ADAPT Recognition Awards 2025

The ADAPT Recognition Awards highlight exceptional service, research achievement, societal contribution, and innovative scientific collaboration. This year brought a strong, enthusiastic response from across the ADAPT community, with members stepping up to acknowledge the work and dedication of their peers.

Seven awards were presented to individuals who exemplify these qualities across the ADAPT Centre:

Researcher of the Year

The ADAPT Researcher of the Year Award recognises those who have contributed greatly to scientific progress or who have had a significant scientific breakthrough.

Winner: Alex Randles was recognised for his research contributions to Knowledge Graph design, evaluation, and cultural-heritage data infrastructure, presented across two high-impact peer-reviewed papers. As technical lead for the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland (VRTI), he oversaw the full design and implementation of the VRTI knowledge graph architecture and the public-facing VRTI-KG Explorer. Since its launch in 2025, the Explorer has attracted over 12,000 visits, showing substantial engagement from researchers, educators, and the wider public. The project has also been featured in several news articles, including coverage in Irish Central and The Guardian, highlighting its wider public relevance and visibility. The wider impact of this work has been recognised through two Gold Awards at the Digital Media Awards: Best Collaboration and Best in Government.

• Runner Up: Sunder Ali Khowaja was nominated for his high-impact publications, including the IEEE IoT Journal paper EdgeAIGuard, which has gained strong academic and public attention for its real-time, privacy-focused approach to protecting minors online. In addition, Sunder Ali Khowaja was also listed in Top 10 teams in NTIRE 2025 Image Super Resolution Challenge (x4) held at IEEE CVPR 2025, which lists the top teams around the world presenting ground breaking solutions in the field of computer vision. During this year, Dr. Khowaja has also developed several research collaborations across the Globe, and will continue to do so in order to enhance the economic as well as innovation impact. 

Early Stage Researcher of the Year

The ADAPT Early Stage Researcher of the Year Award recognises an individual’s research breakthrough and its scientific importance, whether it has been presented or accepted for publication in a peer reviewed conference or journal.

Winner: Allie Tran was recognised for exceptional contributions connecting science and art and making complex ideas accessible through innovative media. Specifically, she not only presented a novel virtual reality experience about memory and first-person autobiographical imagery in both the main and demo track of the ACM Multimedia 2025 conference she also served as the chair of the conference’s interactive art track.

Runner Up:

• Emily Ip was nominated thanks to her exceptional research output and professional growth this year, producing two first-co-author journal papers. Her impact extends beyond research as this year she trained in both TCD and Oxford on the cutting-edge OPM-MEG brain imaging technology, becoming one of the first scientists globally to work with this €1.5M system.
• Harish Kambampati was shortlisted for developing personalised, sensor-based smart home technologies that support independent living, safety, and improve quality of life by maintaining dignity for those with dementia. By integrating open-interface sensors with adaptive home automation systems, this work addresses high-risk and high-burden areas of activities of daily living such as mobility, bathing, and activity monitoring through a suite of low-cost and modular solutions.
• Mairéad O’Donnell was nominated for her outstanding research excellence and international impact. Through a series of peer-reviewed publications, as part of her PhD work, she redefined collaborative and transdisciplinary approaches to environmental and social sustainability. Her work advances both theoretical and applied understandings of co-design for social-ecological transformation, establishing new frameworks and practices that integrate human, ecological, and technological systems, a contribution that directly reflects ADAPT’s mission.

Education & Public Engagement Excellence

The ADAPT Education & Public Engagement Research Excellence Award recognises an individual’s (or a team’s) outstanding contributions to society by effectively engaging and involving the public in ADAPT research.

Winner: The Age-Friendly AI Team including Paula Kelly, Dympna O’Sullivan, Damon Berry, Patricia Lucha Farina, Laura Grehan, Emma Clarke and Cara Greene were recognised due to their work in engaging older adults around Ireland in meaningful discussions about how AI can support independence, wellbeing and connection while also addressing concerns about privacy, transparency and automation. Since the project launched in April 2025, they have hosted or contributed to over 20 public-facing events directly engaging a diverse audience across Ireland and internationally.

Runner up:

• Abigail Walsh and Ornait O’Connell were nominated for their outstanding and dual-focused contribution to both public engagement and digital language equality through their engagement activities on the eSTÓR project. Their efforts successfully translated highly technical research aims into relatable, impactful public actions, directly addressing the need for robust language resources for Irish Machine Translation (MT).
• Aphra Kerr was nominated for her spearheading of excellence in EPE with youth and kids through her Algowatch project. It focused on educating the general public about the challenges of algorithms and Artificial Intelligence (Algo- and AI-literacy) in the field of information and digital citizenship. The project was also awarded ‘Best Media Literacy Initiative for Young People’ by Media Literacy Ireland in 2025. 
• Dympna O’Sullivan was nominated due to her co-leadership of the the Inclusion4EU team. The project has delivered a standout example of what meaningful public engagement looks like, tackling digital exclusion through practical, inclusive, and community-driven research. Under the leadership of Dympna O’Sullivan and Emma Murphy, the project has involved people from traditionally excluded groups directly in the co-design of tools, curricula, and best practices that will shape more accessible software development across Europe.
• Kevin Doherty and the ADAPT at UCD Human-Computer Interaction Design Project Team: María Paula Silva, Zaur Gouliev, Megan Nyhan, Kayley Moylan were nominated for their work and leadership of the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Programme at UCD which has developed 19 new design research partnerships as part of their HCI Design Project programme, welcoming leading organisations across Ireland into ADAPT’s extensive engaged research community. 

