Professor Patrick Ryan was appointed Associate Vice President-Student Engagement, in January 2020. In this role, he has responsibility for key services that serve to enhance the student experience at UL, including Student Affairs, Glucksman Library, Centre for Transformative Learning, and Co-operative Education and Careers. Patrick also has oversight of Conferrings & Chancellor Liaison duties.
A native of Tipperary, Patrick holds a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from The Queens University of Belfast. Prior to working in academia, he worked in the HSE, the Brothers of Charity Services for people who experience Intellectual Difficulties, and was Director of Training and Accreditation for the Psychological Society of Ireland.
He has worked at the University of Limerick since 2005, first as Director of Clinical Psychology, then as Head of the Department of Education & Professional Studies and latterly as Head of the Department of Psychology. Maintaining clinical practice, teaching, and research roles, he has supervised 56 Ph.D.’s to completion (traditional, practice, and structured) and is author of three books as well as a consultant to national media and broadcast platforms. His area of expertise in clinical practice is working with trauma and through his research has brought relationship models to further the understanding of psychological consequences of traumatic experience.
Patrick is one of the authors and facilitators of the UL/Munster Rugby High Performance Leadership programme which is delivered to the corporate sector, national and international senior executives, and business leaders.
He has served as a director on a variety of voluntary sector and NGO bodies and is Chairperson of EmployAbility North Tipperary since 2002.
In 2019, he became a Fellow of The Psychological Society of Ireland.