GMIT lecturer appointed to Research Council for Science

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Written by Administrator

Wednesday, 24 January 2007

Dr Pauline King, a senior lecturer in the School of Science at Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT), has been appointed to the Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology (IRCSET), by the Minister for Education and Science, Mary Hanafin.

IRCSET strives to stimulate internationally recognisable excellence in research across the sciences, engineering and technology. The goal is that of long-term knowledge creation. Members of the IRCSET board include senior academic and industry figures.

Dr King is a senior lecturer at the School of Science and team leader of the Commercial Fisheries Research Group (CFRG), which she set up at GMIT in 1998. Since then, research activity at GMIT has undergone a period of rapid development, attracting substantial funding from national and international funding agencies.

An umbrella Centre for Natural Resources and Sustainability was recently established in GMIT. Together with the CFRG, it represents a cluster of four of the largest and most successful research groups within the college. The centre has over 30 members, consisting of full-time researchers, postgraduates at MSc and PhD level and research-active teaching staff.

Originally from Inishbofin, Co. Galway, and a graduate of NUI Galway, Dr King's professional research interests are in the area of fisheries biology, and the sustainable management of commercial fish and shellfish species.

As a member of the board of IRCSET, she will be involved in developing a strategic planning process 'Vision 2015 - Steer Ireland'. A key focus of the latter is for Ireland to be an acknowledged leader in training researchers in the formative phase of their careers to underpin the Irish knowledge-based economy.She will also be involved in promoting the Graduate Schools/Graduate Training Programme.

IRCSET, with the support of the Marine Institute, was recently involved in the awarding of an exploratory grant to a consortium of Irish third-level research and education centres (of which GMIT is a participant and NUIG the lead institution), to facilitate a detailed study of the feasibility of establishing a marine graduate school in Ireland. Dr King's term of office on the board is for four years, from December 2006 to November 2010.

She commented, "I believe the appointment recognises the level of excellence of research at GMIT and I am delighted to be part of such a highly motivated and internationally regarded team. I am honoured to have been appointed to the IRCSET council and look forward to working with such a highly acclaimed and internationally renowned council membership in the coming years, for the future benefit of science, engineering and technology in Ireland."

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