Prof. Orla Feely.
Prof. Orla Feely of UCD School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering has been elected a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). She becomes the first Irishwoman to become a Fellow and one of only a handful of engineers to have received this prestigious accolade.
Funded under Science Foundation Ireland’s Principal Investigator Programme, Prof. Feely’s research delivers new understanding of complex non-linear behaviour in electronic circuits used throughout day-to-day applications such as mobile phones, CD players, etc. The award of IEEE Fellow has been made to Prof. Feely following rigorous international scrutiny of her research contributions, and is an honour preserved for those researchers with an “extraordinary record of accomplishment”.
Speaking following her election as IEEE Fellow, Prof. Feely said “This is a great honour, which I regard as a badge of success not only for myself, but also for my outstanding team of research colleagues in UCD. Less than 3 per cent of IEEE Fellows are female, and I commend SFI for their efforts in encouraging more young women to choose engineering as a career path. I look forward to making a valuable contribution to the IEEE Fellowship nationally and internationally.”
Welcoming the announcement, Director-General of SFI, Prof. Frank Gannon said “I am delighted that Prof. Feely has been fittingly recognised at the highest international level. The IEEE Fellows are an elite group, comprising some of the most brilliant minds in science and engineering globally. An award of this importance is a reflection of just how far engineering research in Ireland has progressed, and how highly research activity here is regarded on the international stage. This sends out a clear signal that Ireland is now seen as having an attractive, dynamic and flourishing research environment, where important discoveries and contributions for society and the economy are being made on an ongoing basis.”
Prof. Feely will formally receive her Fellowship at an international IEEE conference in Taipei, Taiwan, next May.
