Four TCD Academics Elected to Royal Irish Academy
Posted on: 16 May 2008
Four academics from Trinity College Dublin have been elected as Members of the
Royal
Irish
Academy
. Election to the
Royal
Irish
Academy
is the highest academic honour in
Ireland
.
The four new Members are: Dr Katharine Simms, Professor James Lunney, Professor Kingston Mills, and Professor Patrick Prendergast.
Dr Katharine Simms is a Senior Lecturer in History, in the
School
of
Histories
and Humanities and Director of the Medieval History Research Centre. Her research centres on the social history of Gaelic Ireland, historical sources in the Irish language, and the military and ecclesiastical history of medieval
Ireland
.
Professor James Lunney is Associate Professor of Physics and Head of the
School
of
Physics
. His current research interests are in high power laser-matter interactions and plasma physics, with particular emphasis on pulsed laser evaporation and deposition of solid materials for research.
Professor Kingston Mills, is Professor of Experimental Immunology at the
School
of
Biochemistry
and Immunology. He is an immunologist with an international reputation in the area of T lymphocytes – white blood cells which destroy abnormal cells – and immunomodulation, changes in the body’s immune system caused by agents that activate or suppress its function.
Professor Patrick Prendergast is Professor of Bioengineering at the
School
of
Engineering
and Director of the Trinity Centre for Bioengineering. His research is on design and testing of medical devices, particularly on simulating the performance of orthopaedic and cardiovascular implants.
The criterion for election to membership is a significant contribution to scholarly or scientific research as shown in the candidate’s published academic work. Membership of the Academy, which is by peer nomination and election, is limited to those scientists and scholars normally resident in
Ireland
.
About the
Royal
Irish
Academy
(RIA)
The
Royal
Irish
Academy
is an all-
Ireland
, independent, academic body that promotes study and excellence in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is the principal learned society in
Ireland
.
For 223 years membership of the
Royal
Irish
Academy
has been keenly competed for, as it is the highest academic honour in
Ireland
and a public recognition of academic achievement. There are now 404 Members of the Academy, in disciplines from the sciences, humanities and social sciences. Those elected are entitled to use the designation ‘MRIA’ after their name.
Professor James Lunney, Professor Nicholas Canny, President of the Royal Irish Academy, Professor Patrick Prendergast, Dr Katharine Simms and Professor Kingston Mills.
