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Fourteen Leading International Scientists Receive Visitor Awards From Science Foundation Ireland

January 29, 2003

Fourteen leading scientists from around the world have been named recipients of the inaugural E.T.S. Walton Visitor Awards by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI). The T'¡naiste (Deputy Prime Minister) and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment in Ireland, Mary Harney, who has responsibility for science and technology policy, joined the Director General of SFI, Dr. William C. Harris in making the announcement. The awards, which total EUR1.7 million, bring researchers to Ireland from the U.S.A., Slovakia, Canada, Republic of South Africa, Japan, and the U.K.

The E.T.S. Walton Visitor Awards honour Ireland's 1951 Nobel laureate physicist. Recipients of the awards include researchers from such renowned institutions as Rice University, Bell Labs, the University of Cape Town, and Cambridge University. All were nominated by research bodies in Ireland and were chosen following an international merit review of their credentials. The awards are being formally announced following a competitive call for proposals earlier in the year. A full list of the award recipients is listed below.

Announcing the awards, the T'¡naiste said, "In making these awards Ireland is not only recognising these outstanding scientists, we are also building links with institutions across the world of international science".

Dr. William C. Harris, Director General of SFI, added, "In this first group of E.T.S. Walton Visitor Award recipients, we see the fine research talent that Ireland is capable of attracting. Researchers such as these have a lot to offer their Irish counterparts. The Irish third level research system will definitely benefit from their infusion of energy and ideas".

Dr. Philip Walton, son of E.T.S. Walton and Professor of Physics at NUI, Galway, called the awards, "A tribute to our father and a meaningful way to keep alive his devotion to Irish science and its place within the international research community".

The award recipients will spend between three months and one year at their host institutions in Ireland. In keeping with SFI's research focus, they are expected to conduct research and participate in lectures and conferences in the fields that underpin biotechnology and information and communications technology research.

ICT Award Recipients
Prof. Michael Carroll, Rice University, USA-investigating Computational Biomechanics at NUI, Galway.
Dr. Christopher A. Fuchs, Bell Labs, USA-researching Quantum information theory at Dublin Institute of Technology.
Prof. Mary Beth Ruskai, University of Massachusetts, USA-working on Quantum information and coding at Dublin Institute of Technology.
Prof. Richard Hamlet, Portland State University, USA-examining Software Components Development at NUI, Galway.
Prof. Vladimir Buzek, Institute of Physics, Slovakia-working on Programmable Quantum Processors at NUI, Maynooth.
Dr. Stafford Withington, Cavendish Laboratory, UK-studying Development of Terahertz Quasi-optical Techniques at NUI, Maynooth.
Prof. Atsuo Fukuda, Shinshu University, Japan-researching Materials Design and Molecular Alignments for V Shaped switching in Liquid Crystal on Silicon Microdisplays for Multimedia and IT at Trinity College Dublin.
Prof. David Taplin, Central Queensland University, Australia-investigating Industrial Process Ecology at University College Cork.
Prof. Eileen Trauth, Penn State University, USA-doing an Analysis of the Socio-Technical Factors Influencing the Evolution of Ireland's ICT Sector at University of Limerick.

Biotechnology Award Recipients

Dr. Max Dow, John Innes Centre, UK-researching Cyclic-di-GMP signalling and the Environmental Regulation of Virulence Gene Expression in Bacterial Pathogens of Humans and Plants at University College Cork.
Prof. Michael Organ, York University, Canada-working on Discovery of Therapeutic Targets in the Post-Genomics Era at Dublin City University.
Prof. Paul Brindley, Tulane University, USA-investigating Genomics and Proteomics approach to the control of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases at University College Dublin.
Prof. J.P. Richard, State University of New York, USA-researching Chemical Exploration of the Oxidative Metabolites of Aromatic Hydrocarbons at University College Dublin.
Prof. Christopher Vaughan, University of Cape Town, South Africa-working on understanding the Role of the Brain in Fatigue at University College Dublin.
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ENDS

Science Foundation Ireland (SFI)