Two DCU academics, Dr. Gabriel-Miro Muntean and Professor Regina Connolly, have been awarded the Inaugural 2019 LERO Director's Prizes. LERO is Ireland's largest SFI-funded software research centre, and the Director's prizes are awarded in recognition of outstanding academic research achievement and contribution. The LERO's Director's prize for Research Excellence was presented to Dr Gabriel-Miro Muntean from DCU's School of Electronic Engineering. This award was in recognition of his research record in the area of adaptive multi-media and multi-sensory networking. The LERO Director's Prize for Diversity and Inclusion was presented to Professor Regina Connolly from DCU's Business School. This award was in recognition of her research record in the area of digital inclusion and its impact on public policy transformation. Professor Brian Fitzgerald, Director of LERO, presented the awards at the annual LERO Summit in Athlone earlier this week. "What makes LERO unique is the high calibre of its academic members and it is a credit to the Centre that we had so many strong nominations for the inaugural Director's Prize. Congratulations to the 2019 Lero Director's Prizewinners. They are leaders in their respective fields and I wish them well as they continue achieving excellence," Professor Fitzgerald said.

Numerous scientists from Trinity are among the world's elite according to a new citation metrics database that systematically and objectively ranks 100,000 of the most-cited scientists across the globe based on their research output. Compiled by an independent team of researchers and recently published in leading international journal PLOS Biology, the database features 81 scientists from Trinity, whose research is conducted across a huge range of scientific fields and sub-fields. Those 81 feature among a total of 312 scientists affiliated with Irish institutions, with the highest ranked trio in Trinity also the highest ranked trio from Ireland. Professor of Biochemistry, Luke O'Neill - a global pioneer in inflammation and immunology research, sits at 477th in the most recent list. Professor O'Neill said, "I am indeed honoured to see our research being recognised, which is a testament to the impact of the discoveries made by my team members over the years."

Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin) and the Higher Education Authority (HEA), invited leading figures in Higher Education to share their vision of the future of technological education in Ireland. Irish and European Higher Education experts, policy-makers, and a range of industry and community stakeholders attended the symposium - The Emergence of Technological Universities in Ireland. In his opening remarks, Professor David FitzPatrick, President of TU Dublin, said, "Finally, we have arrived! After many years of discussion and debate, Technological Universities are now a part of the Irish higher education landscape and today's discussion is about the contribution that this new kind of institution will make." Addressing the audience of Higher Education experts and stakeholders, Professor FitzPatrick, said, "TU Dublin is the first to launch, and already we would claim to be unique in many respects. We are now the only University in this country that can offer students opportunities from Apprenticeship to PhD level and every level in between. TU Dublin has the largest student body, with an intake of over 5000 students for this academic year, but also the most diverse and inclusive in socio-economic terms and in terms of students with diverse abilities, with nearly 20% of new entrants coming through specific routes such as HEAR, DARE and Access programmes. Our academic staff and researchers engage very directly with industry, translating their work into innovative applications, products and services, and communicating their findings widely."