As 2021 draws to a close, another year that presented the most unusual of circumstances, we take an opportunity to reflect on the past 12 months of research in WIT
With the onset of the pandemic in 2020, the world over faced incredible challenges in its efforts to both tackle new problems and also, to try to enable life to carry on as normal as possible. Our always innovative research community in WIT met those challenges then and continued to meet new challenges, with new working practices and understanding as we progressed through 2021.
Now, we reflect on the past year, to recount the successes, events, and other highlights. The following list is chosen to illustrate the breadth of research in the Institute, from funding success to prestigious awards. By no means a comprehensive list of research happenings nor a Top-12 in any order. The reflections below are just some of the many stories that represent research within the Institute for 2021.
- While many of us found ourselves confined close to home as the year started, PhD Researcher Flavia Messina provided us with an insight to pursuing a PhD, abroad, and in a pandemic. Read more »
Flavia Messina (PhD candidate at WIT)
- In February, we discovered how the EU-funded PRIME project aspired to develop a ‘living brain implant’ that senses and treats an impending epilepsy seizure. Read more »
- In March, The South East Applied Materials research centre in WIT achieved ISO 9001:2015 certification for its quality management system, demonstrating the centre's ability to consistently provide a service that meets customer and regulatory requirements. Read more »
Dr Ramesh Raghavendra and Eoghan O'Donoghue of SEAM with the Centre's ISO 9001:2015 certification
- The first study examining racehorse trainer mental health in Ireland was published by WIT PhD candidate Lewis King, finding that almost one in two Irish racehorse trainers met the threshold indicative of a common mental disorder (CMD). Read more »
Lewis King (PhD candidate at WIT) published first study on racehorse trainer mental health
- Dr Rebecca Power won a prestigious European fellowship worth over €170,000 enabling her further research into nutrition and cognitive health, a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Individual Fellowship that will support her research training and career development by spending a year in the United States. Read more »
Dr Rebecca Power (third from left) – recipient of MCSA Individual Fellowship
- After decades of research achievements, the Telecommunications Software & Systems Group made the jump to a formal Research Institute, the first in WIT. Now known as the Walton Institute for Information and Communications Systems Science, its name honours the Waterford-born Nobel laureate. Read more »
- In May, WIT launched a landmark strategic research professor programme with the UK, the first of its kind in the Irish Institute of Technology 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. Read more »
- In July, WIT became the first Irish Institute of Technology to renew its HR Excellence in Research Award, demonstrating the Institute’s long-term commitment to the career development of its researchers and creating a positive research environment. Read more »
WIT became the first IoT to renew HR Excellence in Research award
- WIT lecturer, Dr Geraldine Cleere, was appointed to UNESCO Chair of Applied Research for Education in Prisons. The first Irish member appointed to the Scientific Committee with the mission to promote and encourage applied research on education in prisons. Read more »
Dr Geraldine Cleere – appointed to UNESCO Chair of Applied Research for Education in Prisons
- In August, ArcLabs and Resolve Partners launched the new pre-accelerator programme ‘SportX’. The SportX programme has been specifically designed to develop opportunities in the sport and wellness industries, by building on exciting technology and business model innovations. Read more »
- In October, a record number of WIT PhD students secured Irish Research Council funding under Government of Ireland Programme. Scholarships were secured by researchers in the Schools of Science, Engineering, Humanities, Health Sciences and Business reflecting WIT's diverse research landscape. Read more »
- The year closed out with the news that 3 WIT faculty members were awarded the Irish Research Council's Research Ally Prize. This new national award celebrates the role of supervisors, mentors, and research officers in supporting and sustaining the Irish research community. Read more »
Jo Holohan, Prof Felicity Kelliher, Prof Gillian Gardiner – recipients of the IRC Research Ally Prize 2021
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