Council

Name and Title: Prof. Dáire Keogh
President, Dublin City University

Phone: +353 (1) 700 5666

Email: president@dcu.ie

Description: Professor Keogh has succeeded Professor Brian MacCraith, as President of DCU and took up his role in August 2020. Professor Keogh was President of St Patrick’s College Drumcondra from 2012 until 2016 when the college was incorporated into DCU. Since then he has served as Deputy President of DCU. Dáire Keogh, a Dubliner, is a Professor of History at DCU and former President of St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra. He is a Fellow of the University Design Institute at Arizona State University. He serves on several boards, including Women For Election. As President of St Patrick’s College Drumcondra (2012-16) where he led an expansion of the College’s curriculum, and the completion of an ambitious capital programme, which included the construction of the iconic Cregan Library in Drumcondra. He led the College team through its Incorporation into DCU in 2016. He is the founding Chair of the British Irish Chamber of Commerce ‘Higher Education, Research, and Industry Committee’, a group which has made a significant contribution to advancing education and enterprise collaborations in the context of Brexit. He has also served as a board member of The Centre for Cross Border Studies. Dáire has a strong international profile, and is currently a Fellow at the University Design Institute, at DCU’s American partner, Arizona State University. He is a founding member of the European Quality Assurance Register (EQAR) Committee, the body charged by EU Governments with monitoring quality assurance in higher education across the continent. He held an adjunct professorship at the University of Notre Dame. Dáire was educated at Synge Street CBS and graduated from University College Dublin with a BA in History. Further studies took him to the Gregorian University, Rome (BPh), University of Glasgow (MTh), and Trinity College, Dublin, where he completed a PhD in History. He qualified as a Chartered Director of the Institute of Directors. He has published extensively on the history of popular politics, religion, gender, and education in Ireland. A former Government of Ireland Senior Research Fellow, he is currently Principal Investigator of an Irish Research Council funded project to publish the mammoth correspondence of Cardinal Paul Cullen. He is chair of the Editorial Board of Studia Hibernica, DCU’s Journal of Irish Studies. He has a strong commitment to equality issues and served as Vice President of the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT). Since 2014, he has been a board member of Women for Election, whose mission is to inspire, equip and support women to succeed in politics. He recently completed a term as a Council Member of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. He is a member of the Edmund Rice Schools Trust, chair of the Board of Marley Grange National School in Rathfarnham and a member of the Board of Management of Clongowes Wood College. He chairs the Rathfarnham Concert Band Society, and is a member of the Irish Association of the Order of Malta. He is married to Katie Keogh, a native of Indiana (USA), and they have four children.

Name and Title: Prof. Eeva Leinonen
President, Maynooth University

Phone: +353 1 708 3893

Email: president@maynoothuniversity.ie

Description: Professor Eeva Leinonen, an international researcher and former Vice-Chancellor of Murdoch University in Perth, Australia, was appointed by the Governing Authority of Maynooth University in March 2021. Professor Leinonen has held the role of Vice Chancellor of Murdoch University, since 2016, having previously been Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) at the University of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. Prior to moving to Australia in 2012, she was Vice Principal (Education) at King’s College, London. Originally from Finland, Professor Leinonen has a background in linguistics and psychology. She engages with researchers in Finland and Italy in ongoing research into pragmatic language development in children and contextual processing deficits of children and young adults with autistic spectrum disorders. Professor Leinonen said she was honoured to have the opportunity to lead Maynooth University in the next stage of its development. The new President said that Maynooth University can play an outsized role in next-generation Ireland.

Name and Title: Prof. Peter McHugh
Interim President, University of Galway

Phone:

Email: president@universityofgalway.ie

Description: Professor Peter McHugh is Interim President of University of Galway. This one-year term commenced on 7 September 2024. In his role as Deputy President and Registrar of the University, he is a member of the University Management Team and Academic Council. He has overarching responsibility for academic strategy, academic promotions, and academic quality. He chairs the University’s Teaching and Learning Committee, the Academic Promotions Committee, the Quality Enhancement Committee, among other committees in the University. Externally, he is a member of the Senate of the NUI and the Board of the Central Applications Office (CAO). A native of Ballyhaunis, Co. Mayo, Peter holds a first-class honours BE in Mechanical Engineering from University of Galway and an ScM and PhD in Engineering from Brown University, Rhode Island, USA. He also holds a Doctor of Science (DSc) on published work from the National University of Ireland.

