Five Trinity researchers receive Fulbright awards for 2023/24

Posted on: 09 June 2023

Five researchers from Trinity College Dublin were among 37 Fulbright Irish awardees for 2023/24 presented with awards this week at the US Ambassador’s residence in Dublin. 

Above l to r are Dr Pádraic Whyte, Dr Juliette O'Connell, Dr Gavin Murphy, Jessica O'Neill and Luke Gibbons

Academics, professionals, students and Irish speakers will attend 17 leading U.S. institutions to research, study, teach and collaborate with experts in their fields from August 2023 to August 2024.  

Awardees will embed themselves in institutions ranging from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Poets House New York and The University of Hawaii to The Smithsonian Institution in Washington and East Los Angeles College, the largest community college in California.  

Fulbright Irish Scholars, Students, and Foreign Language Teaching Assistants (FLTAs) will also engage with US society and share their knowledge and expertise when they return home. 

Executive Director of the Fulbright Commission in Ireland, Dr Dara FitzGerald, said:

“I congratulate the new awardees on the significant honour and achievement of earning a Fulbright Award. The Commission takes pride in the Irish awardees who engage in the States and return home to share their learnings. I wish to extend my thanks to the partners, stakeholders and sponsors who have supported us in recent years. The impact of their support, both immediately and over time, cannot be underestimated.

We thank our partners, the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in Dublin, the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. We are grateful to have the ongoing support of our Irish award sponsors: the Health Research Board, Enterprise Ireland, the Environmental Protection Agency, Geological Survey Ireland, National University of Ireland, Teagasc, the Creative Ireland Programme, and notable U.S. Institutions as the Exploratorium, the Smithsonian, the Harry Ransom Center and Boston College.

I would like to note the continuous support from Irish institutions such as University College Cork, University College Dublin, Dublin City University, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Galway, Maynooth University, University of Limerick, Science Foundation Ireland, Atlantic Technological University, Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies, Irish Museum of Modern Art and the Hugh Lane Gallery.

I am keen to recognise our growing relationships with the Technological Universities including Atlantic Technological University, Technological University Dublin, Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest, Munster Technological University and South East Technological University. We wish them every success as they develop and will provide supports for their initiatives.”

The Trinity awardees are: 

Dr Juliette O'Connell, Assistant Professor in Therapeutics and Pharmacy Practice in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. As a Fulbright-HRB Health Impact Scholar, at the College of Pharmacy in the University of Kentucky, she will be collaborating with colleagues to examine opioid prescribing and stewardship strategies.  

Dr Pádraic Whyte, associate professor of English and Director of Research at the School of English. As a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Hawaii, he will explore the relationship between Ireland and Hawai’i in terms of storytelling, islands, and identities in children’s literature. 

Dr Gavin Murphy , Assistant Professor at the School of Education, where he leads the Leadership and Policy strand of the Master of Education and is Professional Master of Education Thesis Coordinator. Gavin will also be a Chen Yidan Visiting Global Fellow at Harvard University, where he will complete his Fulbright Award. 

Jessica O'Neill, a graduate of Law. As a Fulbright Awardee, Jessica will be attending Harvard Law School to undertake an LL.M. focusing on constitutional and regulatory law. Jessica has a keen interest in the right to privacy, which she plans to develop at Harvard. 

Luke Gibbons, a Ph.D. candidate. His research investigates directors’ duties and climatic risks. As a Fulbright-EPA Awardee, Luke will focus on the US elements of his thesis at Harvard Law School. 

 ENDS

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