9 March 2024
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Professor Joseph Walsh, Head of School and Director (IMaR) Research Centre, Munster Technological University (MTU), has been elected to the prestigious Fellowship of the Irish Academy of Engineering (IAE). The Fellowship is bestowed to distinguished individuals from academia and industry, acknowledging their substantial impact on the advancement of engineering, as well as economic and societal development in Ireland.
An all-island body, the Irish Academy of Engineering (IAE) seeks to advance the wellbeing of the country by marshalling the expertise and insights of eminent engineers to provide independent advice to policy makers on matters involving engineering and technology.
Professor Walsh, a distinguished figure at MTU, holds multiple pivotal roles: he is a Co-Principal Investigator at Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software, the Principal Investigator for the AgriTech Ireland Cluster, and the Executive Director of the AgriTech Centre of Excellence (ACE). Currently, he spearheads the “Rethinking Engineering Education in Ireland (REEdI)” project, a groundbreaking €8.96 million initiative funded by the Higher Education Authority in Ireland under the Human Capital Initiative. His research spans intelligent mechatronics and sensors, dairy technology, robotics and automation, autonomous systems, bio-instrumentation, and STEM education. With over 20 years of research and development experience in both industry and academia, Professor Walsh has contributed to over 200 scientific articles and has secured more than €20 million in research funding in the last five years, showcasing his significant impact in his fields of expertise.
Additionally, Professor Walsh has played a significant role in various innovation projects aimed at developing new technologies to improve agricultural tech, industrial instrumentation, automation, and intelligent sensor systems for Process Analytical Technology (PAT), alongside digital immersive technologies, benefiting both national and international sectors. He currently leads several industry-specific projects, resulting in Intellectual Property (IP) and licensing agreements with companies including Dairymaster, McHales, Abbey Machinery, Tricel, Bons Secours Hospital Group, Liebherr, and Kostal. Additionally, he has been involved in numerous EU-funded research projects and coordinated the FP7 Rotabot project, which focused on developing next-generation milking parlours.
Professor Walsh holds a Ph.D in Electronic Engineering from the University of Limerick and an M.Sc (Eng) in Bio‐engineering jointly from Trinity Collage Dublin (TCD), University College Dublin (UCD) and the University of Limerick (UL). He received a recognition of leadership of a project in the seventh EU Framework Programme for Research at ‘Ireland’s Champions of EU research’ Presented by President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins. Also he received the Inaugural Innovator Achievement Award at the Munster Technological University, Innovation Awards, 2023. He has been elected Fellow of the Institute of Physics (FinstP) and has been awarded the titles of Chartered Physicist and Chartered Engineer.
Speaking about his election, Professor Walsh said: “It is an honour and a privilege to have been invited and elected to the Fellowship of the Irish Academy of Engineering. This recognition not only reflects my personal journey in the field of engineering and technology but also highlights the collective achievements and ongoing commitment of our teams in MTU and the IMaR Research Centre. Being part of an all-island body that plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of our country through engineering and technology is incredibly rewarding. I am eager to contribute to the Academy’s mission, leveraging our research and insights to provide independent advice that will help guide policy makers on critical matters.”
President of MTU, Prof. Maggie Cusack, said: “On behalf of MTU, I wish to extend sincere congratulations to Professor Walsh on such a prestigious accolade.”