University of Limerick academic appointed Vice Chair of the Royal Irish Academy Physical, Chemical and Mathematical Sciences Committee

University of Limerick researcher and academic Dr. Romina Gaburro has been appointed Vice-Chair of the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) Physical, Chemical and Mathematical Sciences Committee. Dr Gaburro will serve in this new role during her full term 2022-2026 at the RIA. This all-island multidisciplinary committee, that includes representatives from academia, research centres, interest groups and Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), aims to address “topical issues with a national or international focus” and to “advise the Academy on the formation of policy. The committee also acts as the national adhering body for the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). The committee has a varied programme of works including lectures, publications and special events focusing on key issues. These events include the annual Hamilton Lecture in mathematics and the Kathleen Lonsdale RIA Chemistry Prize”. 

Dr Gaburro holds an MSc in Mathematics from the Università degli Studi di Trieste, Italy and a PhD in Mathematics from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) in the UK. She is a Lecturer in applied mathematics in the department of Mathematics and Statistics, where she is currently co-leading the inverse problems and imaging group in MACSI, the Mathematics Application Consortium in Science and Industry. 

Commenting on her appointment Dr Gaburro said “I am delighted to accept the role of Vice Chair and look forward to promoting and supporting this important work over the next four years with the new Chair, Dr Spyridon Dendrinos. I want to thank the outgoing Chair of the committee, Professor Peter Robertson, and Vice Chair Professor Stephen Buckley, for their outstanding leadership and contribution to the RIA”.  

Welcoming the appointment, Professor James Gleeson, Head of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, at the University of Limerick, said, “We congratulate Dr. Romina Gaburro on this prestigious appointment. The RIA plays an important all-island role in scholarship and research in the sciences, humanities, social sciences and public service. It is gratifying to see another member of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics build upon the connections already established with the Royal Irish Academy.” 

At UL, Dr Gaburro is a funded investigator of CONFIRM, the SFI centre for smart manufacturing and is also a member of the Health Research Institute, where she is applying her expertise in inverse problems to ultrasound imaging, optical tomography and modelling the spread of COVID-19. Dr Gaburro was part of the research group in MACSI to receive the UL President’s Research Excellence and Impact Award for Outstanding Collaboration, for their work on mathematical and statistical modelling of the spread of CODIV-19.  She is also heavily involved in working on issues of gender balance, equality, diversity and inclusion in STEM, and is the country coordinator for Ireland in the European Women in Mathematics organisation, and the Irish ambassador for the International Mathematical Union Committee for Women in Mathematics.  

As the new Vice-Chair of the RIA Physical, Chemical and Mathematical Sciences Committee, Dr Gaburro will continue to promote mathematics and science nationally and internationally while also promoting the issues of gender balance, equality, diversity and inclusion in STEM.