Two leading Irish academics working in the sciences have been honoured with gold medals from the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) at an awards ceremony in Dublin today (April 4). Both researchers are professors at Trinity College Dublin (TCD).

Prof Ruth Byrne received the RIA gold medal in the social sciences, while Prof Jennifer McElwain was presented with the RIA gold medal for her work in the environmental sciences and geosciences.

The medals were presented to the two women by An Taoiseach Micheál Martin, TD. The ceremony was held at the Provost’s House at TCD and was attended by TCD Provost, Dr Linda Doyle as well as the president of the RIA, Dr Mary Canning.

Also in attendance were fellow members of the RIA and friends, family and colleagues of Byrne and McElwain.

The RIA awards gold medals annually to two world-class researchers based in Ireland whose work has made and continues to make a global impact.

According to Canning, today’s gold medal recipients have, “through the rigour and global impact of their work” illustrated how sciences and humanities research can “enrich our lives and benefit society.” She added that their work would inspire early-career researchers.

Byrne, who is a professor of cognitive science at TCD, said “This award is a welcome recognition of the value of the scientific study of the human mind, especially the importance of discoveries in cognitive science about the human imagination, for understanding how people think, reason, and make decisions in their daily lives.”

McElwain called her award a “huge personal honour.” The professor of botany said that, for her, the award highlighted “how studies of landscapes, fossils and atmospheres of a past earth from millions of years ago are valued because they provide a long-term context to contemporary issues of climate change and biodiversity loss.”

“An understanding of the deep geological past allow us to document baselines of past climate change, the sensitivity of global climate to changes in atmospheric composition and the tipping points which have negative consequences for biodiversity,” she added. Her award was sponsored by the Geological Survey Ireland and the Geological Survey Northern Ireland.

Last December, McElwain told SiliconRepublic.com that the public was “shouting loudly” when it came to the climate crisis. She was speaking following the release of the Environmental Protection Agency’s report on Irish attitudes to the climate crisis.

Presenting the medals to the academics, Martin said that the pandemic “highlighted how important research and innovation and the contribution of the higher education sector is for policymakers and citizens alike.”

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