President’s Research Excellence and Impact Awards

At the core of UL's research are strong academic disciplines which, through collaboration and innovation, have impact across society.

The President’s Research Excellence and Impact Awards recognise staff at all University levels who have made outstanding contributions in the excellence and impact of their research (beyond academia).

Applications for the 2026 awards are now open. There are two new awards categories for 2026:

  • President’s Research Excellence and Impact Excellence in Research Supervision Award
  • President’s Research Excellence and Impact in Innovation Awards

Awards Categories

2025 winners

The winners of the 2025 Outstanding Collaboration Award are researchers who played a pivotal role in establishing the case for Ireland’s hate crime legislation.

Professor Amanda Haynes, Department of Sociology and Professor Jennifer Schweppe, School of Law, who are co-directors of the European Centre for the Study of Hate Research Centre, have led a pioneering interdisciplinary collaboration, combining legal and sociological research to address hate crime in Ireland, supporting the development and eventual enactment of the Criminal Justice (Hate Offences) Act 2024, Ireland’s first dedicated hate crime legislation.

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Impact of winning the award

Winning awards can have a hugely positive impact on your career as a researcher.

WATCH previous winners of the President's Research Excellence and Impact Awards outline how winning their award has been for them.

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President’s Research Excellence and Impact 

Outstanding Research Collaboration Past Winners

2024 - Physical Activity for Health Research Centre

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2023 - Ageing Research Centre

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President’s Research Excellence and Impact 

Early Career Researcher Awards Past Winners

One man and two women each holding a medal standing in front of a green background

2025 winners - Associate Professor Bar Mosevitzky Lis and Associate Professor Tríona McCaffrey with their medals for the Starting category, along with Professor Karen McCreesh who won the Consolidator award.

Read more about the 2025 winners
Woman and man being presented by awards by another woman

2024 winners - Professor Hilary Moss (Consolidator Award) and Associate Professor Daragh Bradshaw (Starting Award) being presented their medals by Professor Ann Ledwith, UL Interim Provost and Deputy President.

Read more about the 2024 winners
Composite image. A man and a woman receiving medals from another woman

2023 winners - Dr Clodagh Toomey (Starting Award) and Dr Tadhg Kearney (Consolidator Award) both being presented their awards by Professor Kerstin Mey, UL President.

Read more about the 2023 winners
The group of early career researchers pictured with Prof Mey and Prof Kennedy

2022 winners - Dr Soumya Mukherjee, Dr Elaine Kinsella, and Dr Hugh Geaney, along with UL President Professor Kerstin Mey,  Vice President Research, Professor Norelee Kennedy and Chair of the Research Impact Committee Professor Helena Lenihan

Read more about the 2022 winners

President’s Research Excellence and Impact 

Research Output Awards Past Winners

The President's Research Excellence and Impact Research Output Award is awarded at faculty level.

2025 President's Research Excellence and Impact Research Output Award winners

Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

  • Advanced Award: Professor Susan Leahy, School of Law
  • Advanced Award: Associate Professor Niamh Nic Gabhann Coleman, School of History and Geography 

Education & Health Sciences 

  • Consolidator Award: Associate Professor Aisling O’Donnell, Department of Psychology
  • Consolidator Award: Associate Professor Ann-Marie Creaven, Department of Psychology 

Kemmy Business School

  • Advanced Award: Associate Professor Vincent O'Sullivan, Department of Economics
  • Interdisciplinary – Professor Donal Palcic, Department of Economics

Science and Engineering

  • Advanced Award: Professor Sean Fair, Department of Biological Sciences
  • Consolidator Award: Associate Professor Soumya Mukherjee, Department of Chemical Sciences
2024 President’s Research Excellence and Impact Research Output Award winners

Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

  • Consolidator Award: Associate Professor Lydia Bracken, School of Law
  • Consolidator Award: Professor Laura Cahillane, School of Law
  • Advanced Award: Professor David Fleming, School of History and Geography
  • Interdisciplinary Award: Associate Professor John Lombard, School of Law; Professor Owen Doody, Department of Nursing and Midwifery; Dr Hope Davidson, Postdoctoral Researcher, School of Law

Education and Health Sciences

  • Starting Award: Dr Jenna Lorusso, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences
  • Advanced Award: Professor Ailish Hannigan, School of Medicine

Kemmy Business School

  • Starting Award: Associate Professor Catriona Burke, Department of Management and Marketing
  • Consolidator Award: Assistant Professor Ciaran Casey, Department of Economics
  • Advanced Award: Professor Deirdre O’Shea, Department of Work and Employment Studies
  • Interdisciplinary Award: Associate Professor Darren Shannon, Department of Accounting and Finance

Science and Engineering

  • Advanced Award: Professor Ken Byrne, Department of Biological Sciences
2023 President’s Research Excellence and Impact Research Output Award winners

Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

  1. Consolidator Award: Conor Caldwell, Associate Professor, Irish World Academy of Music & Dance
  2. Interdisciplinary Award:  joint awards to Sindy Joyce, Lecturer in Traveller Studies, Department of Sociology, Jennifer Schweppe, Professor of Law, Amanda Haynes, Professor of Sociology. 

Faculty of Education and Health Sciences  

  1. Starting Award Daragh Bradshaw, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Centre for Social Issues Research
  2. Consolidator Award Siobhán Howard, Department of Psychology Assistant Dean Academic Affairs, Faculty of Education & Health Sciences, HRI and Centre for Social Issues Research
  3. Advanced Award Mathew Herring, Associate Professor, Department of Physical Education & Sports Sciences & Physical Activity for Health Research Centre, Health Research Institute 

Kemmy Business School 

  1.  Interdisciplinary – Darragh Flannery, Associate Professor in Economics, Department of Economics, Kemmy Business School. 

Faculty of Science & Engineering 

  1. Starting – Shayon Bhattacharya, Assistant Professor in Physical Science, Department of Physics, SSPC & Bernal
  2. Consolidator – Subir Halder, Associate Professor, Department of Electronic & Computer Engineering
  3. Advanced – Daniel Granato, Professor, Department of Biological Sciences & Bernal Institute
  4. Interdisciplinary – Elfed Lewis, Professor of Electronic & Computer Engineering 

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