School of Law Successes at College Research Awards

29 Oct 2020

In this special edition of Spotlighting Research, we shine the spotlight on School of Law colleagues who were recognised at the UCC College of Business and Law Research Awards, held in an online ceremony earlier this month.

The Awards recognise research excellence and the extensive contributions made by scholars at the College. School of Law researchers won big across the night, with success in the categories of Mid-Career Researcher of the Year, Advanced Career Researcher of the Year, and Research Team of the Year.

Dr Patrick O’Callaghan was awarded the Mid-Career Researcher of the Year Award for his work in the field of the right to freedom of thought, and in recognition of his role developing the next generation of legal researchers as the Director of Graduate Studies at the School of Law from 2018-2020.

Speaking following the ceremony, Dr O’Callaghan said:

I was honoured to receive the Researcher of the Year (Mid-Career) Award from the College of Business and Law. In 2019, I brought my work in several international projects to a conclusion and embarked on a new avenue of inquiry in the area of freedom of thought. I was really pleased to see this work being formally recognised in this way.

Dr Áine Ryall received the Advanced Career Researcher of the Year Award in recognition of her outstanding contribution both nationally and internationally in the field of environmental law, which includes exceptional scholarship and significant impact on the development of law and policy in Ireland, the European Union and beyond.

Speaking following the ceremony, Dr Ryall commented: 

For me, one of the research highlights of 2019 was my involvement in a major project on behalf of the Supreme Court of Ireland with my TCD Law colleague Dr David Kenny. This research project involved a comparative analysis of practices across all of the Supreme Administrative Courts of the European Union. It was a fascinating learning experience and deepened my knowledge and understanding of judicial decision-making processes.

I’m delighted to see my research and its impact acknowledged with this award. This award confirms that the Centre for Law & the Environment, of which I am Co-Director, continues to go from strength to strength. Our productive and highly collaborative relationship with the Environmental Research Institute is also recognised with this award.

JCOERE (Judicial Co-Operation supporting Economic Recovery in Europe) received the award for Research Team of the Year. JCOERE is an international consortium created and led by UCC. The project is designed to investigate judicial cooperation in cross-border insolvency and preventive restructuring in Europe. It is significant both from a business and European integration perspective.

JCOERE is led by Professor Irene Lynch Fannon, the Principal Investigator, who is a nationally and internationally recognised expert on Irish and European corporate insolvency and rescue law. She has led a dynamic research team at UCC with Dr Jennifer Gant, Aoife Finnerty and Molly O’Connor.

Speaking following the ceremony, Professor Lynch Fannon said:

The JCOERE Project team members are delighted to have received the award of Research Team of the Year from the College of Business and Law. This Project, which received significant funding from DG Justice of the EU Commission, with partners in Romania and Italy, in addition to the INSOL Europe organisation, examines the legal obligation to co-operate imposed on European courts in the context of insolvency. It combines a doctrinal enquiry into corporate rescue with a broader interrogation of judicial co-operation across the EU. We have engaged in extensive dissemination events and an ambitious publication strategy. Our Reports, a dataset of case studies and other research and dissemination events can be found on the JCOERE website. Further publications focussing on the broader issues of co-operation and European integration will be forthcoming in 2021.

Commending colleagues on their success at the College Research Awards, Professor Mark Poustie, Dean of the School of Law said:

I'm delighted to see our colleagues recognised for their significant achievements in legal scholarship at the annual College of Business and Law Research Awards. Research is a priority for the School of Law and one of the key pillars of our strategic vision as a School. Our academic staff produce cutting-edge research across a range of legal areas, both in Ireland and internationally, and I am pleased to see colleagues commended for this vital work at a College level.