Academic Systems Unit

Systems Support includes:

• The provision of 2nd level support in respect of relevant business solutions.
• Change Management & Upgrades and the specification and implementation of those upgrades.
• Vendor Management and (where relevant) contract management between DCU and the Vendors ensuring value for money and delivery of a quality service.

Operational Support includes:

• Coordination of and support to the Timetable & Room Booking Operational Group. Academic Timetabling in DCU works on a distributed model.  Timetablers are located in each of the 5 faculties and must work together in order to produce a university wide timetable.  Academic Systems coordinates and supports this process and the systems that it relies upon to deliver a Student and Staff Academic Timetable each Academic year.

The information systems under ASU's remit are mission-critical and core to the business of the University, and necessitate both systems expertise and a strong understanding of the business processes they underpin. 

Student Information Systems

• Student records management underpinning key activities such as:
  • Student Enrolment
  • Student Assessment & Progression
  • Student Placement
  • Graduation and Transcripts
• Student dedicated interfaces through DCU Key
• Legacy student information systems and data access to same
• CAO integration

Student Application Portal

• Portal for Prospective students and partner agencies to apply to taught and research programmes
• Management of the selection and offer processes

• Downstream integration with Student Information Systems for successful applicants.

   

Timetabling record management and publishing

• Lecture Timetabling
• Exam Scheduling
• Room Booking (allowing staff and students to book rooms across campuses)

• Occupancy surveys and improvement

   

Transversal Skills Management

• Management of the MySkills Platform, which records and tracks the evaluation of transversal skills across multiple disciplines.

   

Programmes & Modules - Development & Publishing Systems

• Creation and updates of programmes and associated modules to ensure consistency and to prepare for accreditation
• Publication of module descriptors

Olivier Kazmierczak – Head of Academic Systems

Olivier leads the Academic Systems Unit (ASU), which enables both operations and development of mission-critical information systems and associated services within the unit’s remit. 

Olivier joined DCU as Head of Academic Systems in November 2022. He has over 32 years of previous experience, 24 of which in senior management positions in diverse sectors, with responsibilities spanning across department & general management, project & programme management, IT and digital media, software development lifecycles including IA technologies, enterprise applications, business intelligence,  process improvement & quality management. Olivier holds 3 master's degrees: an MBA, an MSc. in Management of Information Systems, and an MEng. (”diplôme d’ingénieur”).

Priya Aggarwal

Priya joined DCU in June 2023 as an Associate Business Analyst on the Student Information System (SIS) programme, working within the Design and Configuration team. During her time on the project, she focused primarily on Placement, alongside the development of transcript reports.

In June 2025, she transitioned to the Academic Systems Unit as a Business Analyst. Priya brings over 8 years of experience in roles as a Business Analyst, DevOps Engineer and Test Analyst.

She has experience working across the full project lifecycle, with responsibilities spanning requirements gathering, process analysis, and mapping “as-is” and “to-be” workflows. Her work also includes developing functional specifications for technical teams, supporting user acceptance testing (UAT), and delivering system configuration, testing, training and end-user support.

Priya holds a Master’s degree in Business Analytics from the University of Limerick.

Ruth Barrett

Ruth joined DCU in early 2023 as a senior business analyst on the Student Information System (SIS) programme. Placement was and continues to be her primary focus during her time in SIS and after her transition to Academic Systems in mid-2025. Her role involves process design and improvement, requirements elicitation and management, system configuration and testing, training and case management. Ruth is a results-oriented business analyst with a decade of experience supporting operational efficiency and improvement. She holds a BCS International Diploma in Business Analysis and is a DCU MECB graduate. 

Katarzyna Buckley 

Kasia is a PMP-certified Project Manager with over 10 years of cross-sector experience in managing complex transformations from inception to completion. Since joining DCU in 2022, she has delivered high-impact projects within the SIS Programme, including Student Enrolment, Student Placement Management and Student Assessment & Progression. With academic Systems since mid-2025, Kasia has project-managed the completion of system deliverables from the SIS programme, as well as system upgrades and change requests, acting as a key liaison between external vendors and internal University units to ensure seamless technical delivery and cross-departmental alignment. 

