News

The underfunding of the higher education sector – to the tune of €307m per annum – presents a significant challenge to Irish universities. To help bridge the gap, the sector is increasingly reliant on the generosity of alumni, philanthropic donors and corporate partners who recognise the importance of universities in a progressive, informed society. UCD Foundation’s fundraising priorities are broadly focused on student support, research, and campus development.

Reimagining the Library

One of the most exciting capital projects currently underway in UCD is a major revamp of the much-loved James Joyce Library, which has been at the very heart of campus life since 1972. Belfield has seen a lot of change since then, and the student population has increased from 10,684 to over 30,000. The old library simply doesn’t have the capacity to comfortably accommodate our students, and it no longer meets the needs of a modern university.

The urgent need for an upgrade presents a challenge, but also an opportunity to completely reimagine our learning spaces. Advances in information technologies have changed how students use and interact with the library, but with two million visits a year, we know that the physical space is still very important. With this in mind, UCD is creating a modern library that is welcoming, comfortable and accessible, and is designed to boost student wellbeing.

The project began in 2021 with the refurbishment of Level 3, and the student experience was front and centre from the start.

Dear Library…

Students wrote eloquent love letters – and in some cases breakup letters – to the library, and their feedback covered everything from the lighting and the location of power sockets to the colour and comfort of the furniture. Students also worked closely with the Library Executive Team and with the architects at Reddy Architecture + Urbanism to identify the diverse needs of library users and explore different kinds of learning spaces in other academic libraries.

The reopening of Level 3 in September 2023 marked a milestone in the library project. Students were thrilled to discover that beyond the familiar brutalist exterior, what was once a dark and uninviting space housing hundreds of old print journals had been transformed into a bright and welcoming setting, with an abundance of plants and natural materials throughout. Over 500 learning spaces accommodate all learning activities, from silent study to collaborative group work, and a sensory study room allows students with sensory needs to create an environment personalised to their preferences.

For UCD Librarian, Dr Sandra Collins, it really is all about the students: “The feedback is overwhelmingly positive. The students love the space. They feel this is their home away from home, a place where they’re welcome. This project really enhances the experience for our students, faculty and staff. We have amazing plans and we are excited to see people’s reactions to the next phase!”

The second of four planned phases of development – with an overall investment of €40m – is now full steam ahead, alongside a major philanthropic fundraising campaign. By the end of the project there will be about 3,000 high-quality study spaces available throughout the library (an increase of 46%). This current phase will see the transformation of Level 2 – along the lines of Level 3 but on a much bigger scale – as well as a purpose-designed Cultural Heritage Centre within the library, which will promote public and scholarly engagement with UCD Archives, Special Collections, and the National Folklore Collection.

The old furniture from Level 3 was donated to local schools and community groups for upcycling and reuse, and this commitment to sustainability was recognised with a UCD Values in Action Award – one of several awards for the library project to date, including an Irish Design Award and Irish Fit Out Award.

The James Joyce Library is woven into the collective experience of generations of UCD students and alumni, and the pupils who are giving our old desks a new lease of life may also become UCD students themselves someday. Meanwhile, today’s students are actively shaping the library for future generations, and we look forward to welcoming them back as alumni to see how the project is progressing.

Sporting Excellence

UCD is committed to developing the full potential of every student, and we recognise that this extends beyond academic achievement alone. The University is at the forefront of producing elite sportspeople who compete at the very highest level nationally and internationally. These achievements are due in no small part to the UCD Sports Development Fund.

The fund was established over 28 years ago to support the progression of high-performance sport in UCD, and it is fundamental to the viability of the University’s sports clubs. To date, sports that have benefited from the fund include soccer, Gaelic games, camogie, basketball, hockey, athletics, rowing, cycling, swimming and rugby.

The Sports Development Fund supports the provision of strength and conditioning expertise, massage therapy, and international travel to competitions, as well as highly sought after sports scholarships. This year alone, 92 students are in receipt of sports scholarships, and about 20 others are availing of other supports.

“Representing the UCD GAA Club had been an ambition of mine from a young age. Playing Sigerson Cup football with some of the best young players from all over the country forged friendships that will stay with me for life, and the highlight of my time in UCD was representing the University in the Sigerson final.”

Donations to the Sports Development Fund are raised primarily through use of the Bank of Ireland UCD Affinity credit card by alumni, staff and friends of the University. The donation is made at no additional cost to the cardholder.

UCD’s Sports Development Manager, Suzanne Bailey, knows how intrinsic this fund is to the success of UCD sports clubs: “We are very grateful to the alumni who, through their use of the UCD Affinity credit card, donations and sponsorship, have supported hundreds of UCD students to achieve their academic and sporting potential. We are so proud of all that the students achieve while wearing a UCD jersey. Despite the ongoing challenge of rising costs, we have ambitious plans for our performance sports and we hope to add additional sports to the scholarship programme.”

UCD students, alumni and friends who are interested in supporting the Sports Development Fund can find out more about the UCD Affinity Credit Card at www.ucd.ie/alumni/benefits/ucd-affinity-credit-card/

“The academic flexibility made possible by the scholarship has given me the opportunity to effectively balance a heavy course load and a hectic training schedule. For this, I am extremely grateful to UCD Sport as well as to UCD School of Medicine.”

UCD Ad Astra Academy

UCD’s success extends beyond the sports fields. UCD Ad Astra Academy fosters a community of highly motivated, remarkably talented students within an environment that supports them to aspire, achieve and excel. The Ad Astra Scholarship Programme offers these brilliant students across academia, performing arts, and elite sports, unique opportunities for personal, academic and professional development, and encourages them to cultivate their abilities to their full potential, to reach for the stars.

Academic scholars have gone on to pursue postgraduate studies in some of the world’s top universities, including Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard and MIT. Others have started their own companies or taken on leadership roles in global companies such as Google, Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan. Meanwhile, performing arts alumni are blazing a trail on stage and screen, while current scholars continue to develop new work, including The Stare’s Nest – a collaboration with UCD’s Poetry as Commemoration initiative – which they performed at the National Gallery of Ireland earlier this year.

Our Ad Astra Elite Sport Scholars and alumni continue to distinguish themselves nationally and internationally. The many Team Ireland Olympians and Paralympians within their ranks include current students Nicola Tuthill (Hammer), Emily Lane (Rugby Sevens), and UCD Sportsperson of the Year 2024, Eve McMahon (Sailing). Alumna Ciara Mageean’s stellar performance in this year’s European Athletics Championships won her the gold medal in the 1,500m. Alumnus Israel Olatunde made history in 2022 by becoming the fastest Irishman ever and Colin Judge (Table Tennis) is competing in the Paralympics as we go to press.

Thank you

Everyone in the UCD community plays an important role in creating an environment where students are encouraged and enabled to be creative, innovative and brave. Philanthropic support enables the University to provide state-of-the-art facilities for our students, as well as transformative scholarship programmes that help to increase the diversity of our student body.

■ Thank you to our alumni, donors and volunteers for supporting our students and helping us foster the next generation of researchers, innovators and leaders. www.ucdfoundation.ie

Don’t miss out on the personal and professional benefits available to you as a member of the UCD alumni community. Keep in touch with your Alumni team by phone (+353 1 716 1447) or email, join us at overseas events, or drop in to our office on campus. Let’s stay connected!

