Interim president of University of Galway is a native of Mayo

University of Galway’s Governing Authority - Údarás na hOllscoile - has confirmed the appointment of Professor Peter McHugh, a native of Ballyhaunis in Co. Mayo, as interim president.

The confirmation follows the announcement on June 26 that Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh had taken the decision to step down as president.

Professor McHugh is currently serving as deputy president and registrar, and will take up the role of interim president in September.

Reacting to his appointment, he said: “I am very honoured to be appointed interim president of University of Galway and I wish to thank members of Údarás na hOllscoile for their support. I also want to thank the outgoing president, Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, for his outstanding work, his commitment to the university’s values of respect, openness, excellence and sustainability over the past six years, and for helping to make University of Galway the world-class institution it is today.

“I am very much looking forward to building on the university’s many achievements. My focus will be on strengthening and building upon our international reputation for excellence in teaching, learning, research and innovation, on striving for the very best student experience, and on empowering our staff to achieve.”

Professor McHugh joined the university in 1991 and was appointed as the first Established Professor of Biomedical Engineering in 2007. He has previously served as Dean of College of Engineering and Informatics, Head of School of Engineering and Informatics, and Head of School of Engineering.

Under his leadership, the School of Engineering developed its gender equality action plan and building on this groundwork, the school went on to achieve the Athena SWAN Silver Award in 2022, the first school of engineering in Ireland to achieve the recognition.

Professor McHugh, who took up the role of deputy president and registrar in May this year, is an internationally recognised research leader in biomedical engineering and his research is focused on fundamental developments and applications of computational and experimental methods in biomechanics, tissue mechanics and medical implants and devices.

He has been a pioneer in the development of biomedical engineering in Ireland and internationally, and he was the founding director of the Biomechanics Research Centre (BioMEC) at University of Galway.

Professor McHugh has received numerous awards, including membership of the Royal Irish Academy (2011), the Silver Medal of the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland - Section of Bioengineering (2011), the Presidential Nominee Fellowship of Engineers Ireland (2009), Fellowship of the Irish Academy of Engineering (2019), and the Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship (1995). He has also served in officer roles in the Royal Irish Academy, most recently as secretary for policy and international relations, where he was the Irish representative to several international academy organisations, including the European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC).

The chair of the University of Galway Governing Authority, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, commented: “On behalf of the University of Galway Governing Authority, I would like to welcome Professor Peter McHugh’s appointment as interim president and wish him every success in the role. Professor McHugh will be leading the university at a time which is not without sectoral challenges, but while we are positioned strongly for the future.”