DCU Alumni Awards 2023
This year, we are celebrating the wonderful contribution and impact by 8 of our graduates across the world. With almost 100,000 alumni, our community continues to grow and we have so much to celebrate.
Dr. John Gerard Cannon
Dr. John Gerard Cannon
BSc Applied Physics 2010
President Irish Medical Organization
Dr. John Cannon is President of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), the representative body for medical doctors in Ireland, only the 6th junior doctor to hold the position in the near 200-year history of the organisation.
Zia Karim
Zia Karim
PhD Electronic Engineering, 1993
Zia Karim is Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Yield Engineering Systems (YES) in Fremont, California.. YES designs and manufactures process equipment for the semiconductor, power semiconductor, and life sciences industries.
Maria Kinsella
Maria Kinsella
BSc in Accounting and Finance, 2012
MSc in Accounting, 2013
Chartered Accountant - PwC
Maria Kinsella is a Chartered Accountant and a Senior Manager in Assurance - Asset & Wealth Management at PwC Dublin. Maria first joined PwC in 2013 and has progressed from graduate trainee to Senior Manager.
Lucy Nugent
Lucy Nugent
BA Nursing Studies, 2003
CEO Tallaght University Hospital
Lucy Nugent has just celebrated five years as Chief Executive Officer at Tallaght University Hospital.
Lucy graduated from her Nursing Studies at DCU in 2003 and over the following decade she worked in a number of roles as a registered general and children’s nurse in the Children’s University Hospital Temple Street progressing to the role of Clinical & Patient Services Manager.
Martina Quinn
Martina Quinn
BA Journalism, 2003
Founder and Managing Director, Alice
Martina is the Founder and Managing Director of Alice, an award-winning public relations agency.
On leaving university Martina first worked as a journalist before moving into the world of communications in 2004, After two in-house roles in the political and the not for profit sectors she joined DHR Communications, a communications consulting practice, working with cause related and public interest organisations and issues.
Kevin Shortall
Kevin Shortall
BRel Sc Mater Dei 1996
MRel Sc 2001
Principal St. Aidan's Community School, Tallaght
Kevin Shortall is principal of St. Aidan’s Community School, Tallaght and an innovator and pioneer in education.
An early school leaver, he never believed then he would go to college or become a teacher. Four years later Kevin returned to do his leaving cert. and then completed what is now the B. Ed. and M. Ed. in DCU. He subsequently completed postgraduate studies in School Leadership at UL.
Kevin Tuohy
Kevin Tuohy
BSc Computer Applications 1999
Director of Software Engineering & IT People & Finance Aer Lingus
Kevin Touhy is Director of Software Engineering, IT People & Finance at Aer Lingus.
On graduation in 1999 he built his career initially in New York, before returning to Ireland in 2002 to become technical lead at Cúram Software.
Over the two decades since, and across a number of roles, Kevin has evolved a distinct style of leadership in the software engineering sector with a keen focus on delivering exceptional customer value. At that heart of his approach was an early understanding of the benefits of agile methodologies and cloud-based solutions.
Sorcha Edwards
Sorcha Edwards
BA Applied Languages 1998
General Secretary of Housing of Europe
Sorcha Edwards is General Secretary of Housing Europe, the European Federation of Public, Cooperative and Social Housing providers since 2014.
After graduating with a degree in Languages from DCU Sorcha, continued her studies with postgraduate qualifications in Business and in European Studies at the University of Ulster and at the University of Leuven.