BUILD YOUR COMMUNITY

You belong to a growing community of more than 323,000 UCD alumni in 184 countries around the world. Your UCD community is always close at hand – online or in person – anytime, anywhere.

ENJOY ALUMNI BENEFITS

Your alumni benefits include exclusive discounts on and off campus, as well as access to a range of online resources.

CELEBRATE YOUR SUCCESS

The UCD Alumni team loves to share your achievements and successes with our community through resources like this magazine and our online alumni interview series.

GIVE BACK

You can make a real impact by donating to support scholarships, mental health services and other student supports. The Annual Giving team will assist you with all the information you need.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Get involved in our alumni volunteering programmes and explore the many ways you can support UCD and our students by giving of your time, expertise and friendship.

GROW YOUR NETWORK

Connect with fellow UCD alumni at class reunions and other events on campus and around the world, and build relationships through the UCD Alumni Network online platform.

UCD: TOP START-UPS HUB

UCD’s success as a talent incubator has been highlighted by data firm PitchBook’s latest ranking of global universities based on their start-up founder count. UCD places in fifth position in Europe and is the only Irish university to make it into the top 100 globally. 189 undergraduates from UCD went on to found companies, raising a total capital of $2.6bn.

Among the founders cited by PitchBook were clinical research psychologist and health tech visionary, Dr Alison Darcy, who founded mental health tech start-up Woebot in 2017 and raised nearly $140m. Darcy was early to recognise the potential of AI in digital mental healthcare and was named to the prestigious 2023 TIME100 AI list of influential individuals advancing conversations about how AI is reshaping the world.

PitchBook also namechecked Barry Canton, the co-founder of US-based biotech firm Ginkgo Bioworks, which raised nearly $800m before going public, and Oblivious, founded by Robert Pisarczyk and Jack Fitzsimons, a cybersecurity start-up headquartered at NovaUCD, which recently raised €5.35m.

Another UCD spin-out, Nanobox, co-founded by John Favier, has announced first round funding of €900,000 from a consortium of Irish venture capital investors, including the Yield Lab, DeepIE Ventures and Growing Capital. Nanobox has developed patented technology that adds gases to water using nanobubbles. The Nanobox technology generates nanobubbles using a low-voltage electric field with no moving parts requiring less energy than it takes to power a lightbulb. Competing methods consume much more power.

At the inaugural Public Sector Digital Transformation Awards, the AI Innovation of the Year Award went to UCD and AI_PREMie, led by Professor Patricia Maguire, which uses AI to disrupt diagnostic practices in preeclampsia and save the lives of mothers and their newborn babies.

SiriusXT, an Enterprise Ireland High-Potential Start-Up headquartered in Dublin, co-founded by Tony McEnroe, Dr Fergal O’Reilly, Dr Kenneth Fahy and Dr Paul Sheridan as a UCD spin-out company, has announced the world’s first commercial deployment of its novel table-top soft X-ray microscope, the SXT-100, at the UCD Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research.

EIRSAT-1

Ireland successfully launched its first ever satellite, the EIRSAT-1, built and designed by UCD Physics and Engineering students, into space in December 2023. To mark this momentous achievement, a poem entitled ‘All Ways Home’, written by pupils from 12 DEIS schools around Ireland in collaboration with UCD poets, is engraved on the outer cover of the antenna module. www.eirsat1.ie

UCD Climbs in International Rankings

UCD is now ranked first in Ireland for Sustainability and Employment Outcomes in the QS European University Rankings. UCD has also seen its overall position in the European rankings improve sharply, rising 20 places since the inaugural rankings were released last year, and is now ranked 51 in Europe, up from 71.

UCD ranks first in Ireland, 24th in Europe and 50th globally in the QS Sustainability Rankings 2024. UCD has also risen 45 places to 126 in the overall QS World University Rankings.

UCD Smurfit Executive Development remains one of the top education destinations for executives as it ranks in the global top 50 in both Custom Executive Education (33rd) and Open Enrolment (46th) in the latest Financial Times’ report. Within the ranking criteria the School was listed 4th globally for Growth and 27th for Programme Design. Client Satisfaction was the highest in Ireland and ranked 23rd globally. UCD Smurfit Executive Development is a member of UNICON, an invitation-only alliance of the world’s leading university-based executive education providers and holds the ‘triple crown’ of accreditation from three centres of business and academic excellence – EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA.

UCD ONE HEALTH CENTRE

UCD has launched a new centre dedicated to solving global health challenges by recognising the interconnection between and threats facing people, animals, plants, and their shared environment.

Collaborating across a variety of sectors including government, academia, international organisations, civil society, and the private sector, the UCD One Health Centre aims to research and build awareness to protect human wellbeing and health from threats such as pandemics, obesity and antibiotic resistance.

The World Health Organisation sees UCD as a front runner and part of the technical advisory group on One Health with the Centre poised to become a national and global leader in developing and implementing One Health strategies. Currently, the UCD One Health Centre is working with the WHO on a mentorship programme, contributing to a public health workshop for doctors in Ukraine, and supporting the Environmental Health Association of Ireland conference on One Health.

James Joyce Library Refurbishment

The refurbishment of Level 3 of the James Joyce Library (JJL) is complete. The JJL now offers 535 formal and informal student learning spaces in a contemporary, light-filled setting. Alongside new learning spaces, enhanced welfare facilities and water stations, the JJL now has a range of inclusive spaces and rooms designed to enhance the learning experience of all students.

UCD ANNIVERSARIES

Conway 20th Anniversary

In October, UCD Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research marked 20 years at the leading edge of research, innovation and impact. Over 500 alumni, staff, students and friends gathered to celebrate.

Ireland’s leading biomedical research institute, Conway focuses on high-quality ‘blue skies’ innovative and interdisciplinary research in the biosciences, and on developing novel therapies for chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and obesity as well as neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s, depression, and autism.

Attending the anniversary event to mark the occasion were Maureen and Hilary Daly, the daughter and granddaughter of the late Professor E.J. Conway, FRS, UCD’s first Professor of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, after whom the Institute is named.

The prestigious Conway Festival Gold Medal for outstanding research was presented to doctoral candidate Ciara Walsh for her work on immunomodulatory hydrogels in spinal cord injury.

Sutherland 10th Anniversary

UCD Sutherland School of Law marked its tenth year with the annual John M. Kelly Memorial Lecture and a special celebration of this milestone. Judge Suzanne Kingston of the General Court of the European Union, a faculty member since 2007, delivered the 2024 Lecture: ‘On the Role of Constitutional Identity: Teach Solais or Will-o’- the-Wisp?’. Guests included the Chief Justice, the Attorney General, members of the judiciary and the legal profession, as well as staff and students.

NovaUCD 20th anniversary

NovaUCD has been named one of Europe’s leading start-up hubs by the Financial Times. Ranked at 81, NovaUCD is one of only two start-up hubs in Ireland to be included in the inaugural Europe’s Leading Start-Up Hubs special report, and is the only Irish university-based hub among the rankings. In the 20 years since its establishment, NovaUCD has assisted more than 550 companies and its business community has raised more than €1.3bn in equity funding.

UCD Trapdoor Black Box Theatre

A disused performance space once home to Dramsoc has been transformed into a state-of-the art Black Box theatre. The €2.5m refurbishment has turned the former UCD Dramsoc theatre in the Newman Building into Trapdoor, a new home for student creativity, production and performance.

