Deputy President and Registrar's Executive Group

Professor Pól Ó Dochartaigh is Deputy President and Registrar of the University. A member of the University Management Team, Academic Council and the University’s Governing Authority, Údarás na hOllscoile, he deputises for the President in his absence. In his role Pól has overarching responsibility for academic strategy, academic promotions, and academic quality. He chairs the University’s Teaching and Learning Committee, the Academic Promotions Committee, the Quality Enhancement