PhD student, Kevin Doherty, has won the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining World Lecture Competition.

Kevin Doherty has seen off competitors from the UK, US, Brazil, Malaysia, Australia, Singapore, South Africa and Hong Kong  to win the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining World Lecture Competition.

On 22 October 2015, Kevin Doherty took first prize at the 11th Young Persons' World Lecture Competition, held annually by the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, at the final in Drogheda. This is only the second time a local finalist has won the world final on home turf.

His lecture, New Thermal Control Material Systems for Interplanetary and Geosynchronous Spaceflight, fascinated the audience and judges and marked him as a clear winner. Kevin had earlier won the national award in Ireland, and had to compete with winners from the UK, US, Brazil, Malaysia, Australia, Singapore, South Africa and Hong Kong to bag the overall prize.

The Young Persons' Lecture Competition is an annual competition that invites students and professionals up to the age of 28 to deliver a short lecture on a materials, minerals, mining, packaging, clay technology and wood science subjects. Entrants participate in local heats that culminate in a world final.

Second prize went to Kaushik Parida from Singapore with his lecture, Piezoelectric Energy Harvest: Converting Ambient Mechanical Energy to Useful Electrical Energy, judges commended his presentation skills and his use of visual aids. Third place was awarded to Mariana Viegas Greco de Oliveira who represented the 2016 host country, Brazil.