University of Galway has announced the establishment of a new External Advisory Board for the School of Computer Science.

Made up of leading industry experts, the members will provide independent, external advice and guidance in the development of the School to actively support its strategic aims and mission, ensuring continued success and future growth.

The External Advisory Board will also promote closer collaborations between academia and industry.

Chair of the External Advisory Board, Caroline Cawley, chief executive of itag & itag Skillnet, said: "I look forward to working closely with the staff in the School of Computer Science, to maximise collaboration opportunities between local industry and University of Galway."

Professor Walter Gear, Executive Dean of the College of Science & Engineering at University of Galway, said:"The input of industry is a critical ingredient for us to continue delivering on their needs for a highly skilled workforce, and our ambitions for a highly impactful research portfolio."

Dr Enda Howley, Head of School Computer Science said: "University of Galway is very fortunate to have a vast array of existing links with local and regional ICT employers at both SME through to multinational levels. With this new board we have a mechanism to formalise our cooperation and bring our collaborations onwards for the next decade and beyond. From industry internships through to research projects, these connections are critical for us to ensure our graduates are reaching their fullest potential."

The External Advisory Board of the School of Computer Science at University of Galway includes:

• Caroline Cawley, Chair, External Advisory Board, CEO itag & itag Skillnet.
• Petronel Bigioi, CTO and Co-founder, FotoNation.
• Vincent Canning, Tech Lead/Manager & Senior Software Engineer, Google.
• Michelle Concannon, SVP of Technology, Signify Health Ireland.
• Karen Conway, VP of Software Engineering, Fidelity Investments.
• Karl Flannery, CEO and co-founder of Storm Technology.
• Paddy Medley, VP of Quality HPE Hybrid Cloud and MD Hewlett Packard Galway.
• Mags Moran, Product Leader, Webex by CISCO.
• Sean Morris, CTO TitanHQ.
• Jane Reilly, Senior Software Engineering Manager, Microsoft.
• Joe Smyth, Senior VP of R&D, Digital and AI, Genesys.
• Ben Steele, Director of Architecture and Galway Chair, Liberty IT.

Further information on each member of the External Advisory Board is available at https://www.universityofgalway.ie/science-engineering/school-of-computer-science/people/externaladvisoryboard/

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