President's Awards for Research Excellence

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The President’s Research Excellence Awards rewards and celebrates the outstanding contributions of academic and research staff to excellent, relevant, and innovative research that enhances University of Galway’s reputation at an international level.

2021/2022

On 6 December 2022 the outcome of the President’s Awards for Research Excellence 2021/2022 was celebrated.

Research Supervisor Awardees:

  • Professor Garry Duffy is Professor of Anatomy and Regenerative Medicine within the School of Medicine and leads a research group which focuses on improving drug delivery for chronic diseases.
  • Professor John Cullinan is Professor in Economics with the School of Business and Economics, and Director of the Centre for Economic Research on Inclusivity and Sustainability.

Early Stage Researcher Awardees:

  • Dr Arstein-Kerslake, School of Law, is a member of the Irish Centre for Human Rights and has designed and carried out ground-breaking research on the human rights of disabled people.
  • Dr Emer McGrath, based in the School of Medicine and the HRB-CRFG, has a strong track record in population-health and patient-oriented research with multiple high-quality clinical research outputs in neurovascular cognitive disorders and neurodegenerative disease. 

Mid-Career Researcher Awardee:

Dr Ted Vaughan, School of Engineering, is Principal Investigator in the Biomechanics Research Centre, among other areas, his work is providing fundamental insights into the mechanics of bone fragility in type-2 diabetes

Established Researcher Awardee:

Professor Xinmin Zhan, School of Engineering, is researching the development of advanced wastewater treatment technologies, organic waste biorefinery for renewable energy production and technology roadmaps for building a green agriculture industry.

Team Awards:

The Citizen Development Lab
The Citizen Development Lab was established to deliver a body of research which would empower people to develop the skills, competencies, and confidence to work with digital technologies.

Read more about the The Citizen Development Lab here.

COVID-19 Emergency Evidence Response Service (EERS) Team.
In March 2020, in response to the pandemic, the Emergency Evidence Response Service (EERS) was formed to provide research skills to identify and address knowledge gaps from the community as well as decision-makers such as the World Health Organisation.
Read more about the COVID-19 Emergency Evidence Response Service (EERS) Team here.

For more details visit https://stories.universityofgalway.ie/presidents-awards-for-research-excellence-2021/22/index.html

2020

The President's Awards for Research Excellence were announced virtually on 14 December, 2020.

Research Supervisor Awardees:

  • Dr. Eoin Whelan, Senior Lecturer in Business Information Systems at University of Galway. His research explores the psychology underlying engagement with interactive digital media such as smartphones, social networking sites, fitness tracking apps, and online gambling and gaming sites. 
  • Professor Dearbháile Morris, Personal Professor of Antimicrobial Resistance and One Health in the School of Medicine. She is also Director of the Ryan Institute’s Centre for One Health at University of Galway.

Early Stage Researcher Awardees:

  • Dr. Thomas McDermott, Galway University Foundation Lecturer in the Economics of Climate Change and Development, based in the J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics, and Director of the MSc in Global Environmental Economics at University of Galway.
  • Dr. Eimear Dolan, a Science Foundation Ireland Royal Society University Research Fellow and Lecturer in Biomedical Engineering.

Established Researcher Awardees:

  • Dr. Jane Walsh is the Director of the Mobile Technology and Health (mHealth) Research Group at University of Galway where she is leading research on the use of novel technologies to develop personalised interventions to promote health behaviour.
  • Professor Ines Thiele, principal investigator of the Molecular Systems Physiology group at University of Galway. Her research aims to understand how diet influences human health.

Photo: Top (L-R) Dr. Eimear Dolan, Dr. Jane Walsh. Bottom (L-R) Professor Ines Thiele, Dr. Eoin Whelan, Professor Dearbháile Morris, Dr. Thomas McDermott.

Full story https://stories.universityofgalway.ie/presidents-awards-for-research-excellence-2020/index.html

2019

Research Supervisor Awardees:

  • Dr. Su-Ming Khoo from the School of Political Science and Sociology for her research into the academic quality in Irish and South African Universities.
  • Professor Paul Murphy from the School of Chemistry for his research in the development of inhibitors of carbohydrate binding proteins including those involved in infection, inflammation and cancer.

Early Stage Researcher Awardees:

  • Dr. Lorraine Morgan from the School of Business and Economics, for her research in Open Source Software, Inner Source, Open Business Models, Value Networks and Crowdsourcing.
  • Dr. John McCrae, Data Science Institute, for his work on the development of data about languages around the world.

Established Researcher Awardees: 

  • Professor John Canavan from the School of Political Science and Sociology for his work with UNESCO Child and Family Centre and the Child Welfare Sector.
  • Professor Dympna Casey from the School of Nursing and Midwifery for her work on the MARIO Project, a companion robot for people living with dementia.
  • Professor Martin O’Halloran from the Colleges of Medicine and Engineering for his work on the design and commercialisation of novel patient-centred medical devices.

Photo caption: Pictured at University of Galway’s Annual Research and Innovation Symposium were: Back row l-r: Professor Paul Murphy, Professor John Canavan, Dr John McCrae and Professor Martin O’Halloran. Front row l-r: Professor Lokesh Joshi, Dr Su-Ming Khoo, President of University of Galway, Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, Professor Dympna Casey and Dr Lorraine Morgan. Photo: Aengus McMahon

2018

Early Stage Researcher Awardees

  • Dr. Aideen Ryan from the School of Medicine for her research in the field of colon cancer immunology and inflammation.
  • Dr. Ted Vaughan from the College of Engineering and Informatics whose research focuses on the development of modelling techniques to address problems in areas such as composite materials, bone biomechanics and bone mechanobiology.
  • Dr. Gerry Molloy from the School of Psychology for leading research on describing, understanding and seeking to change medication-taking behaviour.

Established Researcher Awardees

  • Dr. Alison Forrestal from the Department of History for her research on the impact of the Catholic Reformation on early modern society, including clerical culture, missions and charitable welfare.
  • Professor Colin O'Dowd, Director of the Centre for Climate and Air Pollution Studies for his outstanding and distinguished contribution to atmospheric and climate science nationally and internationally, and is a world leader in the atmospheric aerosol and climate field.

Research Supervisor  Awardees

  • Dr. Caroline Heary from the School of Psychology for her research in the social context of health and illness during childhood and adolescence and a Co-Director on the PhD in Child and Youth Research.
  • Professor Michel Destrade from the School of Mathematics, Statistics and Applied Mathematics for his research in applying the principles of Continuum Mechanics to the modelling of soft matter, including biological tissues and gels.

2017

Early Stage Researcher Award Winners

Established Researcher Award

Research Supervisor

2016

Early Stage Researcher Award Winners

Established Researcher Award

Research Supervisor

2015

Early Stage Researcher

Established Researcher

Research Supervisor

2014

Early Stage Researcher

Established Researcher Award

Research Supervisor Award