From the 1970s to 2012, the UCD Dramsoc theatre fostered the talent of some of Ireland’s most distinguished writers, playwrights, and theatre and film directors including Frank McGuinness, Neil Jordan, Consolata Boyle, Marina Carr and Conor McPherson. Former members of UCD Dramsoc include Brenda Fricker, Jim Sheridan, Rosaleen Linehan and Dermot Morgan.

Watch the transformation here.

PRESIDENT’S AWARDS

The President has recognised the service to UCD campus life of 20 students, presenting them with the President’s Award at a ceremony in O’Reilly Hall. The Award is given to those who have excelled in extracurricular activities of a kind that make UCD an exciting, interesting, dynamic, and humane place to live, study and work. Recipients are nominated by their peers and are actively engaged in service to UCD societies, clubs, the Students’ Union, or student support services, or competitive activity in intervarsity events.

UCD in the Community – Student Volunteer Awards

UCD students involved in volunteering activities have had their outstanding contributions recognised at the UCD in the Community Volunteering Awards. The 61 2023 award recipients run UCD sports clubs, societies, class rep and peer mentorship programmes, and actively contributed to UCD’s ‘Rising to the Future’ strategy through their external volunteering.

Ulysses Medal awarded to Professor Geoffrey Hinton

The UCD Ulysses Medal, the highest honour the University can bestow, has been awarded to one of the most influential AI researchers of the past 50 years, Professor Geoffrey Hinton, known as the ‘Godfather of AI’.

The Ulysses Medal is a symbol of outstanding achievement and contribution to the academic world, awarded annually to individuals whose work has made a profound impact on society. Previous recipients include former US President Bill Clinton, Professor Noam Chomsky, novelist Frank McGuinness, Nobel Prize-winning poet Seamus Heaney, and former Irish President Mary McAleese.

Professor Hinton has been at the forefront of AI research for decades. The great-great-grandson of logician George Boole whose work, undertaken in Ireland, underpins the foundations of modern computer science, Professor Hinton received his BA in Experimental Psychology from Cambridge in 1970 and his PhD in Artificial Intelligence from Edinburgh in 1978. His pioneering work in deep learning and neural networks has laid the foundation for revolutionary advancements in AI applications, from image recognition to natural language processing. He has also played a crucial role in mentoring and educating the next generation of AI researchers.

Honorary Doctorate for Dr Mae Jemison

UCD has awarded an honorary degree to Dr Mae Jemison – the first black woman in space – who embodies the University’s Ad Astra (‘to the stars’) motto through her work as an innovator, creative researcher and scientist motivated by social activism. Part of the Space Shuttle Endeavour mission in 1992, Dr Mae, as she is known, served six years as a NASA astronaut and was the first woman of colour to go into space during a joint mission with the Japanese space agency. Dr Mae is the newest member of UCD’s Inclusive Design Research Centre, and co-Principal Investigator of its project: IMAGINALS.

Among others, UCD has also awarded honorary doctorates to writer and patient advocate, Orla Tinsley, Dr Rory O’Donnell of the National Economic and Social Council, and Ambassador Anne Anderson, Ireland’s first female Permanent Representative to the United Nations and to the European Union; the first female Ambassador to France and Monaco; and the first woman to represent Ireland as Ambassador to the United States.

This year marks the eleventh anniversary of the UCD Alumni Awards, a celebration of the remarkable achievements of our distinguished alumni. UCD takes immense pride in honouring their outstanding accomplishments and acknowledging their contributions to society.

Established in 2014, the annual UCD Alumni Awards were created to recognise the excellence of alumni and their far-reaching impact. These Awards highlight the achievements of alumni across diverse sectors, from business and industry to healthcare, science, culture, sport and the arts.

With a global network of over 323,000 alumni in 184 countries, the recipients of the annual UCD Alumni Awards are selected amid strong competition. They are chosen for their global impact, their pioneering ambition and how their work reflects UCD’s core values.

The UCD Alumni Awards not only honour the achievements of our esteemed alumni but also inspire current and future generations of students, recognising and showcasing the impact UCD alumni continue to have on our world.

www.ucd.ie/alumni/awards

SPORT AWARD

CIARA MAGEEAN

BSc Public Health Physio & Sport Science 2017

Ciara Mageean, physiotherapist and international middle distance track athlete, has represented Ireland in the 1500m at the Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, and Paris 2024 Olympics, where she had to withdraw due to an achilles injury. In June 2024, Ciara became the European 1,500m Champion in Rome, adding a gold medal to her silver in 2022 and bronze in 2016 at the European Athletics Championships. She also claimed a bronze medal at the 2019 European Indoor Championships and achieved a 4th place finish at the World Championships in 2023, setting a new Irish 1,500m record. Ciara improved that record a month later with a stunning 3.55.87 at the Brussels Diamond League. The Co. Down athlete now holds all Irish middle-distance records: 800m (1.58.51), 1,000m (2.31.06), 1,500m (3.55.87) and the Mile (4.14.58). Ciara always wanted to represent Ireland at the highest level, the choice a toss-up between camogie and athletics. As her ultimate dream was to participate in the Olympics, athletics won the toss and a brilliant underage career, winning World Junior Silver and European Youth gold, was to set her on the path to success.

BUSINESS AWARD

AENGUS KELLY

BComm 1994, MAcc 1995

Aengus Kelly, a chartered accountant with a degree in Commerce and a master’s in Accounting from UCD, was appointed Executive Director and CEO of AerCap, the world’s largest aviation leasing company, in 2011. Under his leadership, the Dublin-based, New York-listed company acquired GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) in a landmark €25bn deal in 2021. This acquisition created the largest company of its kind in the world, with more than 2,000 planes, 300 helicopters, and 900 engines, and brought GECAS back into Irish ownership. AerCap’s recent financial results reflect its continued global growth and success. Aengus’s exceptional leadership was recognised at the Aviation 100 Awards 2024, where he was named Global CEO & Industry Leader of the Year. AerCap was honoured as Global Lessor of the Year and received the Equity Deal of the Year award for the completion of the GE Secondary Public Share Offering. Before becoming CEO, Aengus served as CEO of AerCap’s US operations (2008-2011) and was AerCap’s Group Treasurer (2005-2007). He began his career in the aviation leasing and financing sector with Guinness Peat Aviation (GPA) in 1998 and its successors AerFi in Ireland, debis AirFinance, and AerCap in Amsterdam. Prior to this, he spent three years with KPMG in Dublin.

ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE AWARD

DR CLÍODHNA LYONS 

BE Mechanical Engineering 2001, PhD Mechanical Engineering 2005

Clíodhna Lyons, a UCD Mechanical Engineering graduate also holds a PhD from UCD. While still writing her doctoral thesis, she joined the Research & Development team at Nissan in Barcelona, where she went from being an engine calibration engineer to leading the Powertrain and Software Engineering team in 2014. In 2019, Clíodhna moved to Nissan, Paris, to join the Product Planning team and in 2021 was appointed Director, Product Strategy and Planning for Europe. In her current role as Vice President, Product and Service Planning, Clíodhna is responsible for Nissan’s product strategy in Africa, Middle East, India, Europe and Oceania. Covering 147 markets, with vast diversity in customer needs, regulation and technical solutions, Clíodhna leads a team across six locations on three continents and has played a significant role in Nissan’s electrification strategy in Europe. In 2022, Clíodhna was recognised among a truly diverse and talented group of her peers as a Rising Star by Automotive News Europe, which honours leaders in the European automotive industry who are driving real change and fostering innovation. Clíodhna is a founding member of Nissan’s DEI council.

