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Thank you for your interest in the role of President of the University of Galway. I am honoured to serve as Chairperson of the University’s governing authority and delighted to be leading the process to find our next President.
A globally connected, research-intensive university, dedicated to excellence in teaching and research, the University of Galway is home to a vibrant community of 20,000 students, 3,000 staff and a network of 130,000 alumni worldwide. Ranked in the top 2% of Universities worldwide and among Europe’s top 100 (QS) it is also Ireland’s #1 University for sustainable development (THE).
Galway, known worldwide as a hub of innovation, culture and creativity, is as distinctive as it is beautiful. The only Irish city and university with bilingual status, the Irish language is a unique strength of this region. As President you will engage with our city and regional stakeholders, and advocate nationally and internationally to extend our reach, impact and reputation.
Our research leverages the unique character of our place, building on our research strengths to deliver distinctive research impact. One of six global hubs for medical device development, University of Galway is recognised for its innovative and enduring collaboration with the Medical Technologies sector in Galway, where nine of the world’s top ten MedTech companies are located.
A global leader in the creative arts, University of Galway excels in research in the fields of creativity and culture, humanities, social sciences and human rights law, with interdisciplinary research strengths in marine and environmental research.
I take great pride in the University’s dedication to the transformative power of higher education, as well as its commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), and expanding access to those with the talent and drive to succeed.
We are looking for an outstanding individual with a clear vision to lead, inspire and empower our staff to create global impact through our distinctive research, exceptional education and transformative student experience. If you are passionate about helping us fulfil our mission, we would love to hear from you.
Dr Máire Geoghegan-Quinn
Chairperson, Údarás na hOllscoile (University’s Governing Authority)
universities worldwide
from over 120 countries
in Ireland & Top 5 in Europe
institutions across 181 countries
Established in 1845, University of Galway is a research-intensive institution ranked among the top 2% of universities in the world. Comprised of four colleges, 18 schools and six research institutes, the University is home to 20,000 students, including over 3,000 international students from 120 countries around the world.
As a bilingual university, we have campuses along Ireland’s western and northwestern Atlantic seaboard, from Shannon College in Clare and our teaching centres in Donegal to medical academies in four counties, offsite research centres, and our main campus in Galway city-proudly serving as a global university rooted in a dynamic Atlantic coastal region.
Our main campus located in the centre of Galway city runs for several kilometres along the west bank of the Corrib River, offering students, staff and visitors a unique sense of being immersed in nature while only a short walk from the thriving cultural heartbeat of the west of Ireland.
The campus offers first-class sporting and outdoor facilities, and is also considered one of the most biodiverse landscapes of any third level institution in Ireland.
Every discovery, insight, innovation and partnership we cultivate has the potential to positively impact society, strengthen the economy and benefit our planet. Guided by a deep understanding of global challenges, national priorities and regional needs, our research embraces an interdisciplinary approach, ensuring broad and meaningful impact.
By collaborating with partners at the local, national and global levels, our research is addressing the most pressing issues of our time.
We instil in our students the ambition to shape their futures and society, using the knowledge, confidence and creativity they develop through our distinctive research-led education and excellent student-centred experience.
Our excellent education provides our students with the foundations of learning within their discipline. Taught by subject experts, to the highest standards, our students are prepared with the tools to pursue their ambitions and contribute to the society around them.
We recognise this moment as a period of rapid technological and social change. We will support our students to develop, define and articulate their knowledge and skills so that they are ready to thrive in a complex world and stand out in a highly competitive global employment market.
Ranked Ireland’s #1 university for sustainable development in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings, our impact extends beyond excellence in teaching and learning; we strive to shape a better world. The THE Impact Rankings which assess universities’ progress on the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) place us 47th worldwide and in the Top 5 in Europe for commitment to sustainability.
As a government SDG Champion and a leader in sustainability, we offer a learning environment that cares for you and our planet.
We are currently preparing to publish our next Strategic Plan for the period 2025-2030. Click Here to download a DRAFT of our Strategic Plan.
Our university is shaped by the unique city of Galway and region of the west of Ireland we call home. And it is sustained by the people who live, study, work and create here. This gives our university our sense of purpose.
In the coming years, we will draw on the distinctive strengths of our people and place, delivering research and education with international impact. That is our unique role as a globally connected, research-intensive university in Galway. We are at the heart of a vibrant and diverse city and embedded within a bilingual coastal region like no other – enriched by spectacular natural environments, a renowned creative sector and dynamic innovative industries.
Our university is of Galway. And, from this unique place, our impact is global.
