Retrospective Review 2011– 2021 DR PATRICK PRENDERGAST PROVOST & PRESIDENT Retrospective Review 2011–21 PB | 01 Trinity College Dublin – The University of Dublin Contents 01 Welcome from the Provost 02 07 Opening access to education 64 02 Trinity at a glance 06 08 Supporting the Trinity student experience 68 03 A decade of development – 09 Innovation, entrepreneurship key strategic initiatives 14 and industry engagement 72 04 Trinity’s Global Relations 18 10 Trinity’s thriving flora and fauna 76 05 05.0 Research case studies 22 11 11.0 New professor interviews 80 05.1 Jean Fletcher 24 11.1 Professor Iris Moeller 82 05.2 David Hoey 26 11.2 Professor Stephen Thomas 84 05.3 Kenneth Pearce 28 11.3 Professor Colin Doherty 86 05.4 Tríona Lally 30 11.4 Professor Omar García 88 05.5 Jeremy (Jay) Piggott 32 11.5 Professor Sylvia Draper 90 05.6 Mary Rogan 34 11.6 Professor Ortwin Hess 92 05.7 Lina Zgaga 36 11.7 Professor Aileen Kavanagh 94 05.8 Catherine Comiskey 38 05.9 Helen Sheridan 40 12 Philanthropy & alumni engagement 96 05.10 Robert Whelan 42 05.11 Aidan McDonald 44 13 Developing the campus 100 05.12 Catherine Hayes 46 05.13 Deirdre Madden 48 14 Art of the new – 05.14 Rachel McDonnell 50 keeping it contemporary 104 05.15 Adriele Prina-Mello 52 05.16 Etain Tannam 54 15 Trinity Sport – raising our game 05.17 David Kenny 56 and realising potential 108 05.18 Plamen Stamenov 58 16 Public engagement 112 06 Educational milestones – 10 years of growth and development 60 17 Financial review 2011–2021 116 Retrospective Review 2011–21 02 | 03 01 Welcome from the Provost 2020 and 2021 will go down in So it’s with particular pleasure that I welcome back the Review, history as ‘The Covid Years’, and which also happens to be my last as Provost, since my term of office ends in July 2021. For that reason, this issue has been one of the many repercussions configured as something of a retrospective of the past decade, was that the whole College – although it also showcases recent research successes, and staff and students – were so introduces the college community to seven new professors. overwhelmed by the demands of As they recount in their interviews, many of these professors started working in Trinity either just before, or shortly after, transitioning to online working, the college went into lockdown so they have yet to experience teaching, learning and research our university thronged with staff, students and visitors, and that there was no Provost’s busy with events. As I write the college and the city have begun Review to capture and celebrate to open up, cautiously. But the delta variant is all over the news, with predictions of yet another wave. While we all look the achievements of the forward to life returning to the classrooms, labs, and libraries, academic year 2019/20. the future is not yet certain. To make up for missing a year, this issue showcases an increased number of research projects. Unsurprisingly, there is a Covid angle to some of these projects, either directly – see Catherine Comiskey, ‘The epidemiology of Covid-19 and addiction’, p.38 and David Kenny, ‘Keeping track of the law in Ireland during Covid-19’, p.56 – or tangentially, in ‘Enabling translational nanomedicine’, p.52, Adriele Prina-Mello points out that the mRNA Covid vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) are nanovaccines and in ‘Future Technologies for Communication’ p.50 Rachel McDonnell looks at ways to use Augmented Reality (AR) to improve natural interaction in video conferencing, something which became particularly pertinent in this last Trinity College Dublin – The University of Dublin ≥ I hope that, like me, you come away with a renewed sense of enthusiasm for all that has been achieved and will be achieved at Trinity, and the difference this makes, not only to our students and staff, but to Dublin and Ireland and to education and research globally. Retrospective Review 2011–21 04 | 05 01.0 Welcome from the Provost 01 year of working from home. The extent of the ‘Covid factor’ in and it’s a story of achievement. So much has been done thanks diverse research projects is evidence of the pervasive impact to the outstanding efforts of staff and our really phenomenal of pandemic and lockdown on all aspects of our lives and also students and alumni. of the range of Trinity’s multidisciplinarity. We are delighted A university is of course the sum of its education and and proud to place our research at the centre of improving research activities but it goes deeper than that. A university people’s lives. is also an idea and a place. This past year we have proved Our university mission is multifaceted and this is that we can teach, learn and research online and that’s really reflected across this Review with chapters on education, important and something we want to build on for the future. access, sport, innovation and entrepreneurship, the student But a university like Trinity cannot be entirely remote or virtual. experience, philanthropy and alumni engagement and capital It’s a physical place and that is showcased beautifully in two development projects. Ten years is a long time so it’s amazing chapters here. Chapter 10, Trinity’s thriving flora and fauna to read back over the stand-out initiatives of the decade: the looks at the plant life and wildlife that we share our space with dual degree with Columbia University, piloting Trinity Access in and relates the wilding of our campus over the past decade. Oxford University’s Lady Margaret Hall, the Student Partnership The photo of Burke at Front Arch surrounded by long grasses Agreement, the Trinity Education Project, LaunchBox, the and wildflowers instead of a neatly mowed lawn is a striking Trinity Business School, the philanthropic campaign Inspiring image for our times: never was it more obvious, to quote the Generations, to name just a few. man himself, that ‘change is needed for our own conservation’. The figures at the front of this Review comparing Chapter 14, Art of the new – keeping it contemporary, looks at 2021 to 2013 or 2015 are revealing and should be a source how we adorn our physical space and recounts the addition of of pride for all: increased staff numbers, despite a markedly 200 new artworks to the college collection over this decade, stringent public funding environment; hugely increased num- including securing significant one-off funding to purchase art bers of international students; more invention disclosures, for student areas, including for Printing House Square, which licenses, High Performance Start Ups… the figures tell a story will open shortly. Trinity College Dublin – The University of Dublin LEFT – Dr David McGrath, Director of the College TOP – Provost Patrick Prendergast BOTTOM – Wildflower Health Service and his colleague Dr Clare Kelly prepare congratulates Provost-elect Prof meadows thriving on campus. for the first onsite COVID-19 vaccinations to students Linda Doyle in April 2021 using and staff with very high risk medical conditions. COVID-19 etiquette. I hope you enjoy reading these and other chapters and I hope that, like me, you come away with a renewed sense of enthusiasm for all that has been achieved and will be achieved at Trinity, and the difference this makes, not only to our stu- dents and staff, but to Dublin and Ireland and to education and research globally. It has been a huge honour – with never a dull moment – to lead this great university over the past decade. I’ve had the privilege of working with outstanding people who have helped bring about the many achievements described here in this Review. With such staff, students and alumni, Trinity can only go from strength to strength, and I wish Linda Doyle, who comes into office as Provost on August 1st, the very best with realising her ambitions for this great university. Dr Patrick Prendergast Provost & President 1 July 2021 Retrospective Review 2011–21 06 | 07 02 Trinity at a glance Trinity is Ireland’s No. 1 University QS World University Ranking, THE World University Ranking, Academic Ranking of World Universities (Shanghai) Trinity College Dublin – The University of Dublin ≥ A 429 year old university in the heart of Dublin city centre Retrospective Review 2011–21 08 | 09 02.1 Trinity at a glance Student Statistics 02 2021 | 2013 (8 year comparisons) REGISTERED STUDENTS 5,506 13,365 4,472 12,174 POSTGRADUATES UNDERGRADUATES 17,006 18,871 1,594 14,871 16,646 1,175 FULL-TIME * PART-TIME * * excludes students validated for another institution 40% 60% 42% 58% MALE 112 FEMALE ONLINE ALUMNI CLUBS AND SOCIETIES 2021 | 2013 131,007 | 100,277 50 | 49 127 | 112 SPORTS CLUBS STUDENT SOCIETIES REPUBLIC OF IRELAND 85,129 | 74,170 GREAT BRITAIN 11,451 | 9,616 THE LARGEST SOCIETIES ARE: NORTHERN IRELAND 4,430 | 4,621 THE VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY USA 9,283 | 3,557 THE PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY (THE PHIL) CANADA 1,709 | 1,162 DU PLAYERS REST OF WORLD 19,005 | 7,151 THE COLLEGE HISTORICAL SOCIETY (THE HIST) — The college historical society (the hist) is the oldest student society in the world, founded in 1770 Trinity College Dublin – The University of Dublin Student / Staff Statistics Staff Statistics 2021 | 2013 (8 year comparisons) TOTAL STAFF 131 952 189 785 TECHNICAL ACADEMIC 1,049 3,491* 103 819 2,937 143 ADMINISTRATIVE LIBRARY 379 877 346 * Full-time Equivalent 655 BUILDINGS & SERVICES RESEARCH ACADEMIC STAFF* FACULTIES 59% 41% 63% 37% ARTS, HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES IRISH INTERNATIONAL HEALTH SCIENCES * Full-time Equivalent SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS Retrospective Review 2011–21 10 | 11 02.2 Trinity