The award is a recognition of his work in both Ireland and abroad, including his scientific research into high energy physics and his role in shaping Irish and European directions in both space research and high end computing.
About Luke
Luke Drury is Emeritus Professor of Astrophysics in the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies and was Honorary Andrews’ Professor of Astronomy in TCD from 1998 to 2018. He is best known for work on particle acceleration in astrophysical plasmas and the origin of cosmic rays, but has broad interests in computational and theoretical astrophysics and more recently in issues of policy for science. He was instrumental in establishing the Irish Centre for High-End Computing and served as a member of the Scientific Steering Committee of PRACE, the Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe. He was chair of the European Space Agency’s Astronomy Working Group and a member of its Space Science Advisory Committee from 2014 to 2016. A member of the Royal Irish Academy since 1995, he served as President from 2011 to 2014 and is currently a board member of ALLEA, the federation of European Academies of Sciences and Humanities, where he chairs the Open Science Task Force. He has just become a member of the steering group for the International Science Council’s project on the future of scientific publishing.