18 New Members of the Royal Irish Academy

The Royal Irish Academy, Ireland’s leading body of experts in the sciences and humanities, admitted eighteen new Members on Friday (26th May). Since 1785 membership of the Academy has been awarded to persons who have attained distinction by their unique contributions to education and research. Amongst the new members are:

• Máire O’ Neill is one of Europe’s leading cryptography experts and the youngest ever professor to be appointed at Queen’s University, Belfast at the age of 32; She was still a PhD student when she invented a high-speed silicon security chip that is used in more than 100 million TV set-top boxes. She was British female Inventor of the Year 2007
• Stephen O’Rahilly,  is a world renowned expert who has completed pioneering work on the causes of obesity and Type 2 diabetes – including discovering the obesity gene affecting children
• Michael Viney, is an Irish Times journalist, environmentalist and natural history author
• Marianne Elliott, is one of Ireland’s leading historians.  She  is best known for her acclaimed biography Wolfe Tone: Prophet of Irish Independence

Professor Peter Kennedy, President of the Royal Irish Academy, said

'Ireland should be immensely proud of these women and men who have brought international academic distinction to our country. As Members of the Academy, they will strengthen the Academy’s capacity to provide expert advice on Higher Education and Research policy’.

The newly elected members of the Royal Irish Academy are:

Sciences

John Cryan (UCC); JA Scott Kelso (Florida Atlantic University); Jennifer McElwain, (UCD); Eucharia Meehan, (Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies); Máire O’Neill,  (Queens University Belfast); Stephen O’Rahilly, (University of Cambridge); Barry O’Sullivan, (UCC); Fergus Shanahan (UCC); Michael Viney (Irish Times).

Humanities and Social Sciences

Paul Crowther (NUI Galway);  Anna Ray Davies (Trinity College, Dublin);  Robert Elgie, Dublin City University); Marianne Elliott (formely of Liverpool Institute of Irish Studies); Noel Lowndes, (NUI Galway); Brendan O’Leary, (University of Pennsylvania); Finola O'Kane Crimmins (UCD); Aidan O’Sullivan ( UCD); Filipe Ribeiro De Meneses, (Maynooth University).

There are now 580 Members of the Royal Irish Academy (of whom 85 are Honorary or overseas Members) including:  Brian MacCraith, President of Dublin City University, Philip Lane, Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland; Susan Denham, Chief Justice;  Mary Kelly, chairperson of An Bord Pleanála; and Roy Foster, historian and biographer of WB Yeats.    

Those elected are entitled to use the designation ‘MRIA’ after their name.

Nobel Laureate William Campbell and Alastair Minnis were elected as  Honorary Members of the Royal Irish Academy on 16 March 2017 but will be enrolled at a later date.

Ends

For further Information please contact:

Pauric Dempsey, Head of Communications and Public Affairs

087-6386651; p.dempsey@ria.ie