The programme aims to assign a UK-based research professor to each School to enhance WIT’s international partnerships, collaborations and research capability
Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) is proud to announce the appointment of two additional research professors as part of its UK joint professor initiative, Prof Sally Shortall of Newcastle University, and Prof Maggie Gregson from the University of Sunderland.
WIT’s joint UK professor programme, is the first scheme of its kind in the Irish Institute of Technology (IoT) and Technological University (TU) sector. The aim of the programme is to assign an eminent UK-based research professor to each School within the Institute to enhance WIT’s international partnerships, collaborations and research capability. The scheme also offers the ability to reach out to UK academic colleagues post-Brexit, provide support, and identify opportunities to work together.
Prof Sally Shortall, School of Humanities
Prof Sally Shortall will collaborate with the facility and staff of WIT’s School of Humanities. Prof Shortall is the current Duke of Northumberland Chair of Rural Economy in Newcastle University. Her expertise and research interest lies in rural sociology, community studies, rural development and rural proofing, agriculture, farm families and she is specifically known for her work on gender and agriculture.
Under the guidance of Dr Suzanne Denieffe, School of Humanities, Prof Shortall will focus her time and attention mentoring early and mid-career staff members with career planning and progression, assisting each of the research groups with the development of five-year research plans. Academic staff will also benefit from practical advice and feedback on research project designs, grant applications and in targeting and publishing in high impact journals. The School will inevitably benefit from Prof Shortall’s research interests and networks in the area of community and regional engagement.
Global reputation as research leader
"Such initiatives provide superb opportunities for academic staff in the humanities to boost their research profile whilst availing of structured mentorship from an international expert such as Prof Shortall. Partnerships such as these also serve to attract other distinguished academics, researchers, and students to WIT, and to enhance WIT and Ireland’s global reputation as a research leader, not just in STEM but in the arts and humanities too," explained Dr Denieffe.
Prof Maggie Gregson, School of Education and Lifelong Learning
Prof Maggie Gregson will work with the academic and research community in the School of Education and Lifelong Learning at WIT. Prof Gregson is Prof of Vocational Education and Director of the Centre for Excellence in Teacher Training (SUNCETT) at the University of Sunderland. Her research interests draw on extensive experience in the fields of teacher training, vocational education and professional development, themes that are both relevant and important to the School of Education & Lifelong Learning in WIT.
Prof Maggie Gregson will work in collaboration with Dr Helen Murphy, Head of the School of Education and Lifelong Learning, where she will help build the research capacity in the School, strengthen engagement in educational research nationally and internationally, increase the number of peer-reviewed publications, support the development of the School’s research groups, and identify and explore joint funding opportunities in Horizon Europe.
Partnerships key to research development
Dr Murphy sees this partnership as “key to the further development of research and innovation within the School. Professor Gregson will enhance and advance the strong foundational work that has flourished over many years with academic staff in the School of Education and Lifelong learning. This type of initiative will serve the School and WIT well on its transition into the TU.”
Speaking of the new research appointments Dr Mark White, Vice President of Research, Innovation and Graduate Studies in WIT is keen to point out how "Universities and the IOT sector have to think differently when it comes to comes to continually developing or refreshing their research capacity. IOT research funding structures are not comparable with the traditional universities, and the IOT /TU sector are not funded to appoint full-time research chairs and professors. This initiative facilitates distinguished UK colleagues to work with us via a part-time, seconded arrangement to strengthen our research capability and competence."
These two appointments now bring the total number of UK joint professors at WIT to three, with plans underway to secure a total of six appointments by 2022.
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