Dervilla M. X. Donnelly

Dervilla M. X. Donnelly is an Irish chemist and was Professor of Phytochemistry at University College Dublin. She was the first woman to receive the Cunningham Medal from the Royal Irish Academy and was recognised by WITS (Women in Science and Technology) with their inaugural Lifetime Achievement award.

Dervilla M. X. Donnelly
Donnelly at the Mary Mulvihill Lecture 2017
Born
Dervilla Maura Xavier Donnelly

Dublin, Ireland
NationalityIrish
OccupationEmerita professor of organic chemistry
Academic background
Alma materUniversity College Dublin
Doctoral advisorT. S. Wheeler
Academic work
InstitutionsUniversity College Dublin
Main interestsPhytochemistry

Early life and education

Dervilla Donnelly was born in Dublin.[1] She studied Chemistry at University College Dublin as an undergraduate and went on to complete her PhD there under the supervision of T. S. Wheeler. She pursued postdoctoral studies at UCLA.[2]

Academic career

She was appointed lecturer in Chemistry at UCD in 1956, where she specialised in Phytochemistry. She was appointed Professor of Phytochemistry in 1979.[2] Her research in the area of wood chemistry was of particular interest to the forestry industry in Ireland and she was able to apply her findings to a number of complex problems in Irish forestry. She also developed international collaborations with researchers in France. During her academic career she supervised more than 80 PhD students.[3]

Appointments

Donnelly was elected to membership of The Royal Irish Academy 1968 and she served as three times as Vice-President of the Academy.[4] She was president of the Institute of Chemistry of Ireland from 1994 to 1996.

In December 1989, Dervilla Donnelly was elected the first woman President of the Royal Dublin Society, a position she held for three years.[5] She was the first women elected to the position after 258 years of male presidents. She had been involved in the RDS since the 1960s, was elected to the science committee in 1976 and to the council in 1985. She succeeded Dr. F. J. O'Reilly as president, who also nominated her as his successor.[6]

In 1995, she was appointed as chair of the council of the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, by Niamh Bhreathneach who was Minister for Education at the time.[7] She retained this appointment for 15 years until 2010.

Awards

Professor Donnelly was awarded UCD's Charter Day medal in December 2000, for her contribution to the country and the university.[8] In the same year she received the Boyle-Higgins gold medal award from the Institute of Chemistry of Ireland, awarded for "an outstanding and internationally recognised research contribution to the advancement of chemistry".[9]

The Women in Science and Technology (WITS) inaugural Lifetime Achievement award was presented to Professor Donnelly in June 2011.[10]

In 2017 Professor Donnelly became the first woman to receive the Royal Irish Academy's highest honour, the Cunningham Medal, which recognises "outstanding contributions to scholarship and the objectives of the Academy".[2][3][4]

Later life

In 2012, Dervilla Donnelly was one of five "inspiring women" interviewed for a video made by WITS. Inspiring Women Interviews was launched on International Women's Day at the European Parliament office in Dublin. It aims to encourage 16+ year old girls to consider careers in STEM.[11]

Donnelly was listed as one of 100 top women in science, technology, engineering and maths by Silicon Republic as part of their Women Invent Tomorrow campaign in March 2014.[12]

References
  1. "Dubliner receives Boyle Medal for Scientific Excellence". The Irish Times. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  2. "Professor Dervilla Donnelly first woman to receive Royal Irish Academy's highest honour". University College Dublin. 24 February 2017. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  3. "Irish Chemist to receive highest honour from RIA". The Irish Times. 23 February 2017. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  4. "Leading Irish scientist honoured by Royal Irish Academy". The Irish Times. 7 March 2017. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  5. "Looking forward to new ideas: Professor Dervilla Donnelly, the first woman president of the Royal Dublin Society, talks about the work of the society and her hopes for the future". The Irish Times. 16 July 1990.
  6. MacConnell, Seán (14 July 1990). "Making her space in the male world of the RDS". The Irish Times.
  7. "Parliamentary Debates". oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie. 20 February 1996. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  8. "UCD award for retired professor". The Irish Times. 2 December 2000. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  9. "Institute Awards". Institute of Chemistry of Ireland. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  10. "Lifetime Achievement Awards". WITS. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  11. "Women in technology inspire students about scientific careers". Siliconrepublic.com. 8 March 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
  12. "Women Invent: 100 top women in science, technology, engineering and maths – Part 1". Siliconrepublic.com. 11 March 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
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