In May of this year, the College Board approved the election of six new heads of school with two further heads voted to remain in their positions. With 37 distinct areas of responsibility, including staffing and finance, it’s unsurprising that many of those taking on the role labelled it “daunting” and “challenging”. Despite this, many of the newly elected heads were optimistic for the future of their respective schools.
Prof Anne-Marie Brady takes over as Head of the School of Nursing and Midwifery from Prof Catherine Comiskey. Brady comes to the role with over 30 years experience in clinical practice, education and research in nursing and healthcare management. She previously held the role of Director of Postgraduate Teaching and Learning within the school and was Director of Trinity Centre for Practice and Healthcare Innovation. She will take up the role of Head of School for a three-year term.
Prof Ed Lavelle joined the School of Biochemistry and Immunology in 2001 as a postdoctoral researcher and became a lecturer in 2004. Struck by the camaraderie of the academic, technical and administrative staff from the beginning, he is hoping to grow the supportive environment for research and teaching that has developed. Speaking to The University Times by email, Lavelle says that his growth has been largely down to the “mentorship” and “highly supportive environment” within the school. “I hope I can give something back over the next three years”, he says.
Prof Ed Lavelle will take over as Head of the School of Biochemistry and Immunology.
Prof Carol O’Sullivan joined the School of Computer Science and Statistics in 1997 as a lecturer. She was recruited by former Head, Prof John Byrne, who she says was “a mentor and inspiration” to her when speaking to The University Times by email. O’Sullivan returned to the school 18 months ago after a three-year career break which saw her spend a year in Seoul National University as a visiting professor and a stint with Disney Research in Los Angeles as a senior research scientist. With over 200 staff, including more than 60 academics, the school is one of the biggest in the College. O’Sullivan says that while this is “quite the challenge”, she is excited for the next few years: “I feel very lucky that the School has given me this opportunity that helps me to bring new perspectives and energy to the role of Head of School.” She will be Head of School for three years.
Prof Mike Lyons joined the School of Chemistry in 1984 and has been a Fellow since 1992. Speaking to The University Times via email, Lyons says that his motivation for going for the role was “complex” but he feels that the school is in a good position to “play a central role in the development of Trinity as a university with significant global presence”. A professor in physical chemistry and a principal investigator in the Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN) and in the Advanced Materials and Bioengineering Research Centre (AMBER), Lyons has a large amount of international lecturing experience. He has previously lectured in the US, Europe, Latin America, India, New Zealand and Australia. While admitting he is still in the “honeymoon period” of his tenure, he believes that the school is coming out the other side of some “challenging times” but has kept its “academic integrity of its educational provision intact”. Lyons’s term will last three years.
Prof Andrew Loxley took over as Head of the School of Education in January of this year before being officially elected in May. After 15 years in Trinity, he admits that he knew the place pretty well and was “the only one to do it”, when speaking to The University Times. His research interests are currently focused on higher education but also cover social inclusion and exclusion, education and social policy. Loxley praised the democratic system which saw him elected by his fellow colleagues but criticised the lack of leadership from the College before entering into the role: “College could be better at preparing people especially with regards to finance and human resources.”
Dr Christine Morris joined Trinity in 1994 and will act as Head of the School of Histories and Humanities for three years. She was a member of the original group of people involved in negotiations and planning when the College decided to implement the school structure we know today. Speaking to The University Times by email, she says that this heralded “a sea of change for everyone”. Morris’s main area of expertise is the archaeology of the Aegean Bronze Age and she is also the Trinity representative on the managing committee of the Irish Institute of the Hellenic Studies in Athens, Greece. Looking forward to the challenges of a multi-disciplinary school, she says “it’s exciting now to look at how we have been able to develop new inter-disciplinary initiatives in teaching and research as a result of the School umbrella, while also retaining our subject area identities which are an equally important element of our College identity”.
Prof Carol O’Sullivan will take over as Head of the School of Computer Science and Statistics.
Prof Anne-Marie Healy is entering her second term as Head of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science. Healy joined the School in 1992 as a lecturer and was elected a Fellow of the College in 2010. She has mentored 15 successful PhD students and 15 postdoctoral researchers, and has produced over 70 peer-reviewed publications. She is Co-Principal Investigator of the Synthesis and Solid State Pharmaceutical Centre and is a funded investigator in the AMBER Centre. She will hold the position for another two-year term.
Prof Charles Dorman is also entering a second term as Head of the School of Genetics and Microbiology. He has held the Chair of Microbiology since 1994. A Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Principal Investigator since 2003, he is a founding member of the European Academy of Microbiology and a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology. Dorman has dedicated large amounts of his career to the development of microbiology on the international stage and has delivered over 200 invited lectures at universities, conferences and research institutes. He is a member of the Royal Irish Academy, a role which is considered Ireland’s highest academic honour. He will serve a three-year term as Head of School.
