THE GRADUATE 2015 The magazine for graduates and friends of Queen’s University Belfast FEATURES Meet Thomas J Moran, Queen’s new Chancellor EVENTS Find out about Queen’s world record bridge building REGULAR Read what your former classmates have been getting up to PLUS All the news and updates from the campus and around the world 2 WELCOME TO THE CONTENTS News 2015 EDITION OF 04 News — The latest from around campus 04 32 Students — Laura Graham is Student of the Year THE GRADUATE 38 Class Notes — Your news and books 44 Obituaries Your University is changing. Though Features much will still be very familiar, the 09 Profile — Meet Thomas J Moran, Queen’s campus, funding and staffing are new Chancellor undergoing major transformations. 12 Campaign — Catch up on the University’s For example, our cover star, Thomas £140m fundraising campaign 09 J Moran, was installed this summer as 16 Opinion — A testing time for higher education 22 Business — Knowledge Transfer Partnership Queen’s new Chancellor (pp09-11). at 40! 26 Education — The Graduate School, where An uneven UK funding playing field and local And learn how the Queen’s experience impacts futures are made government’s disinvestment has resulted in on the lives of our students by reading recollections 34 International — Look east; focus on Malaysia swingeing education cuts. Pro-Vice-Chancellor, shared by our Malaysian alumni (pp34-37). Professor Tony Gallagher, shares his views on the Events Future plans rely heavily on the support of future of Higher Education (pp16-18) and what graduates like you. Catch up on the latest 19 Convocation — Your invitation to the the changes will mean for local students. Please 12 Campaign News (pp12-15), Queen’s Annual Annual Meeting send your thoughts to [email protected] as part Fund projects (pp20-21) and volunteering 50 Events and Reunions — Keeping in touch of the NI Education Minister’s ‘Big Conversation’. updates (pp29-31) to find out how your around the world donations of time and money ensure your The rebirth of the Lynn Library as The Graduate Editor: Gerry Power University can thrive in the future. School (pp26-28) is not simply the redesign of a Regular Development and Alumni Relations Office beautiful historic building but also the embodiment Thank you for taking the time to read The Graduate. 08 Points of View — Your feedback of the intellectual, social and ethical landscape Changes across campus are reflected in a new Queen’s University Belfast that we aspire to foster here for our postgraduates. look design and we’d love to hear your views 20 Student experience — How Queen’s Annual Belfast, BT7 1NN Northern Ireland Led by the Dean, Professor Margaret Topping, on this issue of the magazine. Get in touch Fund makes a difference with Gerry Power ([email protected]) and tell 29 Volunteering — Opening up a new world it will help make Queen’s the international Tel: +44 (0)28 9097 3100 us what you think. choice for postgraduate education and 48 Philanthropy — Why legacies are paying Email: [email protected] research on global challenges. Best wishes. it forward Your University is changing the world. Discover This magazine is available online for how Queen’s latest international research is those who prefer a larger font size. Go to: helping to improve lives by making chemotherapy www.daro.qub.ac.uk/TheGraduate more effective, combating cybercrime and removing arsenic from rice (pp4-7). Class Notes Contributors - Helen Carrick, Professor The Graduate is an informal magazine published annually by the Tony Gallagher, Meaghan Lyons, Ian (pp37-43) reminds me that our graduates too Norma Sinte Development and Alumni Relations Office, for alumni and friends of Moore, Michéal O’Fearraigh, Lorraine are changing things all over the world! BA Hons Modern Languages Queen’s University Belfast. Extracts from the magazine should not Director of Development and Alumni Relations be published without the approval of the Editor. While every effort is Marks, Natasha Sharma, Helen Surgenor, made to ensure the accuracy of printed information at time of going Professor Margaret Topping, Jackie to press, no responsibility can be accepted for any errors or omissions. Trainor, Adele Ward, Susan Wilson Advertisements are carefully vetted, but the University can take no responsibility for their content. Any views expressed by the contributors PS - If you are reading The Graduate for the first time, welcome to our worldwide family of 170,000+ alumni. are not necessarily those of the University or the editorial team. Letters, Design: www.thepiercepartnership.com The Development and Alumni Relations Office is your lifelong link to Queen’s; we’re here to make sure your photos and news for inclusion are welcomed by the Editor, but we Print Services: CDS connection is beneficial to you! reserve the right to edit any contributions. © Development and Alumni Relations Office 2015 5 UNIVERSITY NEWS American cancer partnership Queen’s Centre for Cancer Research and “The R&D we will undertake during this Cell Biology (CCRCB) has joined forces with project has the potential to significantly Combatting California firm