Galway is known worldwide as a hub of culture and creativity. Enriched by the Irish language, heritage and traditions, Galway’s creative sector is globally connected, empowered by contemporary creative practice and innovative technologies.
Our University is at the heart of this activity. We drive excellence and innovation not only through our creative arts research and programmes but also by embedding creativity across the curriculum. Working with Galway’s internationally-recognised arts organisations and festivals – many of which have grown out of our university community – we welcome tens of thousands of visitors to arts events on campus each year, and we preserve important works for future generations by managing one of the most extensive archives of Irish culture in the world. Our enduring partnerships with the Galway International Arts Festival and Druid Theatre Company enable close collaboration on research and student engagement in the creative arts.
Our University is a world leader in exploring the links between creativity, teaching, research, and the wider world.
Galway is a city of innovation where research, data and technology are applied in impactful ways to the health, sustainability and creative sectors. It is home to international and indigenous enterprise in technology, software, cybersecurity and gaming, and it has a thriving start-up culture.
As one of six global hubs for medical technologies, Galway is a leader in health innovation. Nine of the world’s top ten medtech companies are located here and we have a proud tradition of developing and scaling indigenous enterprises in health innovation. The University’s signature innovation partnership with Medtronic is advancing healthcare through collaborative research and expanded STEM programmes.
Our university is deeply embedded in Galway’s innovation ecosystem, with collaboration across our research community, clinical colleagues, data scientists, and industry partners, both international and indigenous. Since 2020, 21 new spin-out companies have emerged from the University and we have helped identify 195 new inventions to feed our innovation pipeline. On-campus Innovation Centres have now supported over 100 start-ups that have gone on to raise €796m in grants and investments – creating 3,365 jobs.
The West of Ireland has an extraordinary diversity of landscapes and seascapes, including extensive lake and river systems, peatland and karst ecosystems, and the Atlantic ocean with its rich marine environments. Our mix of urban, dispersed rural, coastal and island communities are distinctive locations to carry out engaged research on societal challenges.
This unique natural environment, and the resourceful communities that live here, are our living lab for globally relevant teaching and research in areas that impact our shared planet, like marine ecology and economics, climate change, land use and biodiversity, renewable energy, sustainable communities, the green economy and innovations in construction.
As Ireland’s only Hydrogen Valley, Galway is pioneering innovation in renewable energy and decarbonisation. Our atmospheric research station at Mace Head is an international supersite for data on air quality and climate, and ICHEC, our national centre for high-performance computing, advances earth observation and environmental modelling.
In recognition of this work, Times Higher Education ranks us first in Ireland and in the top 50 worldwide for our impact on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
West Galway is home to the highest concentration of Irish speakers in the world and our’s is the only Irish city and university with bilingual status. The Irish language, and its celebrated oral,musical and literary culture, is a unique strength of this place.
Our university community draws inspiration and distinction from the Gaeltacht communities we serve across the west and northwest of Ireland. We take pride in our role in leading higher education and research in the Irish language, and in our rich Irish language archives, all of which enhances our university experience.
Our centres in An Cheathrú Rua and Carna in Co. Galway and Gaoth Dobhair in Co. Donegal support the academic, cultural and economic development of Ireland’s two largest Gaeltacht regions. We will continue to expand opportunities for researchers and learners to engage directly with our unique Gaeltacht communities.
Galway is Ireland’s most diverse city. With over a quarter of residents born outside of Ireland, it is a multilingual and creative city that looks outwards. As an international tourism, education and business destination, we welcome visitors and talent from across the globe.
Our university plays a unique role in connecting Galway to the world. Around 20% of our staff and students come here from overseas, enriching life on campus and in our city and region. With over 135,000 graduates worldwide, we are proud of the impact our alumni make around the world.
Our research has global impact, shaping knowledge, innovation and policy internationally, and our academic community is collaborating with over 5,000 institutions across 178 countries.
Our conferences attract thousands of delegates to Galway each year, and our study abroad,exchange and summer school programmes give international participants the opportunity to experience and engage with our distinctive place.
We continue to expand physical and virtual mobility opportunities for our students and staff through global partnerships and we are deepening our engagement with ENLIGHT, our alliance of ten European universities. Our strategic partnership with Deloitte is one example of how we are bridging the gap between academia and industry to support our students’ global mobility.
Our university champions the role of foundational, curiosity-driven research in expanding our understanding of the world and inspiring innovation. Our research community is engaged in global challenges, national priorities, and regional needs. Together, we embrace an interdisciplinary and engaged approach, across a broad range of disciplines, and deliver impact through international collaboration. Our research leverages the unique character of our place, coalescing around four pillars, through which we deliver University of Galway’s distinctive research impact.
