Trinity marks 1st European Doctoral Day
Posted on: 14 May 2026
Trinity celebrated the inaugural European Doctoral Day on Wednesday 13 May 2026 with students, academics, employers and policy makers joining an event exploring the theme of ‘Better Together: Amplifying research and innovation through collaboration’.
Over 180 such events took place across Europe and Trinity’s event was hosted by the Dean of Graduate Studies, Professor Martine Smith, with sessions moderated by Director of Careers and Development, Orla Bannon.
Key speakers included enterprise partners from technology (IBM), education policy (City of Dublin ETB) and sustainable engineering (Nexalus) as well as PhD students and graduates who shared their stories.
Speaking about the event, Professor Martine Smith said: “The inaugural European Doctoral Day highlighted the role of PhD students and of doctoral education in driving scientific excellence, innovation, and societal progress. It was wonderful to see so much engagement among participants from enterprise, education policy and academia discussing how we are better together in advancing knowledge, fostering innovation, and creating lasting impact.”
Dr. Martin Mevissen, Senior Research Manager – AI and Quantum at IBM, showcased the IBM Trinity pre-doc programme where researchers are employed by IBM and embedded in the team whilst completing their PhD at Trinity. Students are co-supervised by an IBM research scientist and a Trinity academic. Pre-doc programme student Victor Baycroft spoke of feeling real ownership of his research project and the collegiate atmosphere in the research centre.
Dr. Cathal Wilson, COO at Trinity spin out company Nexalus presented with recent PhD graduate Fazeel Mohammed. They explored the commercialisation of research and how the company continues to support new research to drive performance improvements. Researchers working with Nexalus spend time in both lab and real-world manufacturing environments. Fazeel explained how this helped him understand real life constraints and limitations as he translated theories into industry applications.
Lorraine Downey, Head of Learner Support and Engagement Service at City of Dublin ETB and a part time PhD candidate in Trinity’s School of Education shared her experience of how her research grew out of gaps in policy she found in her work with migrant populations in Ireland. She spoke of how her dual role as PhD researcher and working professional allows her to join the dots and make connections, seeing impacts from her research quickly in her work. She also highlighted the importance of making interdisciplinary connections and networking outside of your immediate research area.
All attendees took part in the lively roundtable discussion on skills and experiences in doctoral education with representatives from Enterprise Ireland, Intel Ireland, the Higher Education Authority, and TCD Students’ Union/AMLCT members Lindiwe Mpofu and John Manderscheid.
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