Portrait unveiled in honour of renowned UCD chemist and mentor Professor Dervilla Donnelly

Professor Dervilla Donnelly (1930-2024), the first woman awarded the Cunningham medal - the (opens in a new window)Royal Irish Academy's (RIA)'s highest honour, was one of Ireland’s leading chemists of the past decades. The specially commissioned portrait of Professor Donnelly was unveiled at a Women's Day event on 31 March, which was organised by the School of Chemistry EDI Committee.

Artist Emer O'Boyle's beautiful portrait honours Prof. Donnelly's many achievements since she graduated from UCD. She played a pivotal role in Ireland’s’ scientific success, not just with her own research, but with her influence on science policy and as mentor to generations of Irish and international academics and business leaders. A profile of Professor Donnelly and her outstanding career is available on the School of Chemistry website.

The portrait now hangs in pride of place at the south entrance to Science South (opposite the Agriculture building) above the heritage chemistry bench display.

A full account of the event may be found on the UCD News & Events website or follow (opens in a new window)@ucddublin and (opens in a new window)@ucdchemistry on Twitter for more details.