Awards & Events

Institute Awards

The Boyle Higgins Gold Medal and Lecture Award

The Boyle Higgins Medal and Lecture Award, instituted in 1985, is an award for research work carried out in chemistry under the headings: (a) Pure Chemistry, (b) Applied and Industrial Chemistry or (c) Chemical Education. The award is made for an outstanding and internationally recognised research contribution to the advancement of chemistry by a chemist of any nationality working in Ireland or by an Irish chemist working overseas.

Recipients

• 2023: Professor Prof. Yurii K. Gun’ko (Applied Chemistry)
• 2022: Professor Grace Morgan (Applied Chemistry)
• 2021: Professor Tadhg Begley (Applied Chemistry)
• 2020 Professor Amilra P. de Silva (Applied Chemistry)
• 2019 Professor Suresh Pillai (Applied Chemistry)
• 2018 Professor John Kelly (Applied Chemistry)
• 2017 Professor Henry Curran (Applied Chemistry)
• 2016 Professor Kieran Hodnett (Applied Chemistry)
• 2015 Professor Dermot Diamond (Applied Chemistry)
• 2014 Professor Patrick J Guiry (Pure Chemistry)
• 2013 Doctor Sheila Willis (Applied Chemistry)
• 2012 Professor Malcolm R. Smyth (Applied Chemistry)
• 2011 Professor Frank Hegarty (Pure Chemistry)
• 2009 Professor Seán Corish (Pure Chemistry)
• 2008 Professor Albert Pratt (Pure Chemistry)
• 2007 Professor Rory More O’Ferrall (Pure Chemistry)
• 2005 Professor Donald Fitzmaurice (Pure Chemistry)
• 2002 Doctor John F. O’Sullivan (Applied Chemistry)
• 2000 Professor Dervilla M.X. Donnelly (Pure Chemistry)
• 1998 Professor Richard N. Butler (Pure Chemistry)
• 1996 Professor David A. Brown (Pure Chemistry)
• 1993 Professor M. Anthony McKervey (Pure Chemistry)
• 1992 Doctor Peter E. Childs (Chemical Education)
• 1990 Professor Duncan Thorburn Burns (Applied Chemistry)

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The ICI Annual Award for Chemistry (Eva Philbin Public Lecture Series)

The Institute of Chemistry of Ireland Annual Award for Chemistry was inaugurated in 2005. Since 2007, the lectures are termed the Eva Philbin Public Lecture Series. The late Professor Eva Philbin was formerly head of the Chemistry Department in University College Dublin and also a former President of the Institute of Chemistry of Ireland. The award is for a practising chemist, who has made a significant contribution to the advancement of chemistry and has considerably raised the profile of chemistry through both the excellence of their work and their ability to communicate in an effective and lucid manner.

The nominee may be employed in academia, industry or the state sector. The recipient must be a chemist of repute working in Ireland. The awardee will present lectures on their field of work, in Dublin and in two other locations in Ireland, within twelve months of receiving the award. These lectures will be open to the general public as the purpose of the award is to promote the benefits of chemistry to the widest audience.

The call for nominations for this prestigious award is now open.

Further details on the nomination process may be found here:
Institute of Chemistry of Ireland Call for Nominations for the ICI Eva Philbin Award 2023

Deadline date for nominations: Friday, 24th March, 2023

Professor McCormack (TU Dublin), the 2019 recipient of this award, kindly agreed to having his award lecture recorded for the public to view.

Recipients

• 2023 Professor Susan Quinn
• 2022 Professor Carmel Breslin
• 2021 Professor Paula Colavita
• 2020 Professor Declan Gilheany
• 2019 Professor Declan McCormack
• 2018 Professor Anita Maguire
• 2017 Professor Donal O’Shea
• 2016 Professor John Sodeau
• 2015 Professor Michael J. Zaworotko
• 2014 Professor Thorfinnur Gunnlaugsson
• 2013 Professor Herbert W. Roeskey
• 2012 Professor Lesley Yellowlees
• 2011 Dr Malachy McCann
• 2009 Professor Martyn Poliakoff
• 2008 Professor Peter Atkins
• 2007 Dr Mary Archer
• 2006 Professor A. Prasanna de Silva
• 2005 Professor David A. Leigh

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ICI Industrial Chemistry Award

 

Employees or principals of the chemical, pharmaceutical industry, fine chemicals and related sectors on the island of Ireland, involving work substantially chemical in nature that can clearly show support of industrial chemistry functions are eligible for this award. This award is sponsored by Henkel Ireland Ltd.

