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Dr Catherine Keogh Memorial Grant 2023 awarded to Sofiya Evenko
The Dr Catherine Keogh Memorial Grant 2023 was awarded to Sofiya Evenko, final year student in the Chemistry of Pharmaceutical Compounds degree programme at UCC.
The award was established in memory of Dr Catherine Keogh, a graduate from this degree programme, and is generously sponsored by MSD.
‘We are delighted to participate in honouring Catherine Keogh’s memory with this special award. This award recognises all the personal characteristics that symbolised Catherine and endeared her to everyone. We would like to congratulate Sofiya on winning this award and wish her every success in her future studies and career.’ Tom O’Ceallaigh, David Keogh MSD Ballydine.
Congratulating Sofiya, Professor Anita Maguire, Head of School of Chemistry, said 'the School is very grateful to MSD for their support for this annual award in Catherine’s memory. Catherine undertook both BSc and PhD studies in the School and was held in high regard by all in the School. We are very pleased to see Sofiya’s contributions recognised through this award and wish her all the best in her future career.'
Dr Stuart Collins, Director, BSc CPC, Dr David Keogh, MSD, Sofiya Evenko, award winner, Dr Tom O'Ceallaigh MSD, Prof Anita Maguire, Head of School of Chemistry
Award winner Sofiya Evenko, and two highly commended recipients, Daniel Rea & Chloe Kearney, with Dr Tom O'Ceallaigh, MSD
| 2023 Prize winners | Name |
|---|---|
| Catherine Keogh Memorial Grant Winner | Sofiya Evenko |
| Highly Commended | Chloe Kearney |
| Highly Commended | Daniel Rea |
Professor Anita Maguire, Head of School of Chemistry at UCC said:
I wish to acknowledge the generous support of MSD which has enabled recognition of Sofiya Evenko’s achievements over the course of her undergraduate studies at UCC, and will support her in her studies, while also providing an opportunity to fondly remember Catherine Keogh who has left tremendous memories among her colleagues at UCC. Indeed, our research team continues to build on the ground-breaking research she undertook during her PhD.
Mr Tom O’ Ceallagh, Director, Process Development and Commercialisation, MSD added:
It is a great privilege for MSD Ballydine to sponsor this award in honour of our colleague and dear friend, Dr. Catherine Keogh. This award celebrates some of the incredible qualities that Catherine always displayed, with her great love for chemistry, willingness to help others and support them on their learning journey. Catherine’s qualities are a model for future generations and it is therefore an honour for MSD Ballydine to continue to sponsor this award for students studying Chemistry and demonstrating all those remarkable qualities.
Dr Catherine Keogh (née Slattery) graduated from UCC with a BSc Chemistry of Pharmaceutical Compounds in 2008 and PhD in synthetic organic chemistry under the supervision of Professor Anita R. Maguire in 2012, leading to fundamental discoveries which have been published in leading journals in the field and continue to underpin current research in the team in UCC today. Catherine went on to work in MSD, in Clonmel until her untimely death in December 2019.
Thanks to the generous sponsorship of MSD, Ballydine, an annual scholarship, to be known as "The Dr Catherine Keogh Memorial Grant" has been established in her honour. This prize is awarded to a final year student on the BSc Chemistry of Pharmaceutical Compounds programme who, in addition to academic achievement, has demonstrated personal growth over the course of the programme with a clear commitment to teamwork, and supporting others on their learning journey, in addition to making a positive contribution to the programme, class and student life.
About MSD Ireland
MSD Ireland is one of the country’s leading healthcare companies, having first established in Ireland over 50 years ago. The company currently employs approximately 2,700 employees, across six sites in Ballydine, Co Tipperary; Brinny, Co Cork; Carlow, Dunboyne, and Dublin and in addition, operates substantial Human Health and Animal Health businesses. In total to date, MSD has invested approximately $3 billion in the Irish operations with an annual turnover that ranks MSD as one of Ireland’s top 20 companies. Significantly the company’s Irish sites manufacture approximately half of MSD’s top twenty products, saving and enhancing lives in over sixty countries around the world