2013 Press Releases

Canadian Dobbin Scholars announced

19 Dec 2013
Links between Ireland and Canada have been further strengthened, with the announcement of this year’s Dobbin Scholarships by the Ireland Canada University Foundation (ICUF). Pictured, left to right: Jeremy Gault – Director, Coastal Marine and Research Centre, Euan Thomson – Dobbin Scholar (University of Alberta), Prof. John Kelly – Executive Director, ICUF, Dr. Michael Murphy – President, UCC, Dr. Erin Joakim – Dobbin Scholar (University of Waterloo) and Dr. Douwe Van Sinderen, Associate Professor, UCC (Image by Tomas Tyner, UCC).

Links between Ireland and Canada have been further strengthened, with the announcement of this year’s Dobbin Scholarships by the Ireland Canada University Foundation (ICUF).

The ICUF is a not-for-profit organisation established in 1993 for the purpose of encouraging and facilitating academic links between institutions and scholars in both Ireland and Canada. This month saw two Canadian Scholars come to UCC, where they met UCC President, Dr. Michael Murphy, alongside their UCC research partners, and ICUF Executive Director, Prof. John Kelly, to discuss their research and the scholarship programme.

Dr Murphy commented: “UCC is proud to be a part of this initiative which nurtures ever stronger ties between Ireland and Canada with each passing year. We particularly welcome the two impressive scholars in question and look forward to strongly supporting their research objectives.”

Prof. John Kelly said: "We are delighted to see two of our 2013 Canadian Dobbin Scholars coming to UCC to carry out their research. Our goal is to develop academic links between Ireland and Canada, and since 1997, when our first UCC scholar travelled to Memorial University in Newfoundland, over 20 of our scholars have come from or to UCC to conduct their research."

Euan Thompson, a research student from the University of Alberta, is conducting his research with Dr. Douwe van Sinderen in the UCC Biosciences Institute. Euan’s research is into the “Isolation and characterization of bacteriophages to target the bacterial pests of the brewing industry”.

Dr. Erin Joakim, from the University of Waterloo, has the following research proposal: “Building Adaptive Capacity to Coastal Climate Change Hazards using Bottom-Up and Grassroots Approaches: A Comparison of Vancouver, Canada and Cork, Ireland”. Erin is working with Dr. Jeremy Gault, Director of UCC’s Coastal and Marine Research Centre, Environmental Research Institute.

ICUF operates two principal programmes annually. The first is the Dobbin Scholarship Programme which grants awards of short term visiting scholarships to both Irish and Canadian scholars in support of their research which relates to both countries, and the second is the Irish Language Programme which supports the growth and development of the Irish language in Canada.

Dobbin Scholarships are awarded by the Ireland Canada University Foundation with the support of the Department of Foreign Affairs in the Irish Government, and the support of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada. More information about these awards can be found at www.icuf.ie

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