ARTS AND HUMANITIES AWARD

DR EMMA DONOGHUE

BA English and French 1990

Dublin-born award-winning novelist, screenwriter, and playwright, Dr Emma Donoghue became a Canadian citizen in 2004. Her latest novel Learned by Heart (2023) is set in 1805 and inspired by the extraordinary regency diarist Anne Lister. Room (2010) was shortlisted for the Man Booker and Orange Prizes and has sold almost three million copies. Emma adapted it into her first feature film, Room, which was nominated for four Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, Best Picture, and Best Actress (won by lead, Brie Larson). The Wonder (2016, a finalist for Canada’s Giller Prize and the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year), is about a ‘fasting girl’ in 19th-century Ireland and the English nurse sent to watch her. Emma adapted it into the 2022 film starring Florence Pugh. Haven (2022) was shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Award. Set in Dublin during the Great Flu pandemic in 1918 (and written before Covid-19), The Pull of the Stars (2020) was adapted for theatre in 2024. Emma’s work also includes historical novels Frog Music, The Sealed Letter, Life Mask, Slammerkin, and contemporary novels Akin, Landing, Hood and Stir-fry, as well as short-story collections, literary history and two anthologies.

SCIENCE AWARD

PAUL GILLEN

MSc Computer Science 2005

Paul Gillen, Managing Director and Country Lead for Barclays Bank in Ireland and Chief Security Officer for Barclays Bank in Europe, is also the global head of Cyber, Fraud and Internal Security Transformation teams, where he leads Cyber Security transformation at the bank, one of the world’s largest and most systemically important. Paul joined Barclays in London in 2015 from the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) in the Hague where he was EC3’s founding Head of Cybercrime Operations and Intelligence from 2012 to 2015. Paul has been working in cyber and fraud since 1996 and was the founder of what is now the Garda Cybercrime Bureau. As a graduate of UCD, he was also co-founder of the UCD Centre for Cyber Security and Cybercrime Investigation. Paul was founding chairperson of Europol’s European Cybercrime Training and Education Group (ECTEG) and he was also founder and co-chair of the European Union Cybercrime Task Force (EUCTF), a group made up of all the Heads of Federal Police Cybercrime Units across the EU. Paul is one of only 400 recipients of the Scott Medal for valour by the Garda Síochána for his part in the rescue of kidnapped supermarket executive Don Tidey in 1983. Paul was awarded a Fellowship of the Irish Computer Society in 2021 for a lifetime contribution to cyber security.

LAW AWARD

JOHN O’DONNELL

SC BCL 1980

John O’Donnell graduated with a bachelors in law degree from UCD and received a masters in law from Cambridge. John has distinguished himself across various fields, reaching the pinnacle of his legal career while also earning numerous awards and accolades for his literary contributions. He commenced practice at the Bar in 1983, becoming a Senior Counsel in 2001. A Bencher of King’s Inns, he has a diverse practice in civil and corporate litigation and his book Examinerships is the leading text on corporate insolvency and rescue. John’s literary work has been published widely. Awards include the Hennessy Award for Poetry and the Hennessy Award for Emerging Fiction, the Irish National Poetry Prize, New Irish Writing Awards for Poetry and Fiction, the Ireland Funds prize and the RTÉ Francis McManus Short Story Award. He has published five poetry collections. His first short story collection Almost the Same Blue was a Sunday Independent Book of the Year. Rainbow Baby, an RTÉ radio play, won a New York Festivals Radio Award. His documentary about the 1979 Fastnet disaster, ‘Back To The Rock’, was broadcast on RTÉ’s Doc On One. An Irish Writers’ Centre Novel Fair winner in 2024, his debut novel Second Skin is forthcoming, as is a new short story collection. John has been a member of the board of Poetry Ireland, and has served on the board of the Arts Council.

HEALTH AND AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AWARD

DR PATRICK BOLAND

MB BCh BAO 1967

Dr Patrick Boland is a surgeon specialising in Musculoskeletal Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre (MSKCC) New York. Born and raised in Co. Kildare, he graduated from UCD and following training in General and Orthopaedic Surgery in Boston and London he completed a Fellowship at MSKCC where he has worked for 40 years. He is professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical School and served as director of the Orthopaedic Fellowship. In 2010, he founded the International Sacro-Pelvic Study Society and currently serves as its President. Dr Boland has received several awards in the US, UK and Ireland including honorary fellowships of the RCSI and The Royal College of Physicians in London. Throughout his career, he has co-authored 150 peer-reviewed articles and has been listed among Castle Connolly America’s Top Doctors for the past decade. He considers receiving the Willet F. Whitmore Award, an award by his peers, which recognises Clinical Excellence in “talent, dedication and compassion as a doctor” his greatest honour. In retirement he hopes to contribute to musculoskeletal cancer services in Ireland.

SOCIAL SCIENCES AWARD

DR MARTÍN VON HILDEBRAND

BSocSc 1968

Ethnologist and anthropologist Dr Martín von Hildebrand has dedicated the last 50 years to strengthening indigenous communities and conservation of the Amazon. Martín, whose mother was Irish, grew up in Colombia, where his parents settled in 1948. His mother was Irish. After his studies at UCD, he returned to Colombia and spent six months in the Amazon forest with indigenous communities, witnessing their treatment as slaves by rubber dealers and how their indigenous identity was being stamped out. As an activist for indigenous rights and cultural and ecological diversity, his work in both government and nongovernment sectors led to more than 26 million hectares of the Colombian Amazon territory being officially handed back to the local indigenous inhabitants. Martín is coordinating the Andes Amazon Atlantic Corridor initiative, which aims to safeguard the ecosystem connectivity and the environmental services in the northern region of the Amazon as a concrete solution to tackle climate change. He is the recipient of many international awards including the Order of the Golden Ark in recognition of his work with Gaia Amazonas and the COAMA programme, the Right Livelihood Award, the Colombian National Environmental Prize, Operation Hope’s Man of the Year, the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship and the Special Irish Presidential Award for Irish Abroad. Martín also has a doctorate in ethnology from the Sorbonne, Paris.

RESEARCH INNOVATION AND IMPACT AWARD

DR PATRICIA SCANLON

PhD Electronic and Electrical Engineering 2005

Dr Patricia Scanlon, a pioneering figure in AI, has had a 25-year career in academia and industry, including stints at Columbia University, Bell Labs, and IBM. In 2013, she founded Dublin-based SoapBox Labs, the global leader in ethical voice AI technology for children. Inspired by her eldest child, Patricia aimed to create immersive digital experiences for children of all ages and accents. Under her leadership, SoapBox Labs achieved global acclaim and was acquired by US-based Curriculum Associates in 2023. Patricia’s innovative work earned her recognition by Forbes as one of the world’s top 50 women in tech in 2018. Beyond her entrepreneurial success, she has been a staunch advocate for ethical AI. Until May of this year, she served as Chair of Ireland’s AI Council and Ireland’s AI Ambassador, spearheading national conversations on AI’s ethical implications and societal benefits. Patricia’s insights highlight that the biggest challenges with AI lie in algorithmic and societal biases, particularly in education, healthcare, and climate. Her leadership and advocacy work shape a balanced and informed perspective on the future of AI.

