TU Dublin Honours Research and Innovation Excellence at 2025 Awards Ceremony
TU Dublin has celebrated the outstanding achievements of its research and innovation community at the 2025 TU Dublin Research and Innovation Awards, held on Monday 3rd of November in the Concert Hall at the university’s Grangegorman campus. Now in their third year, the awards recognise the breadth of TU Dublin’s research and innovation ecosystem and celebrate individuals and teams whose work is driving progress across science, technology, culture, and society.
TU Dublin President, Dr Deirdre Lillis, opened the ceremony by praising the university’s researchers for their relentless pursuit of excellence and innovation that benefits society, industry, and the environment. She emphasised TU Dublin’s growing impact as a centre of technological and creative research, driving Ireland’s sustainable future.
Dr Mark Henry, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer at TU Dublin, MC for the event, also highlighted the university’s pivotal role in fostering research excellence and celebrating the people whose work is shaping innovation across Ireland and beyond.
Speaking at the event, President Lillis said:
These awards remind us that excellence takes many forms, a breakthrough in a lab, a study that changes public policy, or a partnership that reimagines what’s possible. We celebrate all those who make that excellence happen; our researchers, innovators, students, funders, and partners, the people who bring ideas to life and make TU Dublin a place where research and innovation truly matter.
The keynote address, titled ‘Enhancing the Transfer of Knowledge from Research to Policy,’ was delivered by Dr Jennifer Brennan, Research and Innovation Strategy Lead at the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment. In her speech, she emphasised the importance of translating research into action:
Bridging the gap between research and policy is essential for tackling today’s environmental and climate challenges. TU Dublin’s researchers are generating knowledge that informs decision-making, drives sustainable solutions, and delivers tangible benefits for communities, industry, and the environment, said Dr Brennan.
These awards recognised the depth of contribution across the University, from early career leaders with global impact, to teams and researchers whose work is already shaping industry, policy, and public understanding. For example, Early Career Researcher of the Year, Dr Keith Quille, was honoured for his exceptional achievements in inclusive computing education and his international leadership of the CSinc Research Centre, which has already produced over 119 peer-reviewed publications and secured €2.8 million in competitive funding. Meanwhile, the Established Career Researcher Award was presented to humanities scholar, Dr Eamon Maher, whose decades-long work advancing Franco-Irish Studies has been recognised by the French State and has cemented TU Dublin’s position as a global centre of excellence in the field.
Award Highlights
- Early Career Researcher Award: Dr Keith Quille, recognised for pioneering inclusive computing education research and leading the CSinc Research Centre.
- Established Career Researcher Award: Dr Eamon Maher, honoured for his global contribution to Franco-Irish Studies and leadership in the humanities.
- Excellence in Research Supervision Award: Izabela Naydenova, celebrated for fostering collaboration and student success.
- Excellence in Provision of Support to Researchers: Declan O’Donovan, acknowledged for outstanding service supporting TU Dublin’s researchers.
- Community Engaged Research Award: Dr Keith Murphy, for co-produced work with Dyslexia Ireland that informed national education policy.
- Multidisciplinary Research Team Award: Dr Christina Thorpe & Dr Matt Bowden (GroSafe Project), for combining AI, sociology, and safeguarding expertise to improve online child protection.
- Sustainability Research Award: Dr Aoife Donnelly, recognised for research shaping European environmental policy.
- Innovation Impact Award: Dr Swarna Jaiswal, for developing a patented biorefinery process turning agri-waste into biodegradable packaging.
- One to Watch Award: Dr Sean Bond, for creating an AI-powered bridge monitoring system with potential global impact.
Case Study Highlights:
- Inclusion4EU Project: Co-created tools to ensure digital technologies are accessible to all, including older adults and people with disabilities, informing inclusive design teaching and EU accessibility preparation.
- Nanolab Research: Developed low-cost, sensitive sensors for food safety and healthcare diagnostics, in collaboration with companies like 3M and PepsiCo, supporting innovation and PhD training.
- Seeing the Future (Childhood Myopia Study): Revealed low awareness of links between outdoor time and children’s eye health, driving habit changes and public awareness campaigns.
- Shamrock Rovers in the Community: Documented the social and cultural impact of the club in Tallaght since 2009, preserving community stories and strengthening TU Dublin ties.
- Still With Us (Irish Whiskey Grains): Revived historic grain recipes, tested for modern whiskey production, improving flavour and sustainability, and influencing national legislation.
The event drew an audience of colleagues, collaborators, and supporters, with an official live stream available here: https://bit.ly/RIAwards25.
As applause filled the Concert Hall, the ceremony underscored TU Dublin’s mission to foster a vibrant, inclusive, and impact-driven research culture, one where innovation and collaboration continue to shape a more sustainable and connected future.
Celebrating Excellence Across Disciplines
Awards presented on the evening; beautifully crafted by TU Dublin’s CreateLab honoured excellence across nine categories, reflecting the breadth and depth of the university’s research ecosystem. The winners were as follows:
- Early Researcher Career Award: Dr Keith Quille
- Established Researcher Career Award: Dr Eamon Maher
- Excellence in Research Supervision Award: Dr Izabela Naydenova
- Excellence in Provision of Support to Researchers: Declan O'Donovan
- Community Engaged Research Award: Dr Keith Murphy
- Multidisciplinary Research Team Award: Dr Christina Thorpe & Dr Matt Bowden
- Sustainability Research Award: Dr Aoife Donnelly
- Innovation Impact Award: Dr Swarna Jaiswal
- One to Watch Award: Dr Sean Bond
In addition, the ceremony marked the inaugural TU Dublin Research Impact Case Study Competition, celebrating projects demonstrating tangible real-world benefits across five priority areas.
Research Impact Case Study Award Winners
- Culture, Innovation and Inclusivity in a Changing Society:
- Shamrock Rovers in the Community – Alan Fitzpatrick, Dr Glenn Doyle & AnnaMaria Mullally
- Health and Wellbeing for a Thriving Society:
- Seeing the Future: Harnessing Stakeholder Voices to Tackle Childhood Myopia – Eoin Kerin & Dr Siofra Harrington
- Materials and Technologies for Sustainable Transformation:
- Nanomaterial-derived Biosensors and Diagnostics with Industry – Dr Bilal Javed & Dr Furong Tian
- Transformative Digital Solutions:
- Co-Designing Digital Futures for Older Persons and Persons with Disabilities – Dr Dympna O’Sullivan & Dr Emma Murphy
- Sustainable Food Systems and Environmental Protection:
- Still With Us: Historical Irish Whiskey Grains Driving Modern Innovation – Dr Fionnán O'Connor & Dr Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire