August University of Galway welcomes thousands to Autumn Conferring

Almost 2,000 students are being conferred by University of Galway this week as part of the Autumn Conferring ceremonies. 

The celebrations for undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD degrees take place from today until Friday August 18.

Professor Maria Byrne was also conferred with a Doctor of Science (DSc) on Published Work. Degrees on published work are higher doctorates and are the highest qualifications awarded by the University. They are awarded to scholars who have, over a sustained period, published a substantial body of ground-breaking and influential work in a field of specialisation and who have achieved outstanding distinction internationally in that field.

An alum of University of Galway, Maria is Professor of Marine Biology at the University of Sydney, a member of the Sydney Environment Institute, and former Director of the university's research station on One Tree Island. She is the co-editor of Australian Echinoderms which won the 2018 Whitley Medal. Professor Byrne has been publishing her research on Echinodermata since the early 1980s and was elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 2019.

Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, University of Galway President, said: “I am delighted to be able to meet so many graduates of University of Galway who are returning to our campus for this celebration. This is an exceptional place, and our graduates are exceptional people. Reflecting our values of respect and excellence, I would like to congratulate each of them for their dedication, resilience, and determination over the course of their studies with us. Graduation is a special day for students and I am pleased that we are able to celebrate their achievements with their family, friends, fans and our staff members. We wish them the very best for the future, their future.”

Over the four days a range of degrees will be awarded to graduates from the College of Science and Engineering, College of Business, Public Policy and Law, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences and the College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies.

The full schedule for the University’s Autumn Conferring ceremonies is available at https://www.universityofgalway.ie/conferring/ 

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