In one sense, writing a book is something you do alone. The page is like a room only you can enter, one in which you must repeatedly sequester yourself, for however long it takes, to finish. Months, more usually years, are spent in that room that fits precisely one, where you must write and write until you are done.

Only that’s not entirely true. Writing, like any other vocation, pastime, preoccupation, or job, is, ultimately, a social activity. There is no true aloneness in it, or rather that aloneness is partial, finite. Eventually, inevitably, you must come back out of the room of the page and into the world. Perhaps with a ‘finished’ book, more likely an accumulation of work that you have taken as far as you can on your own.

Taking up the position of Writer in Residence in UCD for 2024 brought me back, inevitably, to 15 years ago, when I did the MA in Creative Writing right here in UCD.

I was in my mid-twenties and coming off the back of several years’ working full-time shifts in a call centre and writing in and around that job, cloistered in the room of my page. I had reached a point of creative restlessness, nursed the suspicion that I had gone as far as I could writing for myself, writing in snatches late at night or spare hours over the weekend, my writing had reached a limit in that regard. I knew intuitively that I now needed structure and discipline. I wanted exposure and feedback, for people to read my work and tell me what they thought of it. I felt I’d arrived at a point that I was ready for that, emotionally as much as creatively.

I wanted to make writing the centre of my days, and to meet and be with people who wanted the same thing for themselves. That decision set me on my way to ‘becoming’ a writer (and I feel I am still only in that state of ‘becoming’).

It is eerie, even a little disquieting, how readily the span of chronological time between two discrete points can collapse, and though it is well over a decade since I was last a student in UCD – and in the interim I have more or less written full time and published three books – in many respects my time as Writer in Residence feels like an only briefly uninterrupted continuation of that experience.

This is a feeling I have been happy to lean into. I have embraced the access to sustained, day to day, institutional resources and support afforded by the residency (this is the first time in my writing life I have had an office and a desk that is not the kitchen table!) and have found great creative nourishment in meeting, talking and interacting with the students and staff of UCD.

I have found great creative nourishment in meeting, talking and interacting with the students and staff of UCD.”

In the last semester I met with over 30 writers – many students, MA students, PhD candidates and undergraduates, and even several interested members of the public – for a series of one-onone feedback sessions. I offered a simple, open service premised on accessibility; any interested student, member of faculty or the public could send me up to 10,000 words of their writing and at an agreed date we would meet in person or remotely for a hopefully useful critique of the work submitted. The service was first come, first served, no portfolio required, for writers at any and all experience levels.

No matter where they were on their journey as writers, I met people ripe with passion, determination and obvious dedication to their craft. It was a pleasure and a gift to hear their diverse, consistently intriguing and singular voices.

I also organised (with the vital practical help of the indefatigable administrative staff in UCD School of English, Drama and Film) a discussion panel at the end of the semester, featuring the US literary agent Anna Stein, the co-founder and editor of the non-fiction literary journal Tolka, Liam Harrison, and the novelist and literary and film critic Nicole Flattery. The theme of the panel discussion was ‘The Business of Writing’ and the (loose) aim was to allow the guests to speak on the practical, structural determinants (economic, mediatic, cultural etc.) which anyone wishing to pursue writing beyond the academy must contend with.

University writing programmes are now a massive part of the contemporary literary production industry. They are, of course, not the whole story – I know as many remarkable writers who did not attend one as those who did. But for those like myself who were lucky enough to attend, and now ‘teach’ at one, they are, at their best, a place of community and comity, where your writing will sharpen and improve, and where you will discover relationships and experiences you can carry with you, both back into the room of the page and out into the world.

The launch of Ireland’s first satellite, EIRSAT-1 was a step change in Irish science and engineering. The satellite, built by University College Dublin students under the guidance of UCD faculty and staff and with the support of the European Space Agency (ESA), is now orbiting the earth.

The success of this scientific mission is emblematic of what can be achieved when a clear vision is matched by knowledge, passion and dedication. Our University motto, Ad Astra – to the stars – has never seemed more apt. And our ambitions have never seemed more possible.

Across all areas of our University, UCD students and faculty continue to generate the original knowledge and the innovative breakthroughs needed to tackle some of the world’s most complex challenges, to make a positive impact on society and to map out a better future for us all. We must encourage them to reach for the stars and support them when they do so.

Over the next couple of months, UCD’s new five-year strategy will be launched. We are grateful for the contributions of our alumni, supporters and other stakeholders in developing the strategy and shaping the future of UCD, and I thank all of those who participated in our consultation process. Together, through our new strategic direction, we can reach great new heights and ensure UCD’s future standing among the best universities in the world.

At our summer graduation ceremonies at Belfield, more than 1,300 students were conferred. The degree awards were a combination of undergraduate degrees, postgraduate awards, and PhDs. We also conferred degrees on over 800 students across our joint international campuses.

I would like to personally welcome each of our new graduates to our alumni community, and invite you to stay in contact with your alma mater.

In the pages of this magazine you will read of the many ways that UCD and its partners and collaborators are joining together to set out and achieve ambitious goals. You will see how a €6m philanthropic donation from FBD is set to transform agricultural science with the construction of a new Agricultural Science Centre at UCD Lyons Farm.

This new state-of-the-art centre will enable students, researchers, innovators and industry experts to collaborate on far-reaching projects to tackle some of the most pressing challenges of modern farming and agriculture – including global food security and the sustainable future of our planet.

You will also see that a record number of UCD sports stars were selected to fly the flag for Team Ireland at the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics. A mix of both students and alumni, the 34 UCD-affiliated athletes competed across a range of events including cycling, hockey, rowing, rugby, equestrian, track and field, sailing, swimming, table tennis and archery.

Team Ireland took home seven Olympic medals, with UCD alumnus Paul O’Donovan and his team-mate Fintan McCarthy winning Gold in the Men’s Lightweight Double Sculls. But it is the ambition, dedication and commitment of all our athletes to be the best that they can be that we particularly wish to emphasise. We are in awe of their achievements on the world stage. They made UCD and Ireland very proud. To celebrate their successes, we will welcome the athletes to a homecoming on campus at their alma mater later this year.

And finally, in the pages that follow, you will read of the many key appointments and achievements of UCD alumni – some of whom you may recognise and remember from your time as a UCD student.

Their successes embody the best of what it means to be a UCD graduate. Táimid an-bhródúil as ár bpobal alumni.

Belonging is the need to be part of something, to experience real connectedness for who we are and what we bring to the world. Along with love, belonging is an irreducible need for all people. In its absence there is suffering.

From clubs and societies to year groups and student unions, student life has always been conceptualised as a time of togetherness, affiliation, connection, and kinship. The university in these senses is much more than an abstract ideal. It is a concrete space where the energy of real-life places and rituals is paramount. Indeed, the sense that a person is doing something with others, as part of a broader experience that stretches and unites across time and space, has always been fundamental to the university as institution: from rituals of arrival (orientation and welcoming events) and departure (graduation ceremonies) to university mascots, mottos and generational folklore.

As a chartered psychologist, researcher and a founding member of Jigsaw, Ireland’s national centre for youth mental health, I have a particular interest in the lived experience of mental health and distress, both of which were negatively affected by the pandemic.

I wanted to explore how belonging would manifest in a post-pandemic university setting where the buzz of campus life had been interrupted. The Belonging Project, a joint venture between UCD School of Education, UCD School of Philosophy and the National College of Art (NCAD) began in late 2022, as the UCD community adjusted to being back on campus. The first step was to invite students, staff and alumni to write about a time they felt they belonged on campus.

