September University of Galway appoints Interim Deputy President and Registrar

University of Galway appoints Interim Deputy President and Registrar

 University of Galway has today announced Professor Becky Whay is to take up the role of Interim Deputy President and Registrar.

The University’s Governing Authority - Údarás na hOllscoile confirmed Professor Whay’s appointment.

The confirmation follows the announcement on July 4^th that Professor Peter McHugh was taking on the role of Interim President following the departure of Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh who stepped down as President after six and half years in the role.

Professor McHugh begins his term as Interim President on September 7^th and Professor Whay begins her role as Interim Deputy President and Registrar on September 9^th.

            Professor Peter McHugh, incoming Interim President of University of Galway, said: “It is a great pleasure to announce the appointment of Professor Becky Whay, who not only has a very distinguished academic record as a researcher and educator, but has been an outstanding asset to University of Galway as Vice-President International since 2019. We are confident that Becky’s expertise, vision, and collaborative approach will greatly benefit our community.”

Professor Whay said: “It is a real privilege to have been appointed Interim Deputy President and Registrar and I look forward to the challenges as well as the opportunities ahead, both in supporting our academics and ensuring the highest standards for our students, as well as helping in the continuing development of our university for the public good.”     

Bio of Professor Whay

As Interim Deputy President and Registrar, Professor Whay is a member of the University Management Team and Academic Council; deputises for the President in his absence; and has overarching responsibility for academic strategy, academic promotions, and academic quality. 

Professor Becky Whay joined University of Galway in 2019 when appointed Vice-President International. In May 2024, she was reappointed to that role for a second five-year term, with much of the focus on leading out Global Galway 2.0, on our International Strategy, which will be central to our University of Galway Strategy 2030 and on the second phase of our European University Network - ENLIGHT. 

Professor Becky Whay previously worked at the University of Bristol, which is part of the prestigious Russell Group of universities and is ranked 55^th in the world and 5^th in the UK for Research, under the QS World Rankings. She also held the post of Director of Internationalisation for the Faculty of Health Sciences at University of Bristol, a large, research intensive faculty supporting the University’s medical, dental and veterinary schools.

Under her directorship the faculty grew its international student population, increased the levels of international research collaboration and saw significant growth in international institutional partnerships. At the same time, she shared the Head of School responsibilities for Bristol Veterinary School and led the School through a period of substantial change culminating in a bid for American Veterinary Medical Association accreditation.

Professor Whay has an international reputation for her research into dairy cattle and working equine welfare and works in areas of the world where human animal interdependency is critical to family livelihoods. She was the inaugural President of the International Society for the Study of Lameness in Ruminants and has Chaired the Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law Veterinary Association. In 2015, she was recipient of the CEVA Farm Animal Welfare of the Year award.

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