Innovation for Health reflects the strength of our research on understanding and managing diseases, medical technologies and devices, therapeutics and population health. Our research drives innovation in disease prevention and management, transforms healthcare practice and policy, and improves patient lives through groundbreaking clinical trials and disruptive solutions for health.
Creativity, Culture & Society reflects our strength in creativity, arts practice, humanities, social sciences and justice. Our work explores cultural practices across time periods and around the world. Through local and global engagement, our multi-disciplinary research enables us to understand the complexity of our world and respond to societal challenges by promoting human rights, democracy and social justice.
Sustainable & Resilient Environments: Earth & Ocean reflects our interdisciplinary strengths in marine, environment, decarbonisation, sustainable construction and planetary health. Our research has globally relevant impacts in marine ecology and economics, climate change, land use and biodiversity, renewable energy, sustainable communities, the built environment, and on policy that drives positive change.
Decisive Data & Transformative AI reflects our strengths in analytics, data, technology and computer science. From leading foundational research, to shaping policy on responsible use, we apply research in data semantics and analytics, AI, machine learning and our high-performance computing capacity to support interdisciplinary research addressing global challenges.
EU Research Awards since 2020
spent on research activity last year
European University member, Coimbra Network of European Universities
Athena Swan School Awards
A research-intensive university where we nurture talent and generate knowledge for the world.
To empower our people to create global impact through our distinctive
research, exceptional education and transformative student experiences.
Global Galway
Research & Innovation at University of Galway
Research at University of Galway: Pioneering Research with Global Impact
A University serving its region, while leading nationally, with global impact
Excellent Educational experience: More than a University, a place to thrive
As one of Ireland’s most diverse regions, home to the largest Gaeltacht in the country, Galway has an energy that far exceeds its size. A bohemian city steeped in history, with a “contemporary vibe” (The Lonely Planet Guide), Galway offers a rare combination of academic excellence, cultural vibrancy and natural beauty.
Sitting on the Atlantic edge of Europe, the city has solidified its reputation as a hub for culture and innovation. Students enjoy an active campus life in Galway, alongside a buzzing local food culture and a year-round roster of immersive festivals. Venture outside of the city on a day trip, and you will discover untouched beaches, ancient ruins and rugged mountains. The cost of living in Galway is considerably less than in Dublin with rent prices on average 25% cheaper in Galway city than in Dublin (Daft 2022 Q4 Rental Report). Our university campus sits at the heart of the city, with bus routes connecting to other areas across the city and surrounding towns.
Learn more about Life in Galway
Applications should consist of a full curriculum vitae detailing career and achievements, as well as a covering letter addressing the role description and person specification. Candidates are asked to supply contact details of three referees who can speak to the core themes of the job description including Leadership and Vision, Research and Academic Excellence, Organisational Efficiency and External Engagement and Fundraising Experience. In addition to this, further references may also be sought throughout the process. Please note that referees will not be contacted without prior approval. Applications should be uploaded via the website here quoting reference 7740.
The closing date for applications is 5:00pm Irish time on Friday 9th May 2025.
Perrett Laver will conduct preliminary interviews with long-listed candidates in early June. Following that the Selection Committee will meet to decide upon a shortlist of candidates.
These individuals will be invited to additional assessments which may include but not limited to psychometric assessments, formal referencing and informal interactions in early July. Subsequently, Final Interviews will take place in two rounds in mid – late July.
At the University of Galway, we celebrate diversity and believe that every candidate can bring unique perspectives, talents and approaches to our University community. We actively encourage applications from all backgrounds regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, gender, family status, civil status, membership of the Traveller community, sexual orientation, disability or age.
As Global Senior Partner, Sinéad is responsible for the long-term strategic development of Perrett Laver alongside the acceleration of its commercial growth.
During her ten years at Perrett Laver, Sinéad established and led the firm’s operations in Amsterdam and Dublin, while continuing to grow Perrett Laver’s Research, Technology and Innovation, and Higher Education practices across Europe.
Sinéad’s experience at Perrett Laver includes advising on senior executive and non-executive appointments for universities, public and privately funded research institutes, as well as research-oriented charities and non-profits.
Sinéad holds an honours degree in Natural Science from Trinity College Dublin and a PhD in Neuroscience from University College Cork.
Michelle is a Managing Partner.
Michelle works in Perrett Laver’s Dublin office. She is a Partner, former Head of the Project Management team and has worked across a number of Perrett Laver’s global Offices including London, Chicago and Hong Kong. She works with organisations across our Global Higher Education, Sport, Social Impact and Health sectors.
