DR NIAMH POWER, LECTURER IN ENVIRONMENTAL & ENERGY ENGINEERING, CORK INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

“I’ve been in CIT throughout my education and career journey,” says Dr Power. “I did a level 7 BEng in Civil Engineering and a level 8 BEng (Hons) in Structural Engineering. Following this, I was awarded a research scholarship from the Irish Research Council to investigate how best to produce energy from waste. Once I graduated with my PhD, I then moved into the academic field and I

started researching and lecturing on a fulltime basis.

“I was always drawn to problem solving and real-world applications. I loved the civil, environmental and structural fields. My research covers two areas: anaerobic digestion and energy, which concerns how we get energy from waste; and recovering phosphorus, which is a critical raw material for plants, animals and humans.”

Last year, Dr Power won the Young Researcher of the Year Award at the Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2016 conference, hosted in NUI Galway. The conference, which is held every two years, covered the work of delegates from the civil engineering departments of the HEIs of Ireland, with significant contributions from TCD, UCD, QUB, NUIG, CIT, UCC and DIT. The Civil Engineering Research Association of Ireland (CERAI) acknowledged the outstanding contribution of two individuals and, on this occasion, both accolades were awarded to outstanding contributors from CIT.

Speaking about the win, Dr Power says: “It was a fantastic experience to have my name put to the award. When you look at past recipients of the award, they’ve all gone on to do very well for themselves, not just in lecturing but also in their research careers. It was a wonderful achievement and a great boost to my confidence.”