Recipients

2017: Professor Tom Moody (Almac & Arran Chemical Company) ‘Enzyme “feeds” rapid development and commercialisation’

2016: Dr Imelda Shanahan (TMS Environment Ltd) ‘Strictly Chemistry?’

2015: Dr Donal Coveney (TopChem Pharmaceuticals Ltd.) ‘Jumping through hoops and chasing our tails – Challenges in securing market approval of pharmaceutical products’

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ICI David Brown Award

This award was established in 2014 to honour Professor David Brown of University College Dublin in recognition of his enormous contribution to inorganic chemistry both nationally and internationally. Professor Brown, together with Professor Bill Davis (TCD) hosted the International Conference on Coordination Chemistry (ICCC) in UCD in 1974. With some funds remaining, Professor Brown set up what became known as the Greystones weekend meetings, which were held in the LaTouche Hotel in Greystones and later in a more formal setting, in Maynooth University, hosted by Dr Malachy McCann every three years until 2005. This was re-launched as a one day Inorganic Ireland Symposium and has been held approximately every two years since then. A highlight of this symposium is the presentation of the ICI David Brown award to a colleague who has made an outstanding contribution to inorganic chemistry.

Recipients

2023: Professor Thorfinnur (Thorri) Gunnlaugsson (Trinity College Dublin)

2021: Professor Nicholas Farrell (Virginia Commonwealth University, USA)

2018: Professor Sylvia Draper (Trinity College Dublin)

2016: Professor A. K. Powel (Karlsruhe Institut fur Technologie, Germany)

2014: Dr Malachy McCann (then NUIM and now Maynooth University)

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ICI Postgraduate Award

First established in 2018, the ICI Postgraduate Award recognizes a registered PhD student in any Chemistry discipline working in an Irish Higher Education Institution. The student must have demonstrated excellence in research through publications. They must also have demonstrated a commitment to supporting and promoting Chemistry within their Institution (e.g. through active participation in public engagement initiatives).

The nominee must be a registered PhD student in any Chemistry discipline working in an Irish Higher Education Institution. They must have demonstrated excellence in research through publications. They must also have demonstrated a commitment to supporting and promoting Chemistry within their Institution (e.g. through active participation in public engagement initiatives). A person nominated for this award must be a member of the Institute at the time of nomination or upon receipt of the award.

Nomination Process: The nominator, who must be the student’s PhD supervisor, shall send one electronic copy of their nomination by email to the President of the Institute, which will include a cover letter providing a brief resume of the reasons for the nomination, together with a CV (maximum 2 pages) of the nominee. Nominations to be addressed to the ICI President and sent to: secretary@instituteofchemistry.org

Past Recipients

2023: Kris O’Dowd (Atlantic Technological University Sligo) (Supervisor: Professor Suresh Pillai)

2022: Niamh O’Mahoney (University College Cork) (Supervisor: Dr Dara Fitzpatrick)

2021: Ioannis Mylonas Margaritis (NUIG) (Supervisor: Dr Constantina Papatriantafyllopoulou)

2020: Priyanka Ganguly (Sligo IT) (Supervisor: Professor Suresh Pillai)
2020: Conor Crawford (UCD) (Supervisor: Professor Stefan Oscarson)

2019: Saoirse Dervin (Sligo IT) (Supervisor: Professor Suresh Pillai)

2018: Adele Gabba (NUIG) (Supervisor: Professor Paul Murphy)

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Second Level Education Award: Highest Results in Leaving Certificate Honours Chemistry Course

