Research Support Team photo

Meet the new DCU Research Support Team

Research and Innovation Support has undergone a lot of changes in the last few months. Some team members have left, others have joined us, responsibilities have been reallocated and as a result we have nearly a brand new team! After Prof. Alan Harvey's departure, Prof. Greg Hughes has taken the position of interim Vice-President for Research and Innovation - welcome Greg! We sadly also saw the departure of two members of the team; Yuliya Shakalisava, who is now a Marie Curie Fellow in the Netherlands, and Anne-Louise Holloway who has joined the UCD Research Office team. Two new members have joined us; David Fitzpatrick, who has previous experience as a Research Support Officer in Imperial College in the UK and also in TCD and UCD, and Ecaterina McDonagh (Katya), who was part of the research support team of the Hubs and Platforms - welcome David and Katya! Finally, Jane Carrigan and Nina Shiel joined us a few months ago to support the incorporation process, and by now are fully integrated into the team. The description of the new contact point for Schools, Faculties and Centres is described below:

Fiona Morrissey is the first contact point for RIS and provides support to the team and is responsible for the office administration, events etc.

Dr. Helen Burke is the Contact Point for the Schools of Biotechnology, Health and Human Performance, and Nursing & Human Sciences and associated Research Centres. She is the Call Manager for health funders including Wellcome Trust, HRB, Irish Cancer Society etc. as well as Fulbright and H2020 Societal Challenges in Health and Food/Agriculture.

Fiona Brennan is the Contact Point for the Schools of Chemical Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematical Sciences, and associated Research Centres. She is responsible for managing Science Foundation Ireland calls and other thematically related such as EPA calls and H2020 Societal Challenges in Climate Action and Energy.

Dr. Katya McDonagh is the Contact Point for the Faculty of the Humanities and Social Sciences and associated Research Centres. She manages the Irish Research Council calls, as well as H2020 Marie Curie Calls, COST and Societal Challenges for Inclusive Societies.

Kieran O’Dwyer is the Contact Point for the DCU Business School and manages the legal agreements with Industry for collaborative and contract research, as well as the H2020 calls in the Industrial Leadership Pillar.

Dr. Jane Carrigan is the Contact Point for the Institute of Education and associated Research Centers. She is the call manager for ERASMUS+, EACEA and ERC programmes, as well as Royal Irish Academy calls. She is based on St Patrick’s Campus and provides support for proposal development and funding diversification in the Institute of Education.

Dr. Nina Shiel is the Funding Diversity Coordinator for the Faculty of HSS, providing additional support post incorporation. She supports proposal development and funding diversification in the Faculty and associated Research Centres, and is responsible for RIS communications and marketing strategy.

Dr. David Fitzpatrick is the Contact Point for the Faculty of Engineering and Computing and associated Reserach Centres. He manages Enterprise Ireland funding calls, SFI Industry-related calls (TIDA, Industry Fellowships etc.) and H2020 Societal Challenge in Security, and FET and DG Connect (ICT/Space).

Isabel Hidalgo manages all our Research Information Systems, including Research Professional, the new Research Engine, the Internal Proposal Approval System and the Research Support system for awards, and is leading the upgrade to our new grant management system that will go live in 2017.

Dr. Ana Terres is the Director of Research Support. She supports the Vice-President for Research and Innovation with the implementation of the DCU Research Strategy, manages the Research Support team and oversees the direction of the support teams at the Science and Technology Enhancement Platform.

Prof. Greg Hughes is the interim Vice-President for Research and Innovation. The VPRI is responsible for the ongoing advancement of the DCU’s research and innovation strategy, champions a culture of research, coordinates research initiatives within the university, and represents the university in its engagement with external bodies and funding agencies.