Sustainability Graduate Spotlight - Ciarán Nevin
Multiple ongoing crises around the globe have the potential to destabilise the global economy. Global real GDP per capita growth is expected to slow in 2023 with increasingly challenging economic conditions, and according to the UN, more workers are turning to less formal employment. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8 is about promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment, and decent work for all.
In this third edition of the new Sustainability Graduate Spotlight series, we are focusing on SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth and shining a spotlight on Ciarán Nevin who is a graduate of the former Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT).
Ciarán Nevin
Ciarán is a native of county Leitrim but has been living in Dublin for almost half of his life. Now based close to the Grangegorman campus, Ciarán describes how he is “regularly inspired by the fantastic transformation that has occurred in this wonderful part of the city”, adding that “Grangegorman is a constant reminder to me of our potential to achieve transformative results when we work together.”
Now working as an economist with PwC, Ciarán works to deliver the infrastructure that will create the economy of tomorrow – a greener, fairer, and more sustainable economy.
Ciarán describes himself as being very fortunate to be working with a great team on some of the most important infrastructure projects in the history of the state. Some of these include major public transport projects such as MetroLink and the renewable energy projects that will be essential to decarbonising our economy. As an economist, Ciarán’s role typically involves identifying the solutions that are the most beneficial to society and he attributes his understanding of what is technically feasible to his engineering education.
Educational Experience
We caught up with Ciarán to learn about why he chose his field of study and what it was like to be a student in Dublin almost a decade and a half ago.
Ciarán told us that “growing up, I was fascinated by the world that we live in and loved to figure out how things worked or how they didn’t - how they could be improved. When I decided I wanted to study engineering, it was clear that DIT – with its practical focus – was the best place to start.”
In 2010, Ciarán achieved a Bachelor of Engineering degree in TU822 (previously DT022) Mechanical Engineering, which was delivered by the School of Mechanical Engineering, within the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment.
On reflecting of his time in DIT Ciarán said: “Something that struck me about DIT at the time, and having studied in many institutions since, was the supportive culture. It wasn’t perfect, of course, but there was a determination among the staff to help people be the best they could be. You got a sense from people like my then Head of Department, David Kennedy, that they were personally invested in your success.”
Ciarán describes his time in university as a positive experience, saying “I learned so much there and had such great fun along the way.” While studying engineering, Ciarán became involved in the Students’ Union, and eventually went on to lead the Union as President for two years. Ciarán described this period of recession in Ireland as “a time of extreme economic hardship, with high debt levels and soaring youth unemployment. It followed a period in which Ireland had never had it so good – the Celtic Tiger – but it wasn’t sustainable.”
Ciarán told us that he was fascinated by the sudden reversal in his generation’s fortunes and that this was his motivation to later return to university to study economics in University College Dublin and Trinity College Dublin.
Applying new Skills and Knowledge
Ciarán describes the skills and knowledge obtained from studying Mechanical Engineering and how those learnings have enabled him to develop in three key ways.
- First, he developed the technical skills required to solve difficult problems, claiming that this was supported by a diverse range of interesting subjects.
- Second, he developed the intellectual curiosity to identify problems and to work systematically towards solutions. The many projects that he completed during his course enabled that, most of which related to sustainability.
- Third, he developed a clear sense of the role that we all must play in building a better society and adapting to a more sustainable economy - Ciarán stated that his involvement in the Students’ Union was key to this.
#TUDublinSustainability
The concept of sustainability can mean many different things to different people and understanding what Sustainability at TU Dublin means to our people and our network is a great starting point as we work to establish TU Dublin as one of the most sustainable universities in the world. When we asked what #TUDublinSustainability means to him, Ciarán replied:
“To me #TUDublinSustainability means creating a space for tomorrow’s leaders and citizens, across all disciplines, to come together, share ideas, and lay the foundations for a better world.”