The 2025 SETU Postgraduate Research Conference brought together early-stage researchers from across the university for a vibrant day of presentations, discussion, and community building.
Held on Wednesday, 4 June 2025 on SETU’s Carlow campus, the annual conference was opened by Dr Brian Jackson, Head of Graduate Studies, who welcomed participants and spoke of the importance of research in shaping a better future.
This year’s conference, themed ‘A Celebration of SETU’s Diverse and Ambitious Postgraduate Research Community’, was organised by postgraduate researchers Barry O’Sullivan, Manasa Hegde, Emma Holden, and Trish Finegan. This student-driven conference created a valuable platform for researchers and supervisors to connect across campuses and disciplines, share their work in a supportive setting, and foster a strong sense of community.
Education in a world of shifting sands
The keynote address was delivered by Dr Gina Noonan, Head of the Centre for Academic Practice. In her talk, titled ‘Anchored by Values, Guided by Stars: Education in a World of Shifting Sands’, Dr Noonan drew on her experience as a researcher, educator, and advocate for postgraduate learners, offering a memorable reflection on the purpose and values that underpin higher education.
The event featured over 75 oral and poster presentations by SETU postgraduate researchers from across three campuses. Projects on display reflected the breadth of SETU’s research strengths, spanning areas from advanced manufacturing and sustainability to health, education, business and humanities. The wide variety of disciplines and approaches showcased the depth and diversity of research being carried out by SETU’s growing postgraduate community.
Energy, ambition, and talent
Professor Marie Claire Van Hout, Vice President for Research, Innovation and Impact at SETU, praised the quality and commitment of the participants, “This conference highlights the energy, ambition, and talent of our postgraduate research community. Their work reflects the diversity of thought and depth of inquiry that make SETU a vibrant and impactful research university. These researchers are not only contributing to knowledge but also addressing the real-world challenges facing our region, our country, and our world.”
Sustainability was a core theme of the conference this year, with organisers embedding sustainable decision-making throughout the planning and delivery process. From reducing waste to promoting digital resources, the team’s efforts aimed to demonstrate how sustainability can and should be central to all academic events. While modest in scale, these actions lay the groundwork for even more ambitious sustainability practices in future editions of the conference.
President of SETU, Prof. Veronica Campbell, formally closed the event by presenting awards to a number of outstanding presenters, congratulating all participants on their contribution to the university’s research mission.
Award-winners
The award-winners were: Ciara Rodgers, Maeve Mannion, Grainne Mulvey, Nicola Briggs, Blánaid Fogarty, Iaasc Azure Apatabire, Cristian Gordillo, Ali Taha Ozdemir, and Louise Skerritt. Poster award winners were Joseph Noadu, in first place, Mohammad Aghdam, in second, and Layla Hughes, in third place.
The Best Newcomer prize went to Blánaid Fogarty. This is the first year of this prize. GSO identified the first years from the list of submissions. They were spread across oral sessions and the posters. Each judging team were asked to identify the best newcomer in their session. These were collated and the person with the highest points awarded by the judges was given the prize.
The Conference Handbook and Book of Abstracts are available to download here.
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