Anna Flynn has a BA in Psychology from Maynooth University and an MA in Criminology from University College Cork. In 2019, she started a PhD in Law at University of Limerick in collaboration with the Irish Prison Service Psychology Service.

She is supervised by Dr Susan Leahy (UL), Dr Eimear Spain (UL), and Dr Emma Regan (IPS). Her research explores the management of people serving life sentences in Ireland.

It is funded by an Irish Research Council Employment-Based Postgraduate Scholarship and the Irish Prison Service. Anna has also completed a Policy & Advocacy Internship with the Irish Penal Reform Trust and has worked as a Research Assistant with the University of Limerick and the Irish Prison Service