Aaron Tyrrell

“I was awarded a travelling studentship in mathematics in 2016 and began my PhD at the University of Notre Dame in August of that year. In grad-school in the states, you spend your first year taking classes and sitting exams so I haven't had many chances to travel yet, but I did fly back to Ireland for Christmas, and in the summer to attend the 2017 Irish Geometry conference which was held in Maynooth. As soon as I finish my oral qualifying exam I plan on attending many more conferences!"

“I find that the award is valuable to me in the sense that, 1) I'm very proud to be given the chance to represent the Irish higher education system and it motivates me to me work that bit harder and 2) not having to worry about money for travelling or even living expenses makes a big difference and allows me to focus more on my work."

“My advice to any prospective applicants for a travelling studentship would be to talk to lecturers in your current institution to find out about active areas of research in your specific field, then pick something you're passionate about and start your proposal. I'd say my biggest achievement since the award would be graduating from my masters in Maynooth in 2016 at the top of an extremely competitive class.”

 

In 2018, two NUI Travelling Studentships will be offered in the Sciences.

The closing date has been extended to Friday 6 April 2018.