• Executive Dean of Dublin City University, Prof Lisa Looney visits India
• Addresses deep change toward effective student-centred learning in engineering

INDIA, MUMBAI, 12 NOVEMBER, 2019 (GPN): Ranked number one in Graduate employability ranking, Irish based Dublin City University’s  Executive Dean – Prof Lisa Looney   visits India in order to address cutting edge research discussions with a focus on delivering curriculum renewal at bachelors and master’s levels students across key engineering and computer science disciplines.

While speaking to students, faculty and counsellors in India, Professor Looney discussed programmes across computing, electronic and mechanical engineering span and explained how these areas upon which the future will be defined with communications, manufacturing, healthcare, business.

Ms. Looney’s faculty at DCU hosts globally significant research in digital innovation, the largest concentration of such activity in Ireland. Prof Lisa Looney, Executive Dean of DCU said, “At DCU we deliver profound change toward effective student-centered learning in engineering. We not only train the future entrepreneurs, we train students to be a responsible, accountable professional, with analytical skills with creative design skills and human-focused competencies”.

The research agenda as well as the academic programs offered by DCU are strongly linked to industry, with a third of research funding coming from industry, and industry being a partner in curriculum design and delivery. She further added, “We have recently launched Europe’s first master’s in Blockchain – a technology which will fundamentally change business, in the way the internet changed how we communicate with one another.  DCU has also launched masters in Artificial Intelligence and in the Internet of Things both of which draw heavily from DCU’s research expertise, and were co-designed with industry representative bodies.  

The Irish government invests € 700 million in research annually, with Data, Software, Manufacturing and ICT, being strategic priorities. Mr. Barry O’Driscoll – Senior Education Adviser for Education in Ireland mentions, “ There is a thriving technology sector in Ireland, which is home to 9 of the top 10 US Technology Companies, the 3 top Global Enterprise Software Companies, 16 of the top 20 Global Software Companies, all of the global pharmaceutical companies and 4 of the top 5 IT Services Companies.”

He further added, “This is another significant milestone for Education in Ireland as we continue to reach out for quality and excellence in the programmes we offer.” 

Later this week, Prof Looney will be giving keynote speech at the 9^th World Engineering Education Forum 2019 in Chennai on “Getting to the crux of the matter: delivering deep change toward effective student-centred learning in engineering.”

The world-leading Centers based in DCU include Adapt (next generation digital technologies that transform how people communicate); Insight (Centre for Data Analytics), and I-Form (the application of digital technologies to manufacturing). DCU also hosts industry-focused Centers for Doctoral Training in Machine Learning / Artificial Intelligence / Digitally Enhanced Reality / and Advanced Metallic Systems, and is at the forefront of these technologies in Europe. The research is distinctive and particularly innovative because of the close collaboration between engineers and computer scientists, located in one Faculty in DCU. ENDS

About Education in Ireland:

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Irish Higher Education Institutions overseas. Ireland’s higher education institutes offer a remarkable 5000+ programmes.  Covering a huge diverse range, these courses lead to internationally recognized, quality assured qualifications. Irish Higher education institutions are ranked amongst the best in the world and studying in Ireland, for students, also means the free fees scheme, enabling those who meet the criteria to avoid tuition fees if studying a publically funded course. For international students, there a huge variety of scholarships, grants and bursaries to help fund your studies in this beautiful country.

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Professor Lisa Looney, BA, BAI, PhD, CEng.Dublin City University, Ireland :
Professor Lisa Looney is Executive Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and
Computing and a member of the senior management team in Dublin City
University (DCU). This is Ireland’s fastest growing university, known for
strong industry engagement and STEM profile.
Professor Looney leads a Faculty which includes Schools of Computing,
Electronic Engineering and Mechanical and Manufacturing engineering. It has
bachelor’s programmes in areas ranging from mechatronics, to biomedical engineering, enterprise computing and electronic engineering. Master’s level courses span Artificial Intelligence, Biomedical Engineering, Internet of Things technologies and Data Analytics. The Faculty is also home to threelarge Science Foundation Ireland -funded research centres; Insight (Data Analytics), ADAPT (next generation digital content) and I-Form (additive manufacturing), and hosts a large number of doctoral, post-doctoral and research fellow staff.
Prof. Looney is a very experienced doctoral supervisor and research examiner internationally and has a strong track record in teaching and learning, particularly in respect of work on teaching styles, assessment and curricular design in engineering. Lisa has had a particular interest in issues relating to women in her profession: attracting women to it, retaining them within it, and studying their career experience. In her role as Executive Dean, Lisa has championed strategic curriculum renewal and teaching space development initiatives across the Faculty.
Prior to her current role, Lisa was Dean of Graduate Studies in DCU, and was particularly active in the European
Universities Association Council for Doctoral Education. She was involved in drafting the Irish National Framework for Doctoral Education, and led the development of Ireland’s Code of Good Practice for Research Degree Programmes published in 2019. She is a member of the Engineering and Computing Committee of the Royal Irish Academy.
Lisa’s own disciplinary background is mechanical engineering, and her research expertise includes areas of materials processing, particularly biomaterials and she was a founding member of the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering in DCU. She undertook her PhD in the Netherlands as a sponsored fellow of the European Commission and has a first class honours degree in Mechanical Engineering from Trinity College Dublin. She has also lived and
worked as a researcher in New Zealand.