We often hear how Erasmus+ provides life changing opportunities, but what does it mean to truly embrace one. Doctor Lubna Luxmi Dhirani arrived at our UL Global office in 2015 as a participant in the Erasmus Mundus Action 2 LEADERS programme on a scholarship. We had the privilege of following Lubna’s journey of courage, growth and achievement through opportunities provided by Erasmus+ over the last nine years.
‘In 2015, I was fortunate to be awarded the prestigious European Erasmus Mundus LEADERS PhD Scholarship at the University of Limerick (UL), Ireland. While I was thrilled to embark on this journey towards a higher degree abroad, I was equally overwhelmed by the challenge of being a single parent to a 2½-year-old in a foreign country with no family or friends. Little did I know that this courageous leap would completely transform my life, both professionally and personally.
My PhD research was in a niche area: "developing a crosswalk across Cloud Computing, IT and Business Standards, and QoS metrics." With limited work previously done in this domain, I had the unique opportunity to present my research at prestigious international and national conferences. I am deeply grateful to my supervisor, Professor Thomas Newe, whose unwavering support and belief in my work gave me the confidence to push forward. In 2019, I successfully defended my PhD and graduated in January 2020, after receiving invaluable backing from the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering (E&CE) and UL Global.
Following my PhD, I joined a Johnson & Johnson (J&J) project as a Postdoctoral Researcher, focusing on Data and Network Security, under the SFI (Science Foundation Ireland) Confirm Research Centre for Smart Manufacturing. After successfully completing the project ahead of schedule, I transitioned into academia as an Assistant Professor in Cybersecurity at UL’s E&CE Department.
From student to supervisor, I began mentoring undergraduate, master’s, and PhD students while developing industry-focused modules. I also became deeply involved in promoting diversity and inclusion in STEM, serving as an IEEE Women in Engineering Ambassador and advocating for women in tech roles.
In 2023, I was honoured to secure European Erasmus+ funding (€800,000) as Principal Investigator for a ground-breaking project, "CATCH_VR," focused on building an immersive AR/VR training environment in collaboration with partners across Europe and Asia. This project represents a remarkable opportunity, being the only EU-funded initiative in AR/VR.
Recently promoted to Associate Professor at the University of Limerick, I am excited to continue contributing to research, industry partnerships, and capacity-building projects. The transformation from an Erasmus student to leading an Erasmus-funded project has been extraordinary—and it all began with the Erasmus Mundus LEADERS programme, which gave me the boost I needed to embark on this life-changing journey.’