Lero, the Research Ireland Centre for Software, recently hosted the sixth edition of the Lero Director's Prizes at a prestigious lunch event on December 11th at the University of Limerick. The awards were presented to nine top academics and researchers from leading Irish universities and institutes of technology. The Lero Director’s Prizes are presented annually to exceptional Lero members from the Lero 12 partner universities and institutes of technology, recognizing their outstanding work and achievements throughout the year. This year's honorees hailed from the University of Galway, University of Limerick, University College Cork, Munster Technological University, and Maynooth University. Lero Director, Lionel Briand, congratulated the winners and emphasized the importance of their contributions to the field of software research. Briand stated, "The Lero Director's Prizes highlight the dedication and excellence of our members in advancing software engineering, information systems, and human- computer interaction across various cutting-edge areas."

The 2024 Lero Director’s Prize for Research Excellence was awarded to Professor Conor Ryan from the University of Limerick for his outstanding work in applying Machine Learning to medical diagnostics, particularly semi-automated mammography. His research spans various fields, including software, robotics, and even music and dance.

Professor Joseph Walsh of Munster Technological University Tralee received the Director’s Prize for Innovation. as diverse as PMS, Dublin City Council and Airbus.His significant contributions to intelligent mechatronics, robotics, and bioinstrumentation have helped secure over €20 million in research funding in the last five years.

Dr. Sarah Robinson, from University College Cork, won the Education and Public Engagement Award for her innovative use of Forum Theatre to engage the public on critical topics such as algorithmic justice and the societal impacts of social media algorithms.

The Director’s Prize for Diversity and Inclusion was awarded to Dr Clare McInerney of the University of Limerick for her work promoting computing subjects to underrepresented groups, including schoolgirls and older adults, through programs like CodePlus.

Prof John McDonald and Prof Tim McCarthy from Maynooth University received the Collaboration Award for their successful collaboration on projects involving external stakeholders as diverse as PMS, Dublin City Council and Airbus.

Rajkumar Sarma and Dr Muhammad Muneeb Saad were awarded the PhD/Post- Doctoral Researcher Contribution Prize for their innovative research, including a patent secured by Rajkumar and work on improving Generative Adversarial Networks by Muhammad.

Clare Dillon from University of Galway was honored with the Open Science/Open Source Award for her decades of work advancing open-source practices, including founding the Open Ireland Network.

These awards celebrate Lero's researchers for their significant contributions to software innovation, collaboration, and societal impact.