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Brian Ó Gallachóir announced as the recipient of the inaugural Irish Times Positive Impacts award in association with EirGrid
The Irish Times has chosen Prof Brian Ó Gallachóir as the recipient of the inaugural Positive Impacts award, in association with EirGrid. The award was presented by Kevin O’Sullivan, Environment and Science Editor at The Irish Times and Doireann Barry, Chief Corporate Services Officer at EirGrid, at the Positive Impacts event which took place on Tuesday, May 21st in 1 Windmill Lane.
Prof Ó Gallachóir is director of MaREI and Associate Vice-President of Sustainability at University College Cork, delivering on its ambitious plans to consolidate its role as a leading university of sustainability.
He has led the establishment of energy systems modelling capacity in Ireland over the past 20 years, and his research has underpinned Irish and EU energy and climate mitigation policies and energy company strategies. Under his leadership, MaREI has completed major energy research for the IEA, the OECD and the Government. Brian is an elected Fellow of the Irish Academy of Engineering.
Kevin O’Sullivan, Environment and Science Editor at The Irish Times, who chaired the judging panel for the award, said:
‘Both MaREI and Brian have received multiple awards for their work. But in the context of this award, which honours a person who has a major impact in terms of engagement and fostering understanding, Brian is particularly deserving of this honour. On behalf of The Irish Times, I would like to wish Prof Brian Ó Gallachóir the very best in his continued endeavours and congratulate him on receiving the inaugural Positive Impacts award in association with EirGrid.’
Doireann Barry, Interim Chief Corporate Services Officer at EirGrid said:
“At EirGrid, our role is to secure the transition of our electricity grid to low carbon renewable energy, so we were delighted to partner with The Irish Times for Positive Impacts 2024. I’d like to congratulate Prof Brian Ó Gallachóir for winning the inaugural Positive Impacts Award. It was an honour to be part of the judging panel which recognised the key role he’s playing in Ireland’s decarbonisation journey, through his research and work on energy system models.”