The initiative struck a chord. We received a huge number of short stories, poetry, essays, reflections and interviews describing how, when and where the writer experienced a sense of belonging. Of these all excellent submissions, 40 writers were chosen to be paired with a student from NCAD who would interpret their written words through their chosen visual medium – graphic design, illustration, video and painting.

In August 2023, The Belonging Project was launched with an exhibition at the Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI). Contributors read their pieces and artists spoke about how they interpreted their words. I think belonging was something that people had been thinking about privately and we represented it in a powerful way that people understood. We have excerpted a selection of submissions here.

For more contributions, see belonging.ie

A Lifelong Journey of Belonging

Writer:

John Callaghan

Artist:

Dermot Flynn

As an undergraduate student of Agricultural Science at UCD, I participated in many college activities including debates, athletics and football. I was also a regular poker player in the dimly lit basement of the then College of Science Building in Merrion Street.

Some of the most cherished events of an Ags UCD experience in the 1960s were the amazingly popular Ags Dances in the Olympic Ballroom, organised and run by final year students in the faculty of Agriculture. The top showbands of the day featured in turn, including the Capital, the Miami, the Dixies, the Clipper Carlton, and dozens more. Proceeds were banked to finance a trip abroad for the final year students as a ‘last hurrah’ before final exams. Friendships and memories made at the dances were everlasting. Of course, alcohol was not then available at dance venues, and many were first lured into relationships on the dance floor of the Olympic by the overture: “Will you have a mineral?”

I graduated in 1964 and worked as an Agricultural Adviser in Louth and Cork. In 1969, I joined the staff of UCD and was awarded a Kellogg Fellowship. I went to the US for postgraduate studies and throughout my time there, was kept fully informed of all the goings-on back home by my colleagues in UCD. Every Friday evening, the local UCD Fellows would meet for a ‘few scoops’. One of the scoopers – a former classmate of mine at UCD – received the Monday edition of The Irish Times by post each week. Who would get to read it first? There was always a scrum.

Returning to Ireland, I was responsible for the research component of the MA degree in UCD’s Department of Agricultural Extension. I also lectured Ags undergrads. Everyday personal contact with the students, and particularly the supervision of numerous masters theses, guaranteed many lifelong friendships.

In recent years, my wife and I have been enthusiastic participants in UCD Lifelong Learning courses, mainly in literature and the arts. I completed the course “Genealogy/Family History” in 2014 and I have continued to make regular use of the James Joyce Library and research faculties. I also value being able to support the UCD Champions ‘Opening Doors’ Alumni Fund.

Dancing Together

Writer:

Sorcha McElchar

Artist:

Lauren O’Reilly

Illness meant that I had to stop dancing for a few years, but when a new treatment made me stronger and healthier than I had ever been, I started taking Ballet classes with Aishlingí Academy. I felt like I’d never been away.

I don’t feel like I must pretend to be someone I’m not when I’m there. Everyone is supportive, and when I perform with them, I feel like I’m an essential part of something special.

The Boy

Writer:

Adam Baranyi

Artist:

Luke Doyle

“Are you a fresher,” he said, pointing at the boy’s scarf. “I am, you?” “Ah me too! You just had your tour too?” “Yes. Film & English … you?” “You’re jokin’, I’m on Film & English.” “And which bus …?” “The 7pm 740 to Gorey.” “Wait, what? Okay, this is just unreal.”

Still friends, men now, both work and have a place up in Dublin, so they don’t have to commute anymore. And the boy, now a man, lives happily in Ireland and doesn’t regret a single thing in coming here, working here, and studying here.

Maybe I don’t Need a Thousand Welcomes – I Just Need a Few

Writer:

Maimuna Adams

Artist:

Stephanie Agbele

The day of my interview for an Access course, in 2019, I felt only shame, loneliness. My social status in Ireland was nothing to be proud of. A female Nigerian asylum seeker living in the direct provision system and oh, I was pregnant, and a mature student. I felt dirty, intimidated, exposed, out of place, with nothing but my need to belong and my passion for education.

When I got to the Access and Lifelong Learning (ALL) Centre at UCD, every judgmental voice in my head quietened. It was as if I had stepped into another world. I was greeted with a warm smile by a staff member who was a truly wonderful and helpful person. I felt a sense of connection to the place and I wanted badly to belong, so I poured my heart into my personal statement and my interview. I talked about a novel I had read a while ago, my plans for the future and how I intended to care for my unborn baby during school term, if my application was successful.

I left the ALL Centre full of hope. I did not feel judged by my interviewer, I felt understood. It was with a different feeling that I walked out of UCD that day. The feeling that I had found my place of sanctuary was very strong, I just needed to get in. My first encounter with the ALL Centre staff and the effects of the environment itself made me feel like I belonged in UCD and this feeling was reinforced by the support and openness I got from staff, lecturers and students, from the day I started classes in September 2019. When my baby was born, they let me bring her to class; they took turns holding her, I was made aware of supports and shown facilities available to me. I saw that I was not crazy to want education as an asylum seeker and a mother. I found my place and my voice with UCD.

The Wrong Coat

Writer:

Patrice Harrington

Artist:

Kamila De Stefano

I wore the wrong coat On the first day Then couldn’t seem to Shrug it off In my haste It snagged on jagged shoulders Became a farcical cape For my own crusade I could feel it Trail behind me Across the cracked path To this place Swishing around We left no trace The forward foot Erased The back foot In its happy space But in between A fizz and hiss This lit kiss and Cradled candle Handed down the dark To brighten even The brightest mazes

DJ BASKET CASE

Writer:

Colm O’Shea

Artist:

Rob McGrath

I’m autistic. A neurological condition that’s given to loudmouths and freaks. Because of that, a part of myself, specifically my head, can feel about as hollow as a large chocolate egg and twice as fragile. Almost as fragile as the majority of connections I had before third level. More often than not, there is at least a group or person out there in UCD that will be interested in your likes and dislikes. So when and where did I feel like I belonged at my college? My answer is, when I started working at Belfield FM. And I could finally express myself for who I am.

Celebrating Success and Global Impact

UCD Alumni Awards 2023 Recognise Excellence and Achievement

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the UCD Alumni Awards, which proudly celebrate the success and exceptional achievements of UCD’s alumni and recognise their outstanding accomplishments and contribution to society.

The UCD Alumni Awards were established in 2014 to recognise the excellence and achievement of alumni who are making a difference in all areas of society and the economy from business and industry, healthcare and science to culture and the arts. With more than 310,000 alumni in 184 countries, recipients of the annual UCD Alumni Awards are selected amid stiff competition for their global impact, their pioneering ambition and the ways in which their groundbreaking and trailblazing work reflects one or more of UCD’s strategic themes: Creating a Sustainable Global Society; Transforming through Digital Technology; Building a Healthy World; and Empowering Humanity.

Every year, UCD receives nominations from the alumni network, from faculty and staff and others for individuals who are deemed worthy to be considered for an Alumni Award. Nominees actively demonstrate the values of integrity, excellence, collegiality, creativity, diversity in their field. The UCD Alumni Awards are a way for UCD to showcase the accomplishments and successes of our alumni, which are a source of great pride to the University and an inspiration to present and future generations.