Aengus Gordon 

Aengus’s primary areas of responsibility are to provide support to the Student Information Systems and key data feed like the CAO applications, and the Timetabling & Room booking applications. His role as a Senior Business Analyst includes systems upgrades, process redevelopment and improvement, business analysis, data extract and data analysis, requirements gathering, process mapping, ITIL framework, project initiation, project planning, project execution, project monitoring and control. He is a Graduate of TCD and DCU.  He joined Academic Systems in 2017, but is a DCU employee since 1998 and has worked on various I.T. projects within the Information Systems and Services Department.

Neha Kumari 

Neha joined DCU and Academic Systems in March 2023. Neha’s primary focus is to provide systems support to the Applications & Admissions process in the Student Application Portal. Her responsibilities include systems upgrades, process mapping, re-engineering and improvement, data workflows, business analysis, requirements management, case management and the implementation of the ITIL framework within her remit. Additionally, she oversees project initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and control. Neha has more than 7 years of experience in the IT industry and holds a master’s degree in Business Analytics from the University of Galway.

Jarrath Mooney 

Jarrath joined DCU and Academic Systems in November 2023 as a Senior Business Analyst CU, where he provides support primarily for the Timetabling, Exam Scheduling, and Room Booking applications. His role encompasses systems upgrades, process redevelopment and improvement, business analysis, data analysis, requirements gathering, process mapping, and the implementation of the ITIL framework. He also is a major contributor to occupancy surveys, subsequent data analysis and improvement implementation plan.

Jarrath has over five years of previous experience as a Business Analyst, acquired in the pharmaceutical industry. Particular areas of interest are continual improvement, enhancing end-user experience, and effective stakeholder management. This together with his expertise in business analysis and his commitment to excellence, are great assets for the Academic Systems team.

Jarrath holds a Bachelor’s degree in IT from Dublin Business School and ITIL 4 certification.

Niamh Nic Clámha 

Niamh joined the Academic Systems Unit in June 2025 as a Senior Business Analyst, following two years working on DCU’s Student Information System (SIS) programme. She brought with her detailed knowledge of systems and processes across the full student lifecycle, with a particular focus on Curriculum, Student Registration, and Assessment & Progression.

She has a background in software development and consulting, with broad experience across multiple industries including Higher Education. Niamh has a strong track record in business analysis and system implementation and is committed to supporting the University in enhancing academic processes and student services.

Teresa O'Connor 

Teresa joined DCU and Academic Systems in January 2024. Her primary focuses are to provide support for DCU’s Transversal Skills platform implemented as part of DCU Futures, and the support and development of the curriculum management system used to develop new programmes for accreditation. She also provides cover for supporting the Applications & Admissions process in the Student Application Portal. With over 10 years of Business Analysis experience in the not-for-profit sector, Teresa brings a wealth of knowledge and a unique perspective to her role. Her expertise in CRM platforms, business analysis, alongside a proven track record of successful project implementations, allows her to understand the intricacies of these systems and develop strategies to optimise their functionality and efficiency.

Niall O'Flanagan 

Niall joined DCU in 2019 and re-joined Academic Systems in April 2023 after having been seconded to the Student Information System (SIS) programme. His role as a Business Analyst in DCU has afforded him the opportunity to work across the full project lifecycle and has been responsible for documenting the “as-is” and “to-be” business processes, system configuration, business & systems analysis, workshop facilitation, presenting at project design fora, system testing, training, as well as supporting various project planning activities. He is a graduate of Trinity College and has over 15 years of experience working as a business analyst in the Higher Education sector.

Louise Ryan

Louise joined DCU in September 2022 on the Student Information System (SIS) programme, in the Design & Configuration Team, working primarily on Enrolment & Configuration, including Fees processes but has strong knowledge across both student and staff end-to-end journeys. Louise joined the Academic Systems Unit in June 2025 as a Senior Business Analyst. In her roles  in DCU, she has worked though all project phases, including project planning, documenting “as-is” to “to-be” business processes and system configuration, as well as systems testing and training. She is a graduate of Trinity College and has over 15 years of experience working as a business analyst, many of those in the Higher Education sector.

Lynn Walsh

Lynn joined the Student Information Systems (SIS) Programme team in 2023 as a Business Analyst. Primary responsibility was the design and configuration of Assessment and Progression elements of DCU KEY and as such Lynn retains responsibility within Academic Systems after joining the unit in mid-2025, for the functionality of grading and assessment features of the Information System.  Lynn brings extensive experience from the industrial sector, specialising in Procurement Engineering with primary qualifications in science, quality, Lean Six Sigma and analytics.