Professor Stephen Byrne
Biography
Professor Byrne was appointed as Deputy President and Registrar of University College Cork in 2022, having held the role as Interim Registrar from 2020. As Chief Academic Officer of the University, he has responsibility for leading on Goal Two “Student Success” of the University Strategic Plan Securing our Future – UCC Strategic Plan 2023-2028. and providing academic vision and leadership for the University community. Professor Byrne also leads strategic development related to the academic mission and student experience of the University.
Professor Byrne chairs many senior level university committees including Academic Board and the Academic Leadership Forum. As Chair of the Academic Promotions Committee, he has overseen the development and implementation of new regulations which have had positive impact on the culture for academic staff across the entire University. Nationally he is Chair of the IUA Access Committee.
Professor Byrne has led the successful application for funding of €1million under the HEA Performance Compact in 2022. This award recognised the impact of UCC’s innovative work in the field of inclusive education and led to the establishment of the id+ Project which promotes the fundamental rights of people with intellectual disabilities to attend third-level education and to progress to paid employment. In early 2024, UCC was awarded an additional €1.7million under the HEA – PATH 4 (Programme for Access to Higher Education) to further support course provision for students with intellectual disabilities.
Professor Byrne has responsibility for Ionad na Gaeilge Labhartha in UCC and works to positively support the promotion of the Irish Language unit both strategically and operationally. In 2023, the DPR was successful in securing HEA funding of €1 Million awarded to the UCC Irish-Language community project, Barr na gCnoc, to promote the Irish Language and education through Irish, in areas of social marginalisation.
Professor Byrne is project sponsor for several other projects such as the MicroCreds project where UCC has introduced a suite of micro credentials supporting part time and flexible learning. The Inclusive UCC project, aims to develop inclusive practice within the university and embed universal design for learning (UDL) and digital inclusion in the UCC curriculum. This ambitious project aims to make UCC a digitally accessible and inclusive University for all. He has led the rollout of the EIB Funded Project on the introduction of the digital Curriculum Management system.
The Equality Diversity and Inclusion strategy across UCC is headed by Professor Byrne where he ensures the values set out in the university strategic plan are actioned. These include the University process for Athena Swan Accreditations and the implementation of UCC’s requirements under the framework for Ending Sexual Violence and Harassment in Irish Higher Education Institutions.
In May 2024, under Professor Byrne’s direction, UCC launched a new Apprenticeship and Tertiary pathway in Social Work Degree as part of the New Educational Pathways into Social Work Programme. This revolutionary approach to postgraduate social work training combines on- and off-the-job learning under the Generation Apprenticeship strategy. This programme is an initiative by The National Apprenticeship Office (NTO) and UCC in partnership with the HSE and Tusla.
Professor Stephen Byrne is a graduate of University of Sunderland (UK) and Trinity College, Dublin. He joined UCC in 2004 and was appointed to the Chair of Clinical Pharmacy Practice. As Head of School (2013-2020), he led the educational reform of the Pharmacy degree in UCC and nationally, introducing of a 5-year integrated Masters degree. He expanded the international agenda in Pharmacy through his collaborations with Future University in Egypt.
Professor Byrne has published over 145 peer reviewed papers and supervised 25 PhD students. He has been co-investigator on three EU research projects and has developed a wide network of international collaborators. His research interests include inappropriate prescribing in the elderly and optimisation of the role of the pharmacist.
UCC Research Profiles: Stephen Byrne, Deputy President & Registrar's Office