Law Award

Aedamar Comiskey – BCL 1988

A leading public and private M&A lawyer, London-based Aedamar Comiskey was elected Linklaters’ Senior Partner and Chair in May 2021. The firm has 30 offices in 20 countries, with more than 530 partners.

An Irish lawyer at the very top of her game, Aedamar is the first female Senior Partner in the firm’s 183-year history and prior to this role, was Global Head of Corporate, leading 2,000 people. Having joined Linklaters as a trainee in 1992, she made an early commitment to the firm and during her long career has championed the workforce’s diversity of backgrounds and nationalities.

Aedamar is an active sponsor of the ‘Linklaters’ Women’s Leadership Programme’ which aims to support the firm’s women in reaching senior leadership positions. Aedamar was recognised by Financial News as one of the 20 Most Influential in Legal Services 2021. She has featured in the City AM’s Power 100 Women List, Financial News Top 20 Influential Women in Law and was recognised in The Lawyer magazine’s Hot 100 Lawyers rankings.

Engineering and Architecture Award

Malachy Browne – BE 1997 (Electronic)

Malachy Browne is an Enterprise Investigations Director on the Visual Investigations team at the New York Times and is in charge of investigations that have breakthrough potential to change policy and public debate.

The Visual Investigations team at the newspaper combines traditional reporting with advanced digital forensics. Malachy co-directed “Day of Rage,” a documentary capturing in vivid detail what happened during the US Capitol riot, and he has worked on investigations into the killing of Breonna Taylor and other Black Americans by police, Russian atrocities in Ukraine, the Las Vegas mass shooting, the Saudi officials who killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey, and the killing of a young Palestinian medic along the Gaza-Israel border.

This teamwork has received several awards, including two Pulitzer Prizes, four News and Documentary Emmys, two George Polk Awards, three Overseas Press Club of America Awards, the Scripps Howard Impact Award, an Investigative Reporters and Editors Award, and three Pulitzer finalist citations (2017). In May 2020, the team won a Pulitzer Prize (the highest honour in journalism) for International Reporting, as part of an investigation into a series of stories about Russian bombings in Syria.

In May 2023, the team received a second Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the Ukraine War, including an eight-month investigation into Ukrainian deaths in the town of Bucha and the Russian unit responsible for the killings.

Social Sciences Award

Dr Alison Darcy – BA 1999 (Psychology), MLITT 2005 (Psychology), PHD 2007 (Psychology)

Dr Alison Darcy is an entrepreneur, psychologist and technologist and founder and President of Woebot Labs, a cognitive behavioural therapist chatbot.

Throughout her career she has combined her skills in technology with her expertise in psychology to make a difference in people’s lives. Woebot, an AI-powered chatbot, enables users to monitor and manage their mental health, using evidence-based cognitive behavioural techniques.

It came about as a direct result of Alison’s clinical practice, where she observed a lack of continuity for patients after psychological support ended. In 2020, Woebot added COVID-19 support, expanding its CBT support to include interpersonal psychotherapy.

Alison wants to make mental health services and the training of cognitive behavioural therapy accessible to all, and she has pioneered the use of online learning methods to train clinicians. Since founding Woebot, Alison has secured more than $123.5 million in funding for the company, and she is also currently an Adjunct Faculty member in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Department of Stanford’s School of Medicine.

Health And Agricultural Sciences Award

Rachel Kenna – BSc (Nursing Mangt) 2003

Rachel Kenna is Chief Nurse in the Department of Health, and has been instrumental in improving the population health of people in Ireland and the working conditions of healthcare staff as well as impacting on patient safety.

She played a key role in facilitating the rollout of the vaccination programme during the COVID-19 pandemic, the development of a population health screening policy, implementation of strategic health workforce planning and informing patient safety legislation.

Rachel is a general and children’s nurse and has previously held the position of Director of Nursing at Children’s Health Ireland, Crumlin and as Deputy Chief Nurse in the Department of Health. Rachel holds a BSc in Nursing Management and an MSc in Child Protection and Welfare (TCD) as well a Higher Diploma in Professional Practice, Critical Care, Leadership, Quality in Healthcare, a Diploma in Human Rights and Equality and a Professional Diploma in Governance. Rachel was selected as a Florence Nightingale Leadership Scholar for 2021.

Sport Award

Josh Van Der Flier – Dip Sports Management 2013, BSc (Sports & Exercise Management) 2017

In 2022, rugby union player for Leinster and Ireland, UCD Rugby’s Josh van der Flier became only the third Irishman to be named World Rugby Men’s 15s Player of the Year and was also selected for the World Rugby Men’s 15s Dream Team of the Year.

The same year, he was named EPCR European Player of the Year, Leinster Rugby Players’ Player of the Year, Rugby Players Ireland Players’ Player of the Year and Guinness Rugby Writers of Ireland Player of the Year 2022.

He was a member of the Ireland rugby team that secured a historic first win over the All Blacks on New Zealand soil, playing in all three test matches and scoring a try in the final test and in the 2022 November internationals, he was a key player in wins over South Africa and Australia.

Ahead of this year’s Rugby World Cup taking place in France, Josh was a key member of the 2023 Six Nations Grand Slamwinning Irish squad, earning his 50th international cap against England in the final game of the tournament. Josh’s involvement with UCD Rugby continues with his support for Daffodil Day fundraising for the Irish Cancer Society.

Science Award

Dr Margaret Faul – BSc 1986 (Chemistry), MSc 1988 (Chemistry)

Dr Margaret Faul is recognised internationally as a leader in the pharmaceutical industry and a strong advocate for women in chemistry.

Throughout her 25-year career at Amgen, California she has commercialised innovative medicines to treat patients with serious illness, focusing on the process development and supply of drugs for clinical trials and the commercial market.

Prior to her current role as Vice President of Manufacturing and Clinical Supply and Operations Site Head, she advanced the company’s sustainability culture in evolving a green chemistry culture focused on the implementation of more sustainable chemical processes as the firm’s Vice President of Drug Product Technologies.

Margaret has been a member of the editorial boards for Science of Synthesis, Organic Synthesis, Journal of Organic Chemistry and Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry and her scientific excellence is demonstrated through more than 100 scientific publications and eleven patents.

She is the recipient of many awards, including the Earle B. Barnes Award for Leadership in Chemical Research Management and a HBA Rising Star Award. Margaret is a Fellow of the American Chemical Society and a member of the International IQ consortium. In 2019, Thieme Chemistry and the editors of Science of Synthesis announced an annual Dr Margaret Faul Women in Chemistry Award, to recognise outstanding contributions by young women to research in organic chemistry.

Research, Innovation and Impact Award

Dr Eileen Furlong – BSc 1992 (Pharmacology), PhD 1996 (Pharmacology)

In her final year at UCD Eileen Furlong won the ICI Pharmaceuticals Division Prize, awarded to the candidate who achieved first place in the final BSc (Honours) Degree Examination in Pharmacology.

It was a sign of success to come. A leading molecular biologist working in the fields of transcription, chromatin biology, developmental biology and genomics, Eileen is known globally for her work in understanding how the genome is regulated, in how developmental enhancers function, how they interact within three-dimensional chromatin topologies and drive cell fate decisions during embryogenesis.

Her groundbreaking research provides insights into the inter-relationships between the genome and the environment. Eileen is Head of the Genome Biology Department at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and elected a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) in 2013, the Academia Europaea in 2016, EMBO’s research council in 2018, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2022.

