City and Region

The University of Limerick hosted its January Open Day with an absolutely fabulous
representation of Physics University of Limerick from Faculty of Science and Engineering,
University of Limerick! Great to see a fantastic crowd of eager young minds in the Physics stand
on a beautiful Saturday morning. Congratulations to the awesome faculty from Physics
University of Limerick for a very successful day!

The Department of Physics University of Limerick would like to extend our heartiest congratulations to the following January 2024 graduates:

Killian Coyle: Professional Diploma in Applied Physics
Ethan Shanahan: Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Physics
Cathal Byrne: Master of Science in Applied Physics
Adeleye Opeyemi: Master of Science in Applied Physics
Asaad Abdou Youssef Anton: Master of Science in Applied Physics
Eoin Moynihan: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Maria Rybalchenko: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Shubham Vishnoi: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
 

The UL Science, Engineering, and IT Fair took place from 11.30am to 2pm on Thursday, the 1st of
February in EGO-10. This fair targeted opportunities for Engineering students (Chemical,
Mechanical, Biomedical, Aeronautical, Civil, Construction, Technology and Design); Science
students (Pharma, Biochemistry, Bioscience, Physics University of Limerick, Environmental,
Food, and Equine); and ICT students (hardware and software).

2024 PLANCKS Physics Competition Surrey

The organising committee of PLANCKS congratulated the Department of Physics, University
of Limerick [Physics Students] who participated in the UK and Ireland's PLANCKS
preliminaries hosted on 16th – 18th February the University of Surrey.
The event was highly competitive, with 40 teams representing 28 universities from the UK
and Ireland. It was announced that everyone performed exceptionally well. The top three
teams were Oxford's 'Oxonians reloaded', Cambridge's 'Plank', and 'Physocrates' from
Imperial College London. The winners will represent the UK and Ireland along with the
highest-scoring Irish team 'The Not-so Grand Ensemble' from Trinity College Dublin in the
international finals at Trinity College Dublin this May.
PLANCKS is an incredible event that provides a unique opportunity for students to develop
their knowledge, understanding, and enjoyment of physics. It is a chance to collaborate,
network, and meet like-minded people to share their love of physics and problem-solving.

TYNDALL LECTURE – Bernal Institute

Guest Speaker: Professor Martin Hendry – University of Glasgow, United Kingdom.

ENGINEERING SHOWCASE - Shannon

The Explore Engineering Showcase 2024 was held on Thursday 7th March 2024 at 5-9pm in
the Departures Area, Shannon Airport. A great turnout in the evening by the banks of
Shannon river! Our representatives from Physics University of Limerick,
Dr Charlie O' Mahony and Dr Shayon Bhattacharya gathered a lot of interest for both our
Bachelor of Science in Applied Physics and Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Physics
courses from prospective future leaders in Physics. The main attraction of the event was the
bicycle wheel gyroscope!

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY CELEBRATION

International Women's Day celebration on 8th March 2024 - A coffee morning will be held in
the Cube, Bernal Institute, University of Limerick on 8 March at 10:30 to mark both Women
in Engineering & International Women’s Day.

CuWiP Event – UL Campus

We had a fabulous turnout today for the Conference for Undergraduate Women and Non-Binary
Physicists (CUWiP at UL) at Bernal Institute, University of Limerick, organised by the
Department of Physics University of Limerick with some excellent talks. Highlight of the day
was a visit to Analog Devices from the CuWiP team. Thanks to everyone and Dr Ning Liu team
for making this a successful event. The event is being sponsored by the Institute of
Physics, UKRI’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the Science and
Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and The Ogden Trust.

GREMAN Visitors – UL Campus

UL Physics Department & Bernal Institute by members of GREMAN [CNRS, University of Tours, INSA-
CVL].
Organizers: Prof. Tofail Syed, Prof. Guylaine Poulin-Vitrrant [visiting Scientist at the Dept. of Physics]
GREMAN [6 People] Prof. Franck Levassort, Prof. Jérôme Billoué, Prof. Cécile Autret, Dr. Vinh Ta-
Phuoc, Dr. Guillaume Nataf, Dr. Thomas Defforge
https://greman.univ-tours.fr/
UL Department of Physics & Bernal speakers and attendees: Prof. Tofail Syed, Prof. Guylaine
Poulin-Vittrant, Dr. Christophe Silien, Dr.Nanasaheb Thorat, Dr. Ehtshamul Haq, Dr. Charlie
O’Mahony, Prof. Ursel Bangert, Dr. Ning Liu, Dr. Sarah Guerin, Dr. David McNulty
This event is a one-day seminar, at UL, as part of the Department of Physics' 30th anniversary to
boost the collaboration between UL and GREMAN (Dr. Guylaine’s Laboratory in France).

Postgraduate Diploma in Energy Science & Engineering

We are delighted to announce the start of a new course at the University of Limerick this
September. The PGDiP in Energy Science and Engineering addresses the pressing need for qualified
professionals in energy-related disciplines. Our collaborations with industry continuously have made
it clear to us that sustainable energy systems demand a fusion of physics and engineering. The
PGDip and MSc in Energy Science and Engineering bridge this gap, preparing students with the skills
needed to drive a carbon-neutral future. (Note: . This programme is eligible for HCI Pillar 1 funding
which been secured to fund full fees for up to 10 Irish/EU students.)

