Research Newsletter - Issue 114: Spotlight
The 2026 President's Awards for Research
The importance of ensuring all students are included and catered for in educational environments; working towards new drug treatments for cancer; decoding the world of international diplomacy: this year’s President’s Awards for Research brought forth excellent individuals representing key areas of strength in the University’s research landscape.
The annual awards for Research, presented by Prof Dáire Keogh at a ceremony in the Helix Theatre, recognise researchers who consistently perform to excellent standards, making outstanding contributions to the DCU community and addressing significant global challenges. This month’s Research Spotlight takes a closer look at this year’s three awardees.
Academic Staff - Prof Silvia Giordani
This year’s award for Academic Staff went to Professor Silvia Giordani of the School of Chemical Sciences for her internationally recognised research in materials chemistry. Over two decades, Prof Giordani has demonstrated sustained leadership, guiding interdisciplinary teams across Italy and Ireland to innovate in the field of carbon nanomaterials.
Prof Giordani leads a number of international collaborations that enhance DCU’s global research profile, and she has secured substantial competitive funding from national and international sources to support this work. Her research into nanotechnology holds transformative potential, particularly regarding the development of non-invasive anti-tumour therapies. Recently appointed Ufficiale dell’Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana, Prof Giordani noted that her success is rooted in collaborative teamwork across diverse scientific disciplines.
Alongside her research achievements, Prof Giordani has shown a strong commitment to gender equality and public engagement. As a L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Fellow, she actively promotes inclusive science through outreach, media engagement, and work with schools. Her research has also been featured in national media, including The Irish Times and RTÉ Radio 1, further enhancing DCU’s public profile and societal impact.
Early Career Researcher - Dr Jonathan Harris
The 2026 Early Career Researcher award was presented to Dr Jonathan Harris from the School of History and Geography. Dr Harris’s work examines international migration, social justice, and postcolonial citizenship.
His work focuses on two complementary areas: Diplomatic Training and Diaspora Diplomacy. With formal training for diplomats was rare before the mid-20th century, it was more a case of 'who you know' and being a European, male, aristocrat, with aptitude for 'learning on the job' an assumed quality. But when the European empires collapsed, and a raft of new states gained independence, the urgent need for training led to formal programmes. The geopolitical dynamics the spaces, networks, and power relations of learning to be a diplomat during decolonisation can tell us a lot. To begin with, these courses were held in the same colonial schools, with the same instructors, as had existed in places like Oxford or Paris for the decades before, designed to socialise diplomats from new nations into a certain kind of international elite, one that the established Western liberal order sought to maintain.
Diaspora diplomacy is about getting away from formal embassies and consulates to consider the practices of leaders and activists in places like cultural associations, sports clubs, religious groups that organise on the basis of a shared and distant homeland. Ireland is an ideal place to do this research, as it experiences the current shift from a country of net emigration to one of net immigration, including non-European migrants, for the first time in centuries.
Research Impact - Dr Sinead McNally
Dr Sinéad McNally from the School of Language, Literacy & Early Childhood Education received the award for Research Impact. Dr McNally leads a distinguished research programme focused on creating high-quality, inclusive educational environments.
A cornerstone of her work is elevating student voices that are often missing from educational discourse. Her research has had direct policy impact, being cited by the National Disability Authority and contributing to the Autism Innovation Strategy. Internationally, her findings on shared reading have been adopted by BookTrust in the UK, and she recently presented her work to government ministers at the BookTrust Cymru Early Years Reading Conference.
Internationally recognised as successfully advocating for neuro-affirming approaches, Dr McNally was invited to share findings at the ‘Future of Play’ conference at Cambridge University. Her findings on shared reading have been adopted by BookTrust as key evidence directly impacting practice in the UK, and she was invited to present her findings to government ministers and key interest holders at the Welsh National Conference on Early Years Reading.
Dr McNally also uses her platform as Editor-in-Chief of the leading journal, Active Learning in Higher Education, to shape international narratives on inclusive pedagogies. Overall, she advances inclusive practices that are rooted in empathy and evidence, moving beyond mere physical presence to ensure genuine belonging and agency for every student.