A foreign correspondent, she has reported from Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda and Rwanda.
[4][5] Hayden obtained a Bachelor of Civil Law degree from University College Dublin in 2012.
Hayden also holds a master's degree in international relations from Trinity College Dublin.
[16][17] Hayden's debut book, My Fourth Time, We Drowned, was published in 2022, documenting irregular migration through Libya from the perspectives of migrants.
[2] In May 2023, author Max Porter named it as a "Book to Change the World".