In the News..

University of Galway has celebrated the next generation of Irish sporting talent, awarding 22 prestigious sport scholarships to standout athletes. A further 66 athletes from previous years were also recognised at the special ceremony on campus. The University’s sport scholarship programme was developed to recognise students’ past achievements as well as to aid the development of their sporting talent alongside academic progress. The scheme offers a special subsistence grant, coaching, medical and physiotherapy support, performance nutrition and psychology, mentoring and performance planning and career development assistance. The awards night was marked by a presentation by ex-international soccer player and former University of Galway scholarship student, Niamh Fahey. Niamh Fahey said: “It was a pleasure to be at University of Galway and share experiences with the sports scholars, with the hope of passing on some of the learnings from my career, which combined elite sport with education. As a past student of the University, I know the importance of the sport scholarship programme, which provides support structures to create a positive learning environment where you can fulfil your potential in all aspects of your life.” Capped 115 times for Ireland, including three appearances at the 2023 World Cup, Niamh Fahey shared her journey from a scholarship student to her current role as Technical Coordinator for Liverpool Women. Her professional career has included stints at Arsenal, Chelsea, Bordeaux and Liverpool. Niamh Fahey was also an accomplished Gaelic footballer, winning an All-Ireland with Galway in 2005. During her time at Arsenal, she balanced semi-professional play, studies and working in the men’s team laundry. Earlier this year, she graduated with an MBA from Liverpool John Moores University. The awards night also featured successful student athletes who discussed balancing academic careers with sporting ambitions, including Fortune Igbokwe - Ireland U20 Basketball; Donagh Claffey – Bronze medallist in Rowing’s World U23; Sam O’Farrell - All-Ireland Hurling Winner with Tipperary; and Amy O'Sullivan, Irish Women’s Volleyball.             Des Ryan, Director of Sport and Physical Wellbeing at University of Galway, said: “It was energising to see so many talented players and athletes from the University in one room. Our mission is to be the most progressive and caring University sports programme on the island of Ireland. Our scholars will benefit from high-level challenge and support, led by our experienced High-Performance Lead, Feargal O’Callaghan. It was fantastic to have Niamh Fahey share her experiences and advice, alongside our other athletes. Niamh Fahey is one of Galway’s greatest sportspeople, and we are very proud she is part of our alumni.” University of Galway 2025 Sports Scholarships awardees:Athletics – Caitlin Hughes, Holly O’Boyle, Oisín DavisBasketball – Aoibhín Connolly, Nathan GbinigieCamogie – Olwen Rabbitte, Leah Gallagher, Caoimhe KellyGaelic Football – Maryanne Jordan, Eabha Smith, Shay McGlinchy, Cillian Ó Curraoin, Conor Corcoran, Rio MortimerHurling – Aaron Nyland, Sean Murphy, Edward O'ReillyRowing – Michael McGrath, Dominic CaseySoccer – Grace Gleeson, Jasmine Greaney, Brian Cunningham For more information on University of Galway’s sports scholarship programme, visit: https://www.universityofgalway.ie/sports/elitesport/ Ends

University of Galway has celebrated the achievements of more than 2,400 graduates during its autumn conferring ceremonies. Graduates, including 48 who qualified with a PhD, from across the University’s four Colleges were conferred with postgraduate and undergraduate degrees in a series of ceremonies on campus, joining the ranks of over 131,000 University of Galway alumni worldwide. The celebrations took place on campus from October 15th to 21st.             Professor David Burn, President of University of Galway, said: “Conferring week is one of the highlights of the University calendar, a time to recognise the hard work, dedication, and excellence of our students, and the commitment of our staff who have supported them along the way. We are very proud of our graduates as they embark on the next stage of their journey.” Ends

University of Galway has today launched a new research partnership with multinational engineering company Trane Technologies. The three-year collaboration on the development of sustainable technologies for advanced manufacturing processes is co-funded by I-Form, Taighde Éireann - Research Ireland Centre for Advanced Manufacturing and Trane Technologies. Trane Technologies is a global leader in the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration industry sector with more than 40 sites worldwide, including its manufacturing subsidiary Thermo King in Galway. It has been a pioneer in the sector for more than 40 years. The research aims to enhance advanced manufacturing processes for systems used in buildings, homes and transportation, with a focus on sustainable and innovative technologies while increasing productivity and reducing environmental impact. President of University of Galway, Professor David Burn, said: “At University of Galway we have a proud and unique heritage in the field of engineering. Our research partnership with Trane is the essence of that, as we empower our academics, students and collaborators to pioneer an agenda of innovation, sustainability and learning.” Max Javaheri, Vice President, Advanced Manufacturing for Trane Technologies, said: “For over 45 years, Thermo King in Galway has been a cornerstone of manufacturing excellence and innovation. This public-private collaboration between Trane Technologies, the University of Galway, and I-Form will build upon that legacy and will focus on developing advanced, innovative, and sustainable production methods that will immensely impact our factories globally. This partnership will create meaningful impact by advancing clean manufacturing technologies and nurturing local talent. Together, we will transform the future of manufacturing and reinforce Galway’s position as a hub for innovation and advanced engineering.”   The research to be conducted as part of the partnership is to be led by Dr Noel Harrison, Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering, and Pádraig Conneely, Lecturer in Automation and Lean Manufacturing, both of whom are based in the School of Engineering at University of Galway.   Professor Laoise McNamara, Head of the School of Engineering at University of Galway, said:  “This partnership will combine cutting-edge academic research with a real-world engineering application, allowing University of Galway to collaborate with Trane Technologies' subject matter experts and automation engineers, as well as creating new learning opportunities for our researchers and students.”   Professor Denis Dowling, Centre Director, I-Form - Research Ireland Centre for Advanced Manufacturing, said: “This three-year collaboration exemplifies I-Form’s mission to drive the transformation of advanced manufacturing in Ireland through sustainable, high-impact research partnerships. By co-funding projects like this, we are helping to shape a more innovative and resilient manufacturing ecosystem for the future.” One of the aims of the research project is to enable sustainable, fast and reduced-cost development of new products and processes and digitalised manufacturing, by replacing time-consuming, physical experimentation with advanced, predictive modelling. The partnership will focus on advancing automation in brazing (the process of joining metal by melting an intermediary filler metal) and leak detection processes. It aims to develop a fundamental understanding of the material and process phenomena involved in automated induction and hydrogen brazing, leading to the industrial integration of optimised scalable brazing processes. As a world-class leader in fostering industry collaboration, University of Galway researcher and students will work with Thermo King R&D teams and other staff to develop advanced manufacturing solutions that will be deployed across Trane Technologies’ global network. The research project team will design, develop and validate robotic and automated systems for brazing operations; build proof-of-concept prototypes and test beds to demonstrate system capabilities; conduct industrial trials and validate system performance in a production-representative environment; and develop robotic system programmes and virtual simulations of process and tooling using in-house robotic systems. Ends