New UCC president Patrick O’Shea sees Brexit dividend

The chance to attract more research funding and international investment because of the fallout from Brexit are to be a key focus of University College Cork’s new president.

However, Patrick O’Shea also wants to widen the scope of an existing Brexit committee at the university to take advantage of growing numbers of researchers seeking to move away from the US.

He begins his 10-year term this morning after a career as a physicist, professor and research director for more than 30 years in the US. While UCC’s governing body chairwoman, Catherine Day, warned that the opportunities from Brexit might not be as great as some Irish research leaders predict, Prof O’Shea thinks differently.