Two UCD Researchers receive Young Researcher Awards from 
President McAleese 

Photographed at the recent SFI/President of Ireland Young Researcher Award: President Mary McAleese; Dr Emmeline Hill, Dept of Animal Science, UCD; Dr William Harris, Director General of Science Foundation Ireland.

President Mary McAleese awarded four leading young scientists and engineers with the first ever Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) President of Ireland Young Researcher Awards (PIYRA) at Áras an Uachtarain on Wednesday 13 October 2004. 

The PIYRA recipients will receive funding of up to Euro 1.2 million over a five year period. This funding will provide significant and stable support to these top tier young investigators at a level and over a time duration that will enable them to develop careers as internationally recognised researchers. 

Two of the recipients are UCD researchers; Dr. Emmeline Hill, Department of Animal Science, UCD, ‘Genomics of performance in the equine athlete’ and Dr. Jens Erik Neilsen, Department of Biochemistry, Conway Institute, UCD, ‘A multidisciplinary informatics-based approach to understanding enzyme catalysis’.

Photographed at the recent SFI/President of Ireland Young Researcher Award: President Mary McAleese; Dr Jens Erik Neilsen, Conway Institute, UCD; Dr William Harris, Director General of Science Foundation Ireland.

According to Dr Hugh Brady, President of UCD, "The success of University College Dublin in the inaugural President of Ireland Young Researcher Award is an important acknowledgement of UCD's emphasis on supporting the work of our young research staff. "I congratulate Dr Hill and Dr Nielsen on their hard work and on the recognition of their exceptional talent. Resourcing such important research by SFI provides the University sector with the means to nurture a new level of expertise that, in turn, greatly benefits the national economy. I look forward to the continued success of this innovative awards programme." 

For further information on the two recipients go to http://www.ucd.ie/press/newpre179.htm.

For further information contact: Communications Office, UCD, tel: 716 1681 or email: Communications@ucd.ie.