-disciplinary team based in the Martin Ryan Institute and her research will undertake a bioeconomic evaluation of Marine Protected Areas as a tool to protect deep water coral in the North East Atlantic. The research will be carried out under the joint supervision of Dr. Tom van Rensburg and Dr. Claire Armstront. Her main interest is fisheries economics.