Prizes are awarded to the students achieving the highest marks in Ireland.
Please note that no awards were presented in 2020 nor in 2021 due to revisions to the
Leaving Certificate examinations’ processes as a result of the SARS Cov-2 pandemic

Recipients

2019

Brian Durkan, St. Muredach’s College, Ballina, Co. Mayo
Óran O’Sullivan, Coláiste Choilm, Ballincollig, Co. Cork

2018

Jessica Murphy, Mount Mercy College, Model Farm Road, Co. Cork
Corey Kissane, St Brendan’s College, Killarney, Co. Kerry

2017

Ryan James Bell, Oatlands College, Mount Merrion, Dublin
Callum Dempsey, Banagher College, Co Offaly
Eamonn Michael Fennelly, St. Kiernan’s College, Kilkenny Mark
James Fortune, Scoil Na Mbráithre Criostaí, Co. Thiobraid Arann
Emily McGill, Abbey Vocational School, Co. Donegal
Jack Patrick Murphy, Christian Bros. School, Charleville, Cork
Diarmuid O’Donoghue, Ashton Comprehensive School, Cork

2016

David Gerald Murphy, St. Fachtnas High School, North Street, Skibereen, Co. Cork
Paul McGoldrick, Coola Post Primary School, Riverstown, Via Boyle, Co. Sligo

2015
Hayley Blair , High School, Rathgar, Dublin 6
Eimear Conroy, Loreto, Kilkenny
Seán Kavanagh, Castleknock College, Castleknock, Dublin 15
Eleanor Windle, Dominican College, Mucross Park, Donnybrook, Dublin 4

2014

Donnacha Mac Gearailt, Coláiste An Chroí Naofa, Carraig na Bhfear, Corcaigh

2013

Kyle Frohna, St. Andrews College, Blackrock, Co. Dublin

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Third Level Education Awards for Highest Results Chemistry

One year’s Free Graduate Membership (GradMICI) of the Institute and a Certificate is offered to college Graduates obtaining Institute-Accredited Chemistry Degrees in Ireland each year subject to certain conditions.

Conditions:

• Only Institute-Accredited Degree Courses qualify,
• Of these, only four-year Degree Courses qualify,
• A maximum of two Degree Courses per College per year are eligible, and
• Graduates must have attained first place on their Course, and either a First or an Upper Second Honours Degree, to qualify for the award.

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The Institute of Chemistry of Ireland’s Awards for the EURACHEM Analytical Measurement Competition (EAMC)

This annual Competition was inaugurated in 1999 under the auspices of the Association of Heads of Science at the Institutes of Technology. The aim of the competition is to make students aware, at an early stage in their training, of the importance of reliability in laboratory measurements. It is open to full-time science students attending any third level institution anywhere on the island of Ireland, who have not yet entered the third year of their course.
Each year the Institute awards prizes to the First Place winners and the Runners-up and also to the Lecturer of the winning College.

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Schools Chemistry Newsletter Prize

The Institute sponsors a Schools Chemistry Newsletter Competition. This competition, organised by the Institute, is open to all second level students (both North and South) who are interested in Chemistry.

Entrants must submit a Newsletter, suitable for the non-scientist, explaining clearly and accurately the significance of any aspects of chemistry in an engaging, informative and easily intelligible manner. The competition is also supported by ISTA. A different topic is chosen each year.

Irish Universities Chemistry Research Colloquium

The Irish Universities Chemistry Research Colloquium is run annually under the aegis of the Institute of Chemistry of Ireland. Each year, the Institute offers a Prize to the overall winner of the Colloquium.

The Institute also offers a special prize for the best oral presentation by a Graduate Member of the Institute (GradICI) at the Colloquium.

Previous Colloquiums

• 2019 Colloquium, Programme (PDF Document)
• 2016 Colloquium, Book of Abstracts (PDF Document)
• 2015 Colloquium, Book of Abstracts (PDF Document)
• 2014 Colloquium, Book of Abstracts (PDF Document)
• 2012 Colloquium, 14-15 June Schedule (Word Document)
• 2012 Colloquium, Oral Abstracts (Word Document)
• 2012 Colloquium, Poster Abstracts (Word Document)