Full-circle moment for UL academic as she accepts international teaching award in Egypt

A University of Limerick academic experienced a truly full-circle moment as she accepted an international teaching award in Egypt last month, decades on from her own formative childhood adventure at the pyramids.

Elaine Doyle, Professor of Taxation at UL’s Kemmy Business School (KBS), was in Cairo to accept the Pedagogy Award at the 2026 PRME (Principles for Responsible Management Education) Awards – a United Nations initiative that recognises business and management schools for excellence in embedding sustainability and responsible management practices into business education.

The Pedagogy Award for Designing and Delivering Meaningful Learning Experiences went to CATALYST (Climate Awareness Through Active Learning for Young People and Students), an initiative designed and presented by Professor Doyle in collaboration with KBS colleagues Dr Mary Curtin and Erin King.

Offered to the entire first-year business cohort at KBS – totalling some 584 students – CATALYST embedded climate education and responsible management thinking into an accounting module. As well as creating a learning experience through which the students could engage with climate change, the initiative provided students with the opportunity to meet peers and collaborate in groups at a crucial point in their university journey.

Professor Doyle said she and her colleagues were “deeply honoured and humbled” to accept the award for their work on CATALYST, which was commended for its “educational quality” and “demonstrated impact”.

“I was thrilled to accept the PRME Award for Pedagogy on behalf of our team and my amazing team members, Dr Mary Curtin and Erin King, at the UN PRME Global Forum in Cairo.

“The impact of the climate change awareness workshops on our students extended far beyond developing their understanding of the consequences of climate change, serving to also give students a structured opportunity to get to know some of their classmates in their very first week on campus.”

While the concept of experiential learning – or, learning by doing – is at the heart of the CATALYST initiative, it also forms the bedrock of Professor Doyle’s teaching philosophy. Indeed, touching down in Cairo brought back fond childhood memories of her first visit to Egypt, while travelling with her family in support of her father’s work with the United Nations.

“My family moved abroad when I was nine. My siblings and I were home-schooled by our mother, herself a teacher. She believed that children needed to master sustainable learning skills rather than follow a rigid curriculum. A trip would be planned – in one case, to Egypt. We would draw maps of the area, research and write up the relevant history and our expectations. Afterwards, we wrote about our excursion,” explained Professor Doyle.

Invited to share further insights into the CATALYST initiative at the PRME Awards plenary session, Professor Doyle was able to regale attendees with her own learning experience in Egypt – one which would unknowingly shape her future career.

“Learning all about the boy king, Tutankhamun, initially from books and then going to see his tomb, his mummified remains, and all his possessions in the Egyptian Museum, was one of the highlights of my early childhood.

“This formative learning experience informed my understanding of education both as a student and teacher. I learned that creating an effective educational environment is about creating a safe space where individuals can explore and learn for themselves in an experiential manner. It was amazing to be back in Cairo so many years later to accept the PRME award,” she added.

The 2026 PRME Awards honoured four overall winners from a total of 43 submissions, from 22 countries; celebrating exceptional contributions across pedagogy, curriculum, research, and academic development.

Dr David Steingard, Head of PRME, commented: “The 2026 PRME Education Awards highlight the depth and diversity of efforts taking place across our global community to advance responsible management education. This year’s awardees demonstrate how rigorous, thoughtfully designed education can meaningfully contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals and better prepare students to navigate complex global challenges.”