Veterinary Surgeon Receives 2025 NovaUCD Consultancy of the Year Award
Dr Siobhan Mullan, who joined University College Dublin (UCD) in 2021, and was appointed the first Chair in Animal Welfare and Veterinary Ethics at the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine, with the support of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, has been named the recipient of the 2025 NovaUCD Consultancy of the Year Award.
A veterinary surgeon, Dr Mullan previously worked in mixed and companion animal practice but has now transitioned away from clinical work to focus on research and teaching to deliver large scale, long-term impactful improvements in animal welfare.
Since joining UCD Dr Mullan has undertaken several consultancy projects, through ConsultUCD, and transferred her expertise to deliver long-term impactful improvements in animal welfare to clients in Ireland, Australia, the UK, Thailand, Indonesia, France and North America.
Dr Mullan was presented with her Award by Professor Orla Feely, President, UCD, during the annual presentation of the NovaUCD Innovation Awards which took place at the UCD University Club.
Prof. Orla Feely, President, UCD and Dr Siobhan Mullan
On receiving the 2025 NovaUCD Consultancy of the Year Award, Dr Siobhan Mullan said, “I am both surprised and delighted in equal measure to have received this Award. The thing I really enjoy about consultancy work is collaborating with incredible people on science-led initiatives to make real-world changes to improve animal lives.
I’m so very grateful for the support of the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine, and to ConsultUCD, whose service is second to none.”
Dr Mullan’s central research theme has been to develop valid methodologies to assess animal welfare which can then be utilised to drive large-scale welfare improvements. She also has a particular interest in the intersection of animal welfare with other societal priorities such as environmental concerns and how these play out in policy formation.
Dr Mullan is also a strong advocate and supporter of ConsultUCD within her School and within the UCD College of Health and Agricultural Sciences.
The annual NovaUCD Innovation Awards highlight successes made in areas of knowledge transfer, consultancy, entrepreneurship and the promotion of an innovation culture, by members of the UCD research, innovation and entrepreneurial community.
Speaking at the event Professor Orla Feely, UCD, President, said, “UCD is committed to delivering impact from our leading research and innovation across a broad range of disciplines. The NovaUCD Innovation Awards, which have become a key annual event, recognise the achievements of our research, innovation and entrepreneurial communities and demonstrate our strength in developing talent and creating and applying knowledge to deliver impact.
I congratulate all who have received this year’s Awards and wish the Awardees every future success as they continue to deliver impact in Ireland and further afield through their commercialisation, consultancy, entrepreneurial and innovation activities."
A total of 7 Awards were presented by Professor Feely and the other Awardees are;
2025 NovaUCD Innovation Award: Professor Wenxin Wang, UCD Charles Institute of Dermatology, UCD School of Medicine
2025 NovaUCD Invention of the Year Award: Dr Emer Doheny, UCD School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Dr Jayne Carberry, UCD School of Medicine
2025 NovaUCD Spin-out of the Year Award: LaNua Medical, co-founders, Tom Fitzmaurice, Dr Cormac Farrelly, UCD School of Medicine, Dr Eoin O'Cearbhaill and Dr Sajjad Amiri, UCD School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering
2025 NovaUCD Licence of the Year Award: Professor Peter Kennedy, UCD School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
2025 NovaUCD CEO of the Year Award: Mike McGearty, Meili
2025 NovaUCD Innovation Champion of the Year Award: Professor Kevin O’Connor, BiOrbic, Research Ireland Centre for Bioeconomy and UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science.
NovaUCD is supported under the KT Boost Programme co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union, through the ERDF Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme 2021-2027.
ENDS
10 April 2025
For more information contact Micéal Whelan, Communications and Media Relations Manager, NovaUCD, UCD Research and Innovation, e: miceal.whelan@ucd.ie.