Notre Dame Global Awards Four Development Grants to Strengthen Research Collaborations in Ireland
Four diverse new projects spanning artificial intelligence, wireless communications, medieval studies, and contemporary Irish history have been awarded Notre Dame Global’s Ireland Research Development Grants, advancing collaborative research between faculty from the University of Notre Dame and leading institutions across Ireland.
Part of the Global Network Research Development Grants program, the Ireland grants support partnerships that leverage Notre Dame’s presence in Dublin to build lasting international collaborations. This year’s awards support faculty and postdoc mobility, workshops, and symposia that will lay the groundwork for future publications and externally funded research initiatives.
“These seed grants serve as a core mechanism to engage Notre Dame faculty and deepen institutional partnerships around the world,” said Eimear Clowry Delaney, the Michael J. Smurfit Director of Notre Dame Dublin. “The exceptional ambition of the Ireland grant awardees highlights the calibre of scholarship we are proud to champion.”
6G Partnership Visit for the ND Wireless Institute's Collaboration with Trinity College Dublin and the Tyndall National Institute
Toros Arikan, assistant professor of electrical engineering and Notre Dame Wireless Institute faculty fellow, was awarded a travel grant to explore new collaborations in next-generation wireless communications.
Arikan will be hosted by Holger Claussen, professor of wireless communications at Trinity College Dublin and University College Cork and head of the wireless communications laboratory at the Tyndall National Institute, one of Ireland’s national labs and a leading European research centre specialising in both electronics and photonics.
The visit will focus on integrated sensing and communications technologies for emerging 6G networks, including applications such as intelligent transportation systems. A partnership would open pathways for future joint research proposals supported by European and international funding programs.
Form, Image, Action: Reframing Women in Medieval Worlds
CJ Jones, the Robert M. Conway Director of the Medieval Institute and professor of German studies, will expand the work of the existing research group Form, Image, Action, which focuses on reframing depictions of women in medieval worlds by examining the demonstrable impact women left on political, cultural, and religious structures.
The Form, Image, Action network was founded by Megan Welton (Notre Dame PhD ’17), assistant professor of history at University College Dublin; Anna Siebach-Larsen (Notre Dame PhD ’17), director of the Rossell Hope Robbins Library at University of Rochester; and Emily Ward, lecturer in medieval Scottish history at University of Edinburgh.
The project, funded by the Ireland Research Development Grant, will support a publication workshop for early-career researchers hosted at Notre Dame Dublin in December 2026, short postdoctoral exchanges between Notre Dame and University College Dublin, and planning for a collaborative exhibition with Dublin’s Chester Beatty Library reexamining the lives and influence of medieval women.
Irish newspaper columnists as public intellectuals 1960 - 2000
Rory Rapple, associate professor of history and Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies faculty fellow, will partner with Daniel Carey, established professor of English at the University of Galway and director of the Royal Irish Academy, on a symposium examining Irish newspaper columnists as public intellectuals from 1960 to 2000.
Hosted at Notre Dame Dublin’s O’Connell House in 2027, the gathering will bring together journalists, editors, and scholars to explore how newspaper columnists shaped Irish political, social, and cultural discourse. The symposium will serve as a foundation for a future National Endowment for the Humanities Collaborative Research proposal and a broader transatlantic research project.
School for Scientific Artificial Intelligence at Notre Dame Dublin
Brett Savoie, the Coyle Mission Collegiate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and director of the Scientific Artificial Intelligence Initiative, will run the School for Scientific Artificial Intelligence at Notre Dame Dublin, a three-day convening that will connect Notre Dame researchers with colleagues from Irish universities.
The program will combine educational workshops, hands-on tutorials, and research planning sessions focused on applying artificial intelligence to challenges in the physical sciences and engineering. By bringing together faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and graduate students, the initiative aims to establish enduring research networks while positioning Notre Dame and Irish partners for future collaborative funding opportunities.
The strength and diversity of these projects demonstrate the growing role of Notre Dame Dublin as a convener of scholarly exchange and a platform for developing research partnerships between the University of Notre Dame and Irish universities and cultural institutions. Each project positions Notre Dame researchers for larger collaborative grants from organizations such as the National Endowment for the Humanities, Research Ireland, Horizon Europe, the European Research Council, and other international funding agencies.
Through the Global Network Research Development Grants, Notre Dame Global continues to invest in faculty and postdoctoral mobility and scholarship with international partner institutions, reinforcing Notre Dame’s aim to become the leading global Catholic research university. Learn more about faculty funding opportunities by visiting the Notre Dame Global website.
Contact:
Maggie Arriola Fagan, associate director for partnerships and engagement, Notre Dame Dublin
marriola@nd.edu