Three Fulbright TU Dublin Awardees Announced for 2022-2023
The Secretary-General of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Joe Hackett and the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Dublin, Alexandra McKnight, on behalf of U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Clare Cronin, are pleased to announce 40 Fulbright Irish Awardees for 2022-2023.
TU Dublin recipients of the Fulbright Award Dr Pierpaolo Dondio, Dr Sharon Feeney and Dr Colette Murray were presented with Awards at a ceremony in Iveagh House last night.
The Fulbright Program has served to strengthen international relations for seventy-five years. The Fulbright Commission in Ireland's vision of inspiring minds to create a global culture of understanding is more important than ever in today's increasingly polarised world. This year's Irish awardees will undertake research, teaching and study in the USA, spanning many disciplines. They will address pressing societal issues, engage with US society, and share their knowledge when they return home.
2022-2023 Fulbright TU Dublin Awardees
Dr Pierpaolo Dondio is a lecturer in Computer Science at Technological University Dublin, where he leads the "Intelligent Games Lab", funded by SFI and TU Dublin, investigating the application of AI to game design and analysis. He has a PhD from Trinity College Dublin and extensive industry experience at IBM and AON. He is the founder of Happy Maths (www.happymaths.games). His Fulbright project investigates how digital games can be used to detect and treat math anxiety. He will be hosted by Professor Susan Levine at the Cognitive Lab, University of Chicago and Dr Ian Lyon at the Math Brain Lab, Georgetown University.
Dr Sharon Feeney is a Senior Lecturer at Technological University Dublin, with over 30 years' experience in the Irish higher education sector. She is a Chartered Director and a Board member of the Higher Education Authority, and a Board member of the Education Research Centre, and the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. Her current research investigates the career pathways of academic staff in university-level institutions. As a Fulbright Scholar at East Tennessee State University, she will investigate Technological University academic career pathways, taking a comparative approach.
Dr Colette Murray currently lectures on the Technological University Dublin ECEC degree programme. She founded the Irish Equality and Diversity Early Childhood National Network (EDeNn) and is a board member of Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre. She has written and published primarily on social justice, equality, diversity and Traveller issues. As a Fulbright Scholar, Colette will visit Arizona State University, where she will be working in the Center for Indian Education (CIE). Colette will be mapping how Irish Traveller and Indigenous children (Southwest USA) are positioned and experience ECEC systems through a Tribal Critical Race Theory lens developed by Professor Bryan Brayboy, director of the CIE.
Joe Hackett, Secretary-General of the Department of the Foreign Affairs, said...
“I extend my warmest congratulations to the Irish Fulbright Awardees for 2022–2023. Fulbright scholarships provide a transformational experience for individuals and play a crucial role in sustaining the close relationship that Ireland and the United States share. Every year, Fulbright recipients have the exciting opportunity to study, work, and experience life in the US, and to represent the best of Ireland. I wish this year’s Awardees every success for their time in the US.”
Alexandra McKnight, Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Dublin said…
“Fulbright offers an unparalleled opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, while fostering understanding between nations. This Program is a vehicle for advancing knowledge across communities and improving lives around the world. Congratulations to this year’s Awardees who will serve as ambassadors for Ireland and bring what they learn in the U.S. back with them.”
Kevin Douglass Greene of the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives (FDFI) said….
“The Fulbright-Frederick and Anna Douglass Awards were established to mark the 175th anniversary of abolitionist Frederick Douglass’ historic visit to Ireland. We at FDFI worked with the Commission in Ireland and the U.S. Embassy in Dublin to create these Awards that honour not only the legacy of Frederick Douglass, but also of his wife Anna. With the goal of increasing participation of diverse communities in Ireland-U.S. exchanges, these awards offer new opportunities to Irish and U.S. students in areas of civil rights, social justice and policy development. I congratulate the inaugural Irish Award recipient Raphael Onwunali, and look forward to seeing the fruits of this scholarship.”
Professor Diane Negra, Chair of the Fulbright Commission Ireland Board said…
“The Commission Board congratulates the 40 awardees travelling to the U.S. in the coming year and wishes them an enjoyable and successful Fulbright experience. They are joining a very vibrant network and will benefit from the professional recognition of being a Fulbright awardee. The excellence and expertise of Fulbright recipients continues to develop after 65 years of Irish-U.S. exchange, as they continue Senator Fulbright’s vision of creating a global culture of understanding that can erode mistrust that has historically set nations against one another.”
Dr Dara FitzGerald, Executive Director of the Fulbright Commission in Ireland said:
“The Fulbright Program continues to be an enduring, rich and affirmative part of the relationship between both countries. In addition to the brilliance of Fulbright awardees, the programme is wonderfully supported by our stakeholders and sponsors. We thank our partners, the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in Dublin, the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. We are grateful to have the enduring support of our Irish award sponsors: the Health Research Board, Enterprise Ireland, the Environmental Protection Agency, Geological Survey Ireland, National University of Ireland, Teagasc, the Creative Ireland Programme, the National Lottery and such notable U.S. Institutions as the Exploratorium, the Smithsonian, the Harry Ransom Center and Boston College.
We also have tremendous support from Irish institutions such as ATU Letterkenny, University College Cork, University College Dublin, Dublin City University, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, National University of Ireland Galway, Maynooth University, University of Limerick, Technological University Dublin, Science Foundation Ireland, Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies, Irish Museum of Modern Art and the Hugh Lane Gallery. The impact of their support is momentous, especially in terms of diversity and range of disciplines that enrich the Ireland-U.S. relationship."