UCD PhD candidate recognised as top-ranked STEM scholar at Researcher of the Year Awards
17 January 2025
Jane Grimson Medal of Excellence awardee Savannah Devine
(opens in a new window)Research Ireland has awarded the prestigious Jane Grimson Medal of Excellence to UCD PhD candidate Savannah Devine, recognising her as one of Ireland’s highest ranked postgraduate scholars working the area of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Supervised by (opens in a new window)Associate Professor Eoghan Holohan and (opens in a new window)Associate Professor Claire Harnett at UCD School of Earth Sciences, Ms Devine’s PhD focuses on improving numerical models of the collapse dynamics of caldera volcanoes, in order to understand how their collapse influences the generation of earthquakes and progress of eruptions.
In November, she was one of 50 postgraduates at University College Dublin to received funding as part of the 2024 Government of Ireland scheme, a €27.5 million investment by Research Ireland to support “exceptional” early-career researchers.
The Researcher of the Year Awards celebrated those researchers deemed to have made highly significant and valuable contributions to knowledge, society, culture and innovation.
Alongside the awardees for Researcher of the Year, Early Career Researcher of the Year, and the Researcher of the Year Impact Award, each category includes a ‘Highly Commended’ citation recognising outstanding and exceptional research.
In the 2024 Researcher of the Year category, (opens in a new window)Alistair Nichol, Professor of Critical Care Medicine at UCD, was Highly Commended.
For the 2024 Early Career Researcher of the Year Award, (opens in a new window)Stefan Müller, Associate Professor at UCD School of Politics and International Relations, was Highly Commended.
And for the Impact Award, (opens in a new window)William Gallagher, Professor of Cancer Biology at UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science and UCD Conway Institute, was also Highly Commended.
Highly Commended - Professor William Gallagher, Dr Stefan Müller, and Professor Alistair Nichol
"We are immensely proud of the excellence, dedication and talent exhibited every year by UCD's research community, both our academics at every career stage and our highly skilled and committed research support staff,” said Professor Kate Robson Brown, UCD Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Impact.
“I'd like to offer my sincere congratulations to all who were recognised in the 2024 Researcher of the Year (IRC Legacy) Awards, especially Savannah Devine, on being awarded the Jane Grimson Medal of Excellence as the highest ranked STEM candidate in the Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship scheme, and all of the Research Allies who support the university’s research and contribute hugely to its success.
“Congratulations also to our highly commended academics, Alistair Nichol, Stefan Muller and William Gallagher, all of whose work is thoroughly deserving of the highest recognition."
Architectural and craft history expert Professor Christine Casey, Researcher of the Year, Dr Aaron Lim, Early Career Researcher of the Year, and Dr Jakub Gajewski, Impact Awardee
Alongside the three ‘Researcher of the Year’ awards, and the four 'Medals of Excellence' awarded to top-ranked researchers from the Government of Ireland scheme, the annual Research of the Year Awards also recognises the important work of supervising academics and research support staff.
This year there were 67 ‘Research Allies’ recognised by for their contribution, including six UCD awardees.
- (opens in a new window)Associate Professor Grainne O'Donoghue, PhD Supervisor, UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science.
- (opens in a new window)Associate Professor Krishna Vadlamannati, Supervisor and Director, UCD PhD Programme in Global Human Development, UCD School of Politics and International Relations.
- Máire Coyle, Talent Research Programme Manager (including ERC), UCD Research & Innovation.
- (opens in a new window)Assistant Professor Abdollah Malekjafarian, Mentor, UCD School of Civil Engineering.
- (opens in a new window)Associate Professor Madhusanka Liyanage, PhD Supervisor and Director of Graduate Research, UCD School of Computer Science.
- Deirdre Norris, ERC Research Project Manager, UCD Sutherland School of Law.
Now in their eighth year, the Researcher of the Year Awards are legacy awards from the Irish Research Council following its amalgamation with Science Foundation Ireland to form Research Ireland.
“The researchers being honoured have demonstrated excellence in their many achievements within and beyond their disciplines,” said Peter Brown, Director, Researcher Development in Research Ireland.
“The awardees are wonderful examples of those that have gone above and beyond to bring new knowledge and understandings to the fore. At different stages in their research journey, they are enriching their respective fields and Ireland’s research and innovation system. Across the humanities, science and medicine, the awardees are contributing to a better, healthier, more sustainable and more culturally enriched world, benefiting us all.”
By: David Kearns, Digital Journalist / Media Officer, UCD University Relations (with materials from Caroline Byrne, UCD Research and Innovation)
To contact the UCD News & Content Team, email: newsdesk@ucd.ie
