Dr Frances Lucy has been appointed as the new Head of Department of Environmental Science at Institute of Technology, Sligo.
She succeeds Dr Billy Fitzgerald who has recently retired from the role.
Dr Lucy is a native of Cork, and has been living in Drumkeerin, County Leitrim since she first joined the Institute in 1992. During that time she has immersed herself in a wide range of teaching, course development and research in the Dept. of Environmental Science.
A qualified ecologist, she is also Director of the Institute’s Centre for Environmental Research Innovation and Sustainability (CERIS), and has over twenty years experience in the areas of invasive alien species (IAS) management and freshwater ecology.
She carried out her PhD while working in the institute, and her topic area was on the dynamics of zebra mussel populations in Lough Key.
“I am very proud to be appointed as Head of the Department of Environmental Science,” said Dr Lucy. “Our students are the future guardians of the environment and we work hard to give them the best student experience that is achievable.
“At IT Sligo, they get the education, skills and work experience they need to walk straight into the workplace. There are extremely good job prospects for graduates from our environmental, occupational safety and health and archaeology courses.”
Dr Lucy is currently the lead Principal Investigator for a new three-year Irish EPA research project on ‘Prevention, Control and Eradication of Invasive Alien Species’ (2016-2019).
Beyond her IT Sligo roles, she is chairperson of the Environmental Sciences Association of Ireland and a Board Member of the Irish state agency, Inland Fisheries Ireland.