Eileen has received several awards, including the 2022 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize, Germany’s most prestigious award.

Business Award

Kerry McLaverty – EMBA 2017

Kerry McLaverty, CEO of LauraLynn, Ireland’s Children’s Hospice, began her career at the Hospice in 2012 after being headhunted to work at the newly-opened organisation, where she pioneered therapeutic family camps and implemented a servicewide electronic medical record system.

Kerry had originally studied Sports Medicine in the US, and completed a Masters in Physiotherapy at the University of Ulster. She commenced her journey in the Irish healthcare sector as a Chartered Physiotherapist at Stewarts Hospital in Palmerstown, and working as an adjunct lecturer at the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland, and as a guest lecturer in paediatrics and intellectual disability.

During her Executive MBA studies as an Aspire Scholar at UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, Kerry progressed as LauraLynn’s Head of Operations and Company Secretary and played a leading role in the development of LauraLynn’s fiveyear Strategic Plan (2019-2023). In 2020, her first year as CEO of LauraLynn, the Hospice secured an historic €1.5 million in annual statutory funding for the Hospice and in 2021, LauraLynn marked a ‘Decade of Care’, unveiling ambitious expansion plans including a new hub for Cork/Kerry. Kerry won the coveted AMBA Leadership Award 2022. Kerry is committed to the wider voluntary sector in Ireland, highlighted by her recent election to the Board of The Wheel, Ireland’s association of nonprofit organisations.

Arts and Humanities Award

Olivia O’Leary – BA 1969 (Spanish, Philosophy)

One of the country’s most respected journalists and commentators, Olivia O’Leary first trained as a journalist with the Nationalist and Leinster Times in Carlow. She then worked for the Irish Times as a parliamentary sketch writer, and was also a news reporter for RTÉ.

Olivia went on to become a current affairs presenter, working on programmes like Today Tonight, and Questions and Answers. She later moved to the UK and was one of the first women presenters on BBC’s Newsnight, returning home in the mid-1980s to present the flagship current affairs programme Today Tonight and its successor Prime Time. Olivia won three Jacob’s Awards and a Sony Award for her BBC Radio 4 programme, Between Ourselves.

Her insightful observations, skilled wordcraft and belief in high ethical standards in public life are evident in her books, Politicians and Other Animals, Party Animals, and Mary Robinson: The Authorised Biography, co-authored by Dr Helen Burke, and also in her decision in 2009 to leave the Roman Catholic Church over the cover up of clerical abuse scandals and their refusal to ordain women.

In 2011, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by UCD. Olivia is the recipient of two honorary doctorate degrees, from UCD in 2011 and from Trinity College Dublin in 2017, and she was elected a member of the Royal Irish Academy in 2019.

UCD Volunteers Overseas (UCDVO), is a registered charity offering students, faculty, staff, and alumni the opportunity to participate in values-based volunteering and global citizenship education programmes. UCDVO has a diverse range of volunteer projects including online computer education with a partner in Myanmar, South North volunteering on a new eco-system restoration project in Ireland, and health, livelihoods and education programmes in Tanzania and Uganda. Founded by the late Fr Tony Coote in 2003, UCDVO is marking its 20th anniversary with a collaborative exhibition, Stories of Change. This is an opportunity to demonstrate the longer term, transformative impact of values-based volunteering and to invite some of the almost 2,000 UCDVO alumni to tell their own stories of how volunteering has influenced their lives. Visit the full exhibition as part of the UCD Global Summit on 3-4 October 2023 in the UCD Student Centre, Belfield. www.ucdvo.org

UCDVO’s Stories of Change series is funded by Irish Aid at the Department of Foreign Affairs. Irish Aid is the Government’s overseas development programme which supports partners working in some of the world’s poorest countries. Irish Aid also supports global citizenship education in Ireland to encourage learning and public engagement with global issues.

SEÁN O’CONNELL BCL 2010

UCDVO Nicaragua – 2010, 2012, 2013

Seán’s story begins with a candid admission: “To be totally honest, I wasn’t motivated by pureness.” It’s a sentiment that will resonate with many of us. Initially, the allure of a month abroad, immersing himself in a different culture alongside friends, was a major motivation to join UCDVO. It turned out to be an experience which would shape his life and career.

Seán first explored volunteering with UCDVO after learning about human rights injustices in Nicaragua while studying Law at UCD. He worked on various projects in Nicaragua with UCDVO partners, from the construction of an extension in a rural school to providing educational support for children with disabilities, and returned twice to lead teams of volunteers.

His overseas experience was “life-changing”, allowing him to gain a wider perspective on global responsibility, but he explained: “It was how I applied what I learned when I returned home that made the most impact.”

Inspired by the community culture and peer-to-peer learning at UCDVO, Seán said the programme prompted him to reassess his personal values. “The structure of the programme helps to bring diverse perspectives to the table, and makes you question everything you think you know about the world. It made me ask myself why things were the way they were, and how I could be of more use in improving them.”

After the programme, Seán decided to pursue a career in human rights law, interning with Amnesty International and co-founding the World’s Best News Campaign for Ireland – stories which challenged people’s perceptions of developing countries – before working for UCDVO, helping to recruit and prepare volunteers.

He subsequently qualified as an attorney in New York, worked with the Irish Department of Justice, Department of Foreign Affairs, and the United Nations Development Programme in Vietnam and Lao PDR. He is now based in Geneva with the United Nations, focusing on the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation on human rights.

The UCDVO programme served as a transformative learning journey for Seán and guided his commitment to human rights. “I can confidently say UCDVO has been one of the biggest influences on where I am now and what I do.”

DR SANGHAMITRA MUKHERJEE PhD, Energy and Natural Resource Economics, 2022

UCDVO Tanzania – 2020

When Sangha joined UCDVO in 2020, she had very little leadership experience and was looking for a way to break into the environmental sphere. Within three years, she was named one of the top 100 inspiring female sustainability leaders by Illuminem in 2023.

Sangha joined UCD in 2016 to undertake a PhD in Energy and Natural Resource Economics. She had recently returned from volunteering in Uganda and was craving an opportunity that offered her a deeper dive into values-based volunteering and global citizenship education. “The UCDVO volunteer programme exceeded all my expectations. It was incredibly comprehensive and focused on every aspect of global issues, from migration to poverty alleviation.”

As team coordinator, Sangha managed a group of UCD students teaching IT skills to teachers in Tanzania with UCDVO’s partner TanzEd. The pandemic posed significant challenges but the group adapted and taught online. “UCDVO taught me invaluable skills, from facilitation techniques to IT skills. But, most importantly, it taught me how to cultivate flexibility and adaptability.”

Sangha explained how the training and network opportunities provided by UCDVO were game-changing and helped her forge a fulfilling career in sustainability. “The programme allowed me to expand my network and gave me the confidence to apply for jobs I’d never dreamed of before.”

Sangha has served as an Irish climate ambassador, an SDG advocate and an EU climate pact ambassador. “As well as my PhD from UCD, my UCDVO experience has helped me bring interdisciplinary thinking and social justice elements to all of my work.”

Sangha also founded The Chikyu Project – a project to minimise household food waste in Ireland – and has achieved recognition for her writing on biodiversity and social responsibility. She has delivered speeches at the EU youth talks in Brussels and at COP27. “I’m so grateful to UCDVO. I wouldn’t be where I am today without it.”