- Home
- About the College
- Governance
- College Committees & Steering Groups
- College Assembly
- College Council
- College Executive Management Committee
- College Academic Programmes and Curriculum Development Committee
- College Graduate Studies Committee
- College Research & Innovation Committee
- College Teaching Learning and Student Experience Committee
- College Student Recruitment and Outreach Committee
- College Sabbatical Research Leave Committee
- College of SEFS Adjunct Appointments Committee
- International Education Committee
- College Postgraduate Student Committee
- Athena SWAN Steering Group
- College Committees & Steering Groups
- Human Resources (UCC Access Only)
- Annual UCC STEM Awards
- Scholarships and Prizes
- Women in STEM Panel Talks
- Inaugural Professorial Lectures
- Athena SWAN in SEFS
- Proposal Calls (UCC Access Only)
- Photo Gallery
- Contact Us
- Science in Society Public Lecture Series
- Governance
- News
- Staff
- Schools and Departments
- Current Students
- Undergraduate Courses
- Postgraduate Courses
- International Students
- Research and Innovation
- Employability and Careers
- Outreach and Public Engagement
News 2022
University College Cork (UCC) and MSD launch the Inaugural Catherine Keogh Memorial Grant Award
Molly Brew, final year student in the BSc Chemistry of Pharmaceutical Compounds degree at UCC, has been awarded the inaugural Catherine Keogh Memorial Grant.
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.
Katie Phelan (highly commended), Molly Brew and Roisin O’Dea (highly commended). Not pictured: Jennifer Redmond (highly commended). Photo By Tomas Tyner, UCC.
Molly Brew’s achievements to date include successfully competing for the PepsiCo Mentorship programme in second year and leveraging this opportunity to develop employability skills relevant to industry. Molly put these skills into practice in 2021 during a work placement in MSD Biotech in Dublin. In addition to her work in the Quality Control (QC) department, she left her mark in other ways, including as a member of the Merck Rainbow Alliance and the Quality Safety Governance Council, each of which provided her with the opportunity to drive diversity and inclusion, and to advocate for a culture of safety at work.
Molly Brew, Catherine Keogh Memorial Grant recipient said:
“This award will be invaluable in supporting my future career and education. It has allowed me to focus on my education this year and hopefully in the future by reducing the financial burden of third-level education. It has been a major source of self-confidence and self-esteem for me”.
Professor Sarah Culloty, Head, College of Science, Engineering and Food Science commented:
“We are delighted to commemorate the memory of Dr Catherine Keogh in this new award established in her honour. Catherine leaves behind an inspiring legacy for Chemistry students at UCC and we are grateful to MSD for their support, which will enable students to follow in Catherine’s footsteps and create a lasting impact in the world around them.”
Molly Brew, with Dr Tom O’Ceallaigh and Sinead Cahill from MSD and members of UCC Academic Staff. Photo By Tomas Tyner, UCC.
Professor Anita Maguire, Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at UCC said:
“I wish to acknowledge the generous support of MSD which has enabled recognition of Molly Brew’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”.