Prof. Frances Fahy to lead Ryan Institute

10th July 2024

Posted In: Be In The Frame

University of Galway has announced the appointment of leading environmental geographer Professor Frances Fahy as the new Director of the Ryan Institute.

A Fulbright Scholar, Frances Fahy was previously Head of Geography at the University and is the past President of the Geographical Society of Ireland. Professor Fahy currently leads several international research teams on sustainable consumption and energy citizenship research.

President of University of Galway, Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh said: “We are delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Fahy, an accomplished researcher in her field and an exemplary colleague, to lead the Ryan Institute at the University, building on the work of Professor Charles Spillane. University of Galway is ranked #1 in Ireland, top 5 in the EU and among the Top 50 in the world by the THE for our impact in support of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. This work carries a particular resonance in Galway, given our location and the Ryan Institute is a fulcrum of this work. We look forward to a deepening of the interdisciplinary research that happens at the institute thanks to our academics and the postdoctoral fellows, PhD students and research assistants and the stories of their impact on the world.”

Professor Frances Fahy, Director of the Ryan Institute, said:  

It is a great privilege to be given the opportunity to lead the largest research institute in University of Galway and to support all of our colleagues who pursue breakthroughs in science, sustainability, the marine, the environment and in so many fields of the natural sciences.

I would also like to acknowledge the work of the outgoing director, Professor Charles Spillane, who led the Ryan Institute since 2017 and wish him the very best in his future research and academic work.”

Prof. Frances Fahy – An Environmental Geographer

Frances is a leading environmental geographer and has more than 100 publications to her name. She has coordinated more than 20 funded research projects and obtained competitive research funding, totalling more than €36 million, including from Horizon Europe, H2020, JPI-Climate, Interreg, the Marine Institute, National Economic and Social Council and the Environmental Protection Agency.  Prof. Fahy has supervised 10 PhD students to completion, 11 Postdoctoral Research Fellows and Master’s students, many of whom have gone on to hold key roles in policy and academia.

Professor Fahy has also won numerous awards for her research and academic life, including the President’s Award for Research Excellence (2017); Societal Impact (2017); Teaching Excellence (Team Award 2020); and the Irish Research Council’s National Ally Award for Mentoring and Supervision (2023).

Professor Fahy joined University of Galway as a postdoctoral research fellow in 2005 and lives with her family in Corcullen.

Pictured: Professor Frances Fahy (Image – We Are Moose).