Outstanding Professional Staff Member

The ADAPT Outstanding Professional Staff Member Award recognises a professional staff member for their exceptional dedication and notable contributions within the framework of their role. This award seeks to celebrate those with a track record of outstanding commitment to their work.

Winner: Alex Irwin was awarded the ADAPT Outstanding Professional Staff Member Award in recognition of her exceptional dedication, professionalism, and impact across the Centre. She consistently delivers high-quality digital content, manages complex event logistics, and coordinates with external partners to strengthen ADAPT’s public presence and collaborations. Her positivity, reliability, and willingness to go above and beyond demonstrate a level of commitment and support that has profoundly benefited the Centre and its community.

Runner Up:

• Jenny Walsh was shortlisted due to her exceptional work in visual marketing and design. Her creativity, professionalism, and ability to deliver high-quality materials under tight deadlines have elevated ADAPT’s proposals, communications, and public-facing materials, enhancing the Centre’s visibility and reputation nationally and internationally. Beyond her core responsibilities, Jenny’s innovative solutions, reliability, and collaborative approach make her an invaluable contributor to the success and impact of ADAPT’s projects.
• Olivia Waters was shortlisted in recognition of her exceptional leadership, creativity, and dedication in promoting ADAPT and its research. She has driven high-impact initiatives such as the AI Leadership Forum and the ADVANCE industry series, bringing together over 100 participants from academia, industry, government, and civil society to showcase ADAPT’s expertise and influence. Her tireless work, professionalism, and innovative approach have significantly elevated the Centre’s profile nationally and internationally, making her an invaluable member of the ADAPT team.
• Edmond O’Connor was shortlisted due to his exceptional contribution to ADAPT projects, demonstrating dedication and professionalism of the highest standard. He consistently goes above and beyond and ensures alignment between academic and industry partners. 

Industry Collaboration

The ADAPT Industry Collaboration Award recognises successful industry collaboration by an individual whose contributions have significantly benefited the industry project or spinout.

Winner: Dara Meldrum was recognised for her decisive role in the success of Vertigenius, serving as the driving research lead behind an innovative platform that is transforming vertigo rehabilitation. Her scientific leadership and close collaboration with industry partners have directly enabled the company’s strong commercial progress, culminating in its successful U.S. launch this year. That milestone reflects not just technical achievement but real-world clinical and societal impact.

Runner Up:

• Ashish Kumar Jha was nominated due to his work securing major industry-baked funding, delivering high-visibility projects recognised by media and award bodies, and producing influential work with partners such as Dublin City Council, NewsCorp, and Microsoft.
• Edmond O’Connor was nominated due to his commitment and impact in his role through his activities on supporting the DCC projects in terms of managing the relationships between DCC, Maynooth and UCD throughout the transition of the projects between partner institutions, and also in his work and support on securing the funding for the Huawei Efficient Foundation Models project. 
• Rebecca McManus was nominated in recognition of her exceptional leadership in advancing Amethyst Care’s innovative AI voice companion. This year, the project has progressed toward clinical trials in Ohio and under Rebecca’s guidance, the project is preparing to raise €2.5M to expand its team, laying the groundwork for its planned spin-out next year. Her work demonstrates a clear societal and commercial impact, directly translating research into practical, life-enhancing solutions.

International Research Programme

The ADAPT International Research Programmes Award recognises an individual who has made significant contributions in engaging with international research programmes, had significant success in winning funding or had a significant impact on the field of research or policy within such programmes.

Winner: This year’s winner is the Vigilant Project team including Brendan Spillane, Eva Power, Owen Conlan, and Gary Munnelly.

The VIGILANT project is the epitome of what collaborative International and European research should be. It is a 17-partner research project that has been examining innovative tools to help police authorities across Europe fight criminal activity stemming from disinformation and false narratives. The ADAPT leadership team (Brendan Spillane, Eva Power and Owen Conlan) have been commended on several occasions for the professional and convivial leadership they brought to this complex topic and multi-partner consortium. ADAPT’s research and technical excellence, under Gary Munnelly’s stewardship, has led to a comprehensive and powerful system that is now being deployed to police authorities. 

Gender, Equality, Diversity, & Inclusion (GEDI) Recognition Award

The ADAPT GEDI Recognition Award honours significant contributions made by an individual, group, or team to promote equality, diversity, and inclusion within ADAPT. This includes advancements in accessibility and inclusivity across workplace activities, training, community engagement, research innovations, communication, or other aspects of ADAPT’s work.

Winner: Alex Irwin won the GEDI Recognition Award for her outstanding contributions to fostering diversity and inclusion within ADAPT. Through her active work with the GEDI committee, she has strengthened communication between the committee and the Executive, ensuring that inclusive practices and perspectives are integrated into decision-making. Her efforts have helped create a more supportive, equitable, and connected community across the organisation.

Runner Up:

• Harish Kambampati was shortlisted due to his work in advancing ADAPT’s commitment to EDI through dementia research aimed at improving quality of life for one of society’s most vulnerable groups.
• Keren Artiaga was shortlisted as she has made a meaningful contribution to EDI within ADAPT through her rigorous work on improving the fairness and reliability of sign language translation research.

Congratulations to this year’s winners and shortlisted candidates. We look forward to seeing what we can achieve next year!