Name and Title: Prof. Linda Doyle
Provost, Trinity College Dublin

Phone: +353 (1) 608 1558

Email: provost.office@tcd.ie

Description: Linda Doyle was appointed by academic staff and student representatives as the 45th Provost of Trinity College Dublin, coming into office on August 1, 2021. The Provost is the Chief Officer of the university responsible to the Board and ultimately to the State for the performance of the university. Dr Linda Doyle’s previous leadership roles have been as Dean of Research (2018-2020), and founder Director of CONNECT, a national research centre, co-funded by SFI and industry, focused on future networks and communications. Prior to CONNECT, she was also the Director of the Centre for Telecommunications Value Chain Research (CTVR). She is currently a Director of Xcelerit and Software Radio Systems Ltd (SRS), two CTVR/CONNECT spin-outs. Dr Doyle has served on many boards including as Chair of the Board of the Douglas Hyde Gallery (2013-2021), and as a member of the Board of Pallas Project Studios, KTH Sweden Scientific Advisory Board, and Board of the Wireless Innovation Forum. Currently, she is Chair of the Ofcom Spectrum Advisory Board in the UK, and a member of the National Broadband Steering Committee in Ireland, and the Open Research Europe Scientific Advisory Board. She also serves on the Boards of Science Gallery International (SGI), as well as the Festival of Curiosity, a STEM outreach activity for children based on a city-centre yearly science festival. Prior to her appointment as Provost, Dr Linda Doyle was Professor of Engineering & The Arts in Trinity College Dublin. Her expertise is in the fields of wireless communications, cognitive radio, reconfigurable networks, spectrum management and creative arts practices. She has raised over €70 million in research funding and has published widely in her field. Dr Doyle has a reputation as an advocate for change in spectrum management practices and has played a role in spectrum policy at the national and international level. Combining creative arts practices with Engineering for many years, she founded the Orthogonal Methods Group (OMG) a research initiative that works in critical and creative tension with technology with the purpose of generating knowledges, insights and alternative research orientations across disciplines that are sometimes perceived to be mutually exclusive. Dr Doyle has published extensively and has given in excess of 100 keynotes and invited talks at various events globally. As well as her contributions to research and the arts, Dr Doyle is an active advocate for women in engineering and computer science. She has been involved in numerous initiatives such Girls in Tech, Teen Turn, HerStory. In 2017 she was recognised as one of the 10 women stars working in networking and communications in the world that you should know. Dr Doyle holds an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering (B.E.) from the National University of Ireland, and an M.Sc., Ph.D., and P.G.DIP. STATS from Trinity College, the University of Dublin. She is a Fellow of Trinity College Dublin.

Name and Title: Professor John Doran,
Interim President, Technological University Dublin

Phone:

Email: president@TUDublin.ie

Description: Following several years as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the School of Physics at Trinity College and within the Optronics Ireland Programme for Advanced Technology, John joined the Dublin Institute of Technology as a physics lecturer in 1996. He was appointed as Assistant Head of School in 2003 and as Head of School of Physics, Clinical & Optometric Sciences in 2009. During his time in school leadership, the school has grown significantly, with more than a doubling of both undergraduate and postgraduate students. He was awarded a professorship from Dublin Institute of Technology in 2017. He has extensive experience of working with various health services in Ireland, and of the regulatory environment through many years involvement with CORU, the Health & Social Care Professions Council, in various roles including membership of the Optical Registration Board. His research has focused on the fundamental physics and the applications of quantum semiconductor structures and other nanomaterials. Over the past 20 years, this research has concentrated on the applications of these materials in solar energy technology and has demonstrated significant performance enhancement of solar concentration and photovoltaic technologies through the novel incorporation of plasmonic materials. He has been a member of several large European research consortia, funded through various EU Framework programmes, and has also been awarded research funding through the Irish Research Council, the European Space Agency and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland.

Name and Title: Prof. John O'Halloran
President, University College Cork

Phone: (021) 490 2201

Email: president@ucc.ie

Description: Professor John O’Halloran took up his appointment as Interim President of University College Cork in September 2020. Previously he was Deputy President and Registrar at UCC and served as Vice-President for Teaching & Learning for almost four years. In that role he led a team that supported the provision of high quality teaching and learning; online learning; adult and continuing education; staff development; talented students; engagement; collaboration; and scholarship of teaching and learning at UCC. John is a founding member and current Director of UCC's Quercus Talented Students'​Programme. He is the Chair of the Green Campus Forum at UCC which has received many awards in recognition of its efforts to promote the Green Agenda at UCC, including the first green flag ever awarded to a university. He was a finalist in the Green Gown Leadership Awards (UK & Ireland) in 2017 for his leadership of sustainability objectives at UCC. John has been a judge for the prestigious UNESCO-L’Oreal-Royal Society Women Science Scholarship, and for the BT Young Scientist Competition, for many years. He was awarded the President’s prize for teaching and an honorary membership of the Students Union of Ireland for his contributions to graduate education and policies. John was previously Head of School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences at UCC, where he still holds the Chair in Zoology. He is also a former Vice-Head of the College of Science, Engineering & Food Science. He has also held academic posts in Wales and the USA and has delivered invited lectures widely across Europe and North America. John is a zoologist, and was awarded a PhD for his research in 1987 and a DSc for his published works in 2009 by the National University of Ireland. He has published over 200 research papers and a number of books in the areas of ecology, ornithology, ecotoxicology and biodiversity.

Name and Title: Prof. Orla Feely
President, University College Dublin

Phone: +353 (1) 716 1618

Email: president@ucd.ie

Description: Orla Feely is President of University College Dublin. She holds a BE degree from University College Dublin and MS and PhD degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, where her PhD thesis won the DJ Sakrison Memorial Prize for outstanding and innovative research. While at UC Berkeley, she also won the Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award. Her research is in the area of nonlinear circuits and systems, and she has been awarded research grants and prizes from a number of national, international and industry sources. She served as Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Impact at UCD from 2014 to 2023. Professor Feely is a Member of the Royal Irish Academy and a Fellow of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), Engineers Ireland and the Irish Academy of Engineering. She has served as President of Engineers Ireland, and as Chair of the Irish Research Council, the EU Advisory Group on Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions and the IEEE Technical Committee on Nonlinear Circuits and Systems. She has also served as Board Member and Deputy Chair of the Higher Education Authority in Ireland, as Vice-President for Resources and Treasurer of CESAER (the Conference of European Schools of Advanced Engineering Education and Research), and as a member of a number of Editorial Boards. Professor Feely is a member of the judging panels for the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, one of the largest and most successful school science fairs in the world, and the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering.

Name and Title: Prof. Shane Kilcommins
Provost & Deputy President and Acting Chief Officer, University of Limerick

Phone: +353 61 20 2021

Email: President@ul.ie

Description: Shane Kilcommins is Provost and Deputy President and Acting Chief Officer of the University of Limerick. He is a Full Professor in Law at the University of Limerick. Prior to commencing the role of Provost and Deputy President, he worked as Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and Head of the School of Law. His areas of expertise are criminal law, evidence law, criminal procedure, penology and legal philosophy. He is a Fulbright scholar, has been appointed an expert with European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. He has also worked as part of a team of inspectors for the Inspector of Prisons. He also chaired the consultative forum on the Victims' Charter, as part of its relaunch by the Minister for Justice and Equality. He has also acted as an expert adviser to Transparency International Ireland. In 2020, he was appointed to An Garda Síochána's Expert Review Group on Recruit Education and Entry Pathways and Learning and Development, to provide strategic advice and make recommendations on the delivery of learning and development interventions in the organisation. He has supervised 18 Ph.D. students and 2 postdoctoral students to completion. He is an examiner for the Law Society of Ireland, and sits on the board of the Victims' Rights Alliance. He has authored or edited 9 books with publishers such as Manchester University Press, Willan, Clarus Press and Routledge. He has also published reports and numerous articles in leading journals such as the International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, International Journal of Evidence and Proof, International Review of Victimology, The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, European Journal of Criminology, and Criminology and Criminal Justice. In addition, he has contributed 25 chapters to edited books, and presented over 75 conference papers.