CV6 Therapeutics for a major improve chemotherapy treatments in a wide cyber attacks research and development project. range of cancers by overcoming key resistance pathways associated with these cornerstone Top 10 place Aiming to develop a new drug with the drugs and in turn deliver significant economic Queen’s is to be at the forefront of SAFEcrypto potential to make chemotherapy more benefits and advancements in cancer – a major, new European push to combat for Queen’s effective, the venture represents a total treatments worldwide.” increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks. accommodation! investment of £5.5m in research and development and will promote 10 new The initiative brings together cryptographers research jobs. and other IT experts to devise security Queen’s has been ranked in the solutions capable of withstanding attack from top 10 of UK universities for Invest NI has offered assistance of £2.5m the next generation of hackers. It is the first student halls accommodation, towards the collaboration which includes project to be co-ordinated in Northern Ireland in the latest National Student part-funding from the European Regional using funding from Horizon 2020, the biggest Housing Survey, an independent Development Fund. EU research and innovation programme ever student led survey carried out developed. Dr Robert Ladner, CEO of CV6 and a world- by Red Brick Research. leading expert on mechanisms of drug The venture is set to focus on an acute Elms Village is a purpose-built, resistance, will relocate to Northern Ireland threat from emerging technologies including Pictured (L–R) – Alastair Hamilton, Invest NI, Dr Robert village-style accommodation with his senior team to lead the project. Ladner, CV6, Professor David Waugh, CCRCB, and Dr Karl ‘quantum computers’ – capable of processing complex aimed primarily at Speaking about the initiative, Dr Ladner said: Mulligan, CV6. Image: Parkway Photography information many times faster than normal first year undergraduates. The silicon-based computers. University currently offers over 2,200 staff and student places; Costing £3.8m, SAFEcrypto will concentrate in 2013/14 more than 40 per cent on protecting information passed via satellites, of those living in Queen’s student safeguarding the privacy of data collected by accommodation were non-NI municipal authorities and protecting public Queen’s in search students from over 60 countries. safety communications systems, such as those for top brass! used by police, fire and ambulance services. Project lead Professor Máire O’Neill, from Researchers in the School of Creative Arts are The research aims to create the most CSIT, the Centre for Secure Information working on a range of new projects related to comprehensive picture of banding in Ireland Technologies at Queen’s, said: “CSIT was brass bands in Ireland. – North and South – by pulling together among the first centres in the UK to be OVER information on the histories of over 200 brass recognised as a centre of academic excellence 2,200 Led by Professor Michael Alcorn and Dr bands, current and defunct, between 1850 in cyber security research, and it is a natural PLACES Linda Price, the University is appealing to and 1970. progression for us to start working on a larger, graduates across Northern Ireland to help by pan-European stage. Horizon 2020 has given 2013/14 searching attics and garages for paraphernalia Further information is available at us the opportunity to form a consortium and artefacts – instruments, old uniforms and www.brassbandsireland.org which is a true partnership between industry 40% NON-NI copies of band music – relating to brass bands or by contacting Professor Alcorn and academia.” FROM OVER over the last 165 years. by email: [email protected] 60 COUNTRIES or tel: +44 (0)28 9097 5534. 7 Agri-Food Competence Hospital superbug Centre Launched breakthrough Trade and Investment Minister Jonathan Bell was on hand in May to announce the establishment of a £6.7m Northern Ireland Agri-Food Quest Competence Centre Researchers at Queen’s have (AFQCC), to be hosted at Queen’s. developed a cutting-edge Focusing on improving the international medical therapy that could competitive position of the Northern Ireland protect UK hospital patients Professor José Bengoechea Agri-food sector through innovation and Pictured (L–R) – Professor Chris Elliott, Jonathan Bell, Minister co-operative research, the new Competence for Enterprise Trade and Investment, Michael Bell, NI Food against a lethal superbug. Centre will draw upon the research capabilities and Drink Association and Alastair Hamilton, CEO Invest NI. of Queen’s, Ulster University and the Agri-food The new treatment, which uses a molecule and Biosciences Institute. Making the announcement at Balmoral Show, called an inhibitor to prevent the superbug Klebsiella pneumonia from blocking the Professor Chris Elliott, Director of the Institute Jonathan Bell said: “The Northern Ireland body’s natural defences, has the potential to for Global Food Security (IGFS) at Queen’s Agri-Food Quest Competence Centre will save thousands of lives each year.