Nominations now open for Teagasc Walsh Scholars Alum Award 2020
From ground-breaking scientists, leading economists and innovative entrepreneurs, nominations are now open for the Teagasc Walsh Scholars Alum Award 2020. The Alum Award honours a member who has demonstrated excellence in their professional achievements, is a leader in their field, or has made a substantial impact on society.
Teagasc, in partnership with national and international universities, have a long and prestigious history of successful doctoral and master's training in agricultural research, education and advisory. The Award is an opportunity for the organisation to, reflect on, and celebrate the achievements of the Programme’s growing alumni network, who are working in academia, industry and policy, nationally and internationally.
Commenting on Teagasc’ s commitment to celebrate the achievements of the Programme’s alumni, Professor Frank O’Mara, Director of Research, said; “We launched the Alum Award in October 2018 to recognise the diversity of professional achievements and contributions made by role models and thought-leaders from within the Programme’s alumni community.”
“Learning what our alumni have done with the training they gained through the Programme, and celebrating their successes, inspires all who aspire to have an impact. It is an honour for us to recognise excellence with this award.”
The 2020 award winner will follow in the footsteps of Professor Andrew Fisher, who is the Chair of Cattle and Sheep Production Medicine and Director of the Animal Welfare Science Centre at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Andrew, who as a Walsh Scholar based at the Teagasc Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation Centre in Grange, county Meath, between 1992 and 1996, investigated factors affecting the welfare and health of beef cattle.
For more information on the Award - who is eligible, who can nominate, the selection criteria and judging process - visit the Alum Award webpage. Nominations close at midnight on Wednesday, 30 September 2020.
The award winner will be announced as part of ‘Walsh Scholars: The Next Generation’, a public showcase of Teagasc’s leading postgraduate agri-food research, on Thursday, 5 November.
Notes to Editor
About the Teagasc Walsh Scholarships Programme
The Walsh Scholarships Programme mission is to train and develop the next generation of leaders in agri-food research, advisory and education. It offers a unique opportunity for students to pursue postgraduate research and professional-based learning in agriculture, food, environmental science, agri-food economics, rural development, horticulture, forestry and other related disciplines.
Teagasc has a diverse portfolio of exciting research and knowledge transfer projects, which allow current and prospective students to develop discipline-specific scientific and technical expertise under the supervision of a Teagasc researcher or specialist and a university-based academic. University-based learning and a bespoke development programme advances Scholar’s interdisciplinary and intersectoral knowledge, industry-relevant transferable skills, behaviour competencies and career development planning.
With a long history of successful doctoral and masters training, the Programme is competitive on application and is a prestigious award held by an expanding network of alumni. The majority of Walsh Scholars are funded by Teagasc (Grant-In-Aid), with others supported by national (e.g. DAFM’s FIRM, Stimulus and CoFoRD Programmes, SFI, EPA) and international (e.g. EU’s Horizon 2020) funding streams.
It is named in commemoration of Dr Tom Walsh (1914-1988), a pioneering scientist who played a significant role in shaping modern agricultural research, advisory and education services in Ireland.