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ATU scientist among 29 elected to Royal Irish Academy in highest national academic honour
Atlantic Technological University (ATU) has been represented among the latest group of scholars elected to the Royal Irish Academy (RIA), with Professor Suresh C. Pillai named as one of 29 new members recognised for their contribution to knowledge and public life.
Election to the Academy is the highest academic honour in Ireland. Members are elected by their peers in recognition of outstanding scholarly achievement and their contribution to knowledge and society. Professor Pillai’s inclusion places ATU among a select group of institutions contributing to this year’s intake.
The newly elected members were drawn from a broad range of disciplines and backgrounds. They include novelist Anne Enright, winner of the 2007 Man Booker Prize; immunologist Teresa Lambe, who played a central role in the development of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine; energy and climate expert Professor Brian Ó Gallachóir; and Chief Justice Donal O’Donnell.
Professor Daniel Carey, President of the Royal Irish Academy said: “It is a great pleasure to welcome this year’s newly elected members to the Royal Irish Academy. The breadth of expertise represented among them reflects the richness and diversity of scholarship and public service across Ireland and beyond. We look forward to the insights and expertise these new members will bring to the Academy’s work in advancing trusted, independent and evidence-based dialogue across the island.”
Professor Suresh Pillai said,
I am deeply honoured to be elected as a member of the Royal Irish Academy. Research is fundamentally a collaborative journey, and when I reflect on these contributions, I see them as the achievements of my research team and my colleagues at ATU rather than my own alone. I am enthusiastic about the opportunity to support and enhance the ATU’s strategic objectives through my membership at RIA.
Within ATU, the recognition has been welcomed as an acknowledgement of both individual achievement and the broader trajectory of the university. As technological universities continue to expand their research capacity, appointments to national bodies such as the Royal Irish Academy are seen as an indicator of their evolving role alongside the older universities. The Academy draws its membership from the whole island of Ireland, both north and south.
President of ATU, Dr Orla Flynn, said,
Professor Suresh Pillai’s election to the Royal Irish Academy is a wonderful recognition of his contribution to research and scholarship. It also reflects the growing strength of the research community across ATU and our commitment to delivering work that has real impact regionally, nationally and internationally.
The Academy has been honouring Ireland’s leading contributors to the world of learning since its establishment in 1785. Those elected are entitled to use the designation ‘MRIA’ after their name.
Prof Pillai completed his PhD at Trinity College Dublin, MBA at Dublin City University and Post-doctoral research at Caltech, USA. He leads the Nanotechnology and Bio-Engineering Research Group at ATU. He is the recipient of various awards, such as the ‘Boyle-Higgins Award-2019’, the ‘Linus Pauling Lecture Award 2020’, the ‘Hothouse Commercialisation Award 2009’, and the ‘Enterprise Ireland Research Commercialisation Award 2009’.
He has also been nominated for the ‘One to Watch’ Award 2009 for commercialising R&D work (Enterprise Ireland). He is the lead inventor in several granted patents and the technologies derived from his research have been licensed to six companies. Professor Pillai has made significant contributions to the development of nanomaterials across several cutting-edge fields. His research team’s discoveries have been featured in various international media, including BBC, RTE-1 TV, RTE radio, as well as in a number of national and international print media (Times UK, The Guardian, Irish Times, etc.).
He currently serves as the Executive Editor for the journals Results in Engineering and the Chemical Engineering Journal. He currently works with ISO (International Standards Organisation) as the national technical expert for the ISO and CEN standardization committee.
Prof Pillai worked as the Chairperson (2017-2022) of the Expert Body on Water Fluoridation, Department of Health, appointed by the Minister for Health (2017-2022). Beyond Europe, Suresh has also established strong research partnerships with the USA, Japan, China, Brazil, India, and Australia. These international collaborations highlight his commitment to advancing science through global cooperation and position him as a key figure in international research networks. His efforts have contributed to the creation of innovative solutions that address global challenges across multiple fields.
There are 707 Members of the Royal Irish Academy (of whom 97 are Honorary or overseas Members). Past Members have included Maria Edgeworth, a pioneer of the modern novel, Kathleen Lonsdale, X-ray crystallographer and pacifist, and Nobel laureates: WB Yeats, Ernest Walton, and Seamus Heaney. Public and political figures: Former presidents Mary Robinson, Mary McAleese and Former Taoiseach Dr.Garret FitzGerald.
Photo caption: (L-R) Dr Orla Flynn, ATU President, Prof Suresh Pillai (ATU) and Professor Daniel Carey, President of the Royal Irish Academy.
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