How did University College Cork become a globally leading university of sustainability?
Abstract: University College Cork (UCC) received the Sustainability University of the Year Award in 2023 by the Green Gown International Awards. This is one example of UCC's longstanding global recognition for leadership in sustainability that stretches back for more than twenty years. This presentation reflects on UCC's sustainability journey over this period, resulting in a strong and successful focus and ambition in the three areas of researching sustainability, practicing sustainability and teaching sustainability. The lecture includes describing UCC's dual emphasis in sustainability research on achieving scientific excellence and delivering maximum societal impact, using our research in the energy transition as an example. It will also summarise UCC's student led, research informed and practice focused approach to improving the sustainability of our campus. The presentation will further outline our mission to train sustainability leaders of tomorrow through our sustainability teaching. The presentation will close with some reflections on key ingredients to our success to date and outline our sustainability ambitions going forward, appreciating that sustainability is a journey, not a destination.
Speaker: Brian Ó Gallachóir is Associate Vice-President of Sustainability at University College Cork, delivering on UCC’s ambitious plans to consolidate its role as a leading university of sustainability. Brian established energy systems modelling capacity in Ireland over the past 20 years and is a recognised international leader in this field, including as elected Chair of International Energy Agency Technology Collaboration Programme. His research has underpinned Irish and EU energy and climate mitigation policies and energy company strategies. Brian has also increased the transdisciplinary nature of climate mitigation research and this is particularly evident in the award winning multi-stakeholder Dingle Peninsula 2030 partnership project. He received the Science Foundation Ireland Best International Engagement Award 2020, the inaugural SFI Engaged Research Award 2022 and the inaugural Irish Times Positive Impacts Award for Sustainability in 2024. Brian is an elected Fellow of the Irish Academy of Engineering has a B.Sc. in Applied Sciences from Trinity College Dublin and a PhD in Mathematical Physics from UCC.