Aurora Borealis

Some stunning images of the Aurora Borealis captured on Friday night (between 12
am and 12:15 am), courtesy of our 1st-year Physics University of Limerick students. Special
thanks to Kanon Hinson and Darragh Quinn for providing these beautiful shots. The photos were
taken near the University of Limerick (at Cappavilla) and in Mayo, where lower light pollution
enhances the clearness of the display.

Physics Department Research Seminar & Conference Event

A wonderful day at the Physics University of Limerick Research day.
Some great posters and fascinating talks taking place - well done to our colleagues in the department. A
special word of thanks to guest speaker Dr Guylaine POULIN.

Massive congratulations to all winners of the competitions held yesterday -

***Poster Competition Results***

1. Geetu Rawat
2. Muhammad Usaid
3. Pupak Amini

***Postgrad Talks***

1. Tara Ryan
2. Alanna Fox
3. H. Dinesh Barnana

***Research Talks***

1.    Dr Krittish Roy
2.   Dr Charlie O'​ Mahony
3.   Dr Agata Lynch

***Image Competition***

1. Veronika Hidaši Turiničová
2.  Sivasubramanian Murugappan Murugappan
 

Dr Vincent Casey FYP Project Award

Massive Congratulations to Luke Mann, fourth-year student from the Department of Physics University
of Limerick who has been awarded the Dr Vincent Casey Memorial Award for Best Final Year Project
(FYP). Luke, an Applied Physics student from Newmarket on Fergus in Co Clare, received the award during
the Physics research day held at Bernal Institute, University of Limerick. The Best FYP award honours the
memory of Dr Vincent Casey, a pioneering figure in Physics at the University of Limerick. He was the
course leader for the first BSc in Applied Physics at UL and the founding Head of the Department of
Physics. He was also the Chair of the Institute of Physics in Ireland.

Summer Exam Board – Physics Department

The June Exam Board for the Physics Department took place in University of Limerick, with
Faculty of Physics Department and the External Examiner, Professor Greg Sun from Boson
Massachusetts, USA.

Faculty Members:
Robert Lynch, Fernando Rhen, Pierre Cazade, Shayon Bhattacharya,
Dave Corcoran, Christophe Silien, Tofail Syed.
External Examiner: Professor Greg Sun.
Coordinator: Lauraine Howley

Summer Conferring Schedule 2024

The Conferring Schedule for Summer (June) 2024 is available for Physics University of Limerick.
- Ceremony 2 - Tuesday morning, 11 June, 11:15 am - Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and
Physics - Ceremony 2 - Tuesday morning, 11 June, 11:15 am - Bachelor of Science (Education) in
Physical Science with Chemistry and Physics See link here: https://www.ul.ie/ceremonies/summer-june-conferring-schedule-2024.

Staff Excellence Award

General representation in physics is very low, particularly female participation. This is widely known
and longstanding. Deirdre champions work to address the challenge of changing perceptions and
breaking biases surrounding physics. She represents the department in the European physics
community ‘GENERA Network’ and is actively involved in developing workshops on Career
Development and Gender Dimension in Physics. Deirdre’s expertise is now being shared with the UL
and the faculty of Science and Engineering as she was invited to join the UL AS EDI steering
committee and the faculty Quality Review committee. Her experience with AS applications will
contribute to forming the groundwork for a UL AS Silver application in November 2022.
Her EDI related work is in addition to her day-to-day job as a technical officer and she has sacrificed
personal time in working on EDI applications and invited talks."
“Deirdre’s leadership in achieving the Athena Swan Silver award in recognition of the positive impact
of actions to achieve gender equality amongst staff and students has led to positive PR for the
department and UL. Activities in relation to equality, diversity and inclusion have been key to
increasing the visibility of the department and University at a national and international level. Since
October 2021, Deirdre has been invited to give talks within UL and in other Universities about the
Athena Swan process and department activities:
• Athena Swan Ireland Award Ceremony, 20/10/2021
• UL Athena Swan Internal Network, 11/11/2021
• UCD, University College Dublin, Athena Swan Good Practice Webinar, 3/12/2021
• IOP, Institute of Physics, UK and Ireland Juno Network Meeting, 8/03/2022
• Diversity Interventions Conference, University of Oxford, 7/04/2022
As a result of impact driven activities and initiatives, including extensive outreach activity to
encourage female students to take physics as a Leaving Certificate subject and study the subject at
undergraduate level, the department has seen increases in numbers of female students."
Deirdre’s work reflects UL’s Strategic Goal of building the academic reputation of the university
through the community of students and staff and through inclusivity and diversity. In particular, her
work aligns with Goal 5 ‘Operating Model’ of the UL Strategic Plan 2019 ̶ 2024 to ‘encourage and
support our people and how we promote gender equality and opportunity’ under the priorities of
‘Empowering our people’ and ‘Implementing and supporting equality, diversity and inclusion,
including the committed work that underpins our Athena SWAN accreditation’. Her leadership in
achieving the first Athena Swan Silver award in the Republic of Ireland is a clear measure of success
and builds towards UL’s application for an institutional Athena Swan Silver award.