In the News..

University of Galway has celebrated the achievements of more than 2,400 graduates during its autumn conferring ceremonies. Graduates, including 48 who qualified with a PhD, from across the University’s four Colleges were conferred with postgraduate and undergraduate degrees in a series of ceremonies on campus, joining the ranks of over 131,000 University of Galway alumni worldwide. The celebrations took place on campus from October 15th to 21st.             Professor David Burn, President of University of Galway, said: “Conferring week is one of the highlights of the University calendar, a time to recognise the hard work, dedication, and excellence of our students, and the commitment of our staff who have supported them along the way. We are very proud of our graduates as they embark on the next stage of their journey.” Ends

University of Galway has today launched a new research partnership with multinational engineering company Trane Technologies. The three-year collaboration on the development of sustainable technologies for advanced manufacturing processes is co-funded by I-Form, Taighde Éireann - Research Ireland Centre for Advanced Manufacturing and Trane Technologies. Trane Technologies is a global leader in the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration industry sector with more than 40 sites worldwide, including its manufacturing subsidiary Thermo King in Galway. It has been a pioneer in the sector for more than 40 years. The research aims to enhance advanced manufacturing processes for systems used in buildings, homes and transportation, with a focus on sustainable and innovative technologies while increasing productivity and reducing environmental impact. President of University of Galway, Professor David Burn, said: “At University of Galway we have a proud and unique heritage in the field of engineering. Our research partnership with Trane is the essence of that, as we empower our academics, students and collaborators to pioneer an agenda of innovation, sustainability and learning.” Max Javaheri, Vice President, Advanced Manufacturing for Trane Technologies, said: “For over 45 years, Thermo King in Galway has been a cornerstone of manufacturing excellence and innovation. This public-private collaboration between Trane Technologies, the University of Galway, and I-Form will build upon that legacy and will focus on developing advanced, innovative, and sustainable production methods that will immensely impact our factories globally. This partnership will create meaningful impact by advancing clean manufacturing technologies and nurturing local talent. Together, we will transform the future of manufacturing and reinforce Galway’s position as a hub for innovation and advanced engineering.”   The research to be conducted as part of the partnership is to be led by Dr Noel Harrison, Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering, and Pádraig Conneely, Lecturer in Automation and Lean Manufacturing, both of whom are based in the School of Engineering at University of Galway.   Professor Laoise McNamara, Head of the School of Engineering at University of Galway, said:  “This partnership will combine cutting-edge academic research with a real-world engineering application, allowing University of Galway to collaborate with Trane Technologies' subject matter experts and automation engineers, as well as creating new learning opportunities for our researchers and students.”   Professor Denis Dowling, Centre Director, I-Form - Research Ireland Centre for Advanced Manufacturing, said: “This three-year collaboration exemplifies I-Form’s mission to drive the transformation of advanced manufacturing in Ireland through sustainable, high-impact research partnerships. By co-funding projects like this, we are helping to shape a more innovative and resilient manufacturing ecosystem for the future.” One of the aims of the research project is to enable sustainable, fast and reduced-cost development of new products and processes and digitalised manufacturing, by replacing time-consuming, physical experimentation with advanced, predictive modelling. The partnership will focus on advancing automation in brazing (the process of joining metal by melting an intermediary filler metal) and leak detection processes. It aims to develop a fundamental understanding of the material and process phenomena involved in automated induction and hydrogen brazing, leading to the industrial integration of optimised scalable brazing processes. As a world-class leader in fostering industry collaboration, University of Galway researcher and students will work with Thermo King R&D teams and other staff to develop advanced manufacturing solutions that will be deployed across Trane Technologies’ global network. The research project team will design, develop and validate robotic and automated systems for brazing operations; build proof-of-concept prototypes and test beds to demonstrate system capabilities; conduct industrial trials and validate system performance in a production-representative environment; and develop robotic system programmes and virtual simulations of process and tooling using in-house robotic systems. Ends

Research funded by Wellcome to explore disabled people’s experiences and develop guidance for law and policy Researchers at University of Galway are to work with young people with disabilities to develop guidance on how care and support systems can be reformed to fully realise human rights. Dr Clíona de Bhailís, a post-doctoral researcher at the University’s Centre for Disability Law and Policy, has been awarded a Wellcome Early-Career Grant of more than €700,000 to conduct the study. The research team will work alongside young people with disabilities aged 18–24 to interview other disabled people across Ireland to gather their lived experiences of care and support. The findings will be analysed to produce evidence-based guidance on how law, policy and systems can be reformed to realise disabled people’s human rights. Dr de Bhailís said: “The project comes at a critical moment in Ireland, with legislative developments, a referendum on family and care, and the impacts of COVID-19 reigniting public discussions on care. Despite this attention, young disabled people have often been marginalised in these debates. By placing them at the heart of the research process, the project aims to challenge assumptions about vulnerability and dependency while informing policy and practice.” Many disabled people require access to a range of care and support to live independently, including personal and intimate care, healthcare assistance, supported decision-making, and help navigating community services. Historically, the concept of care has been controversial within the disabled people’s movement, often seen as reinforcing dependency and ignoring that disabled people also care for and support others. Under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, disabled people have a right to live in the community with choices equal to others, including choosing the types of care and support that meet their needs. The project, entitled GenCare: Intergenerational Explorations of Care and Support for Disabled People in Ireland, will run for four years is designed to put young people at the forefront of shaping change in Ireland. Dr de Bhailís added: “The project will take an innovative approach by establishing a collective of young disabled co-researchers who will be involved in every stage of the research. They will gather data from disabled people across Ireland, documenting their experiences of care and support, and come up with ideas for reform. Our goal is to make sure disabled people are at the heart of any future reforms while ensuring we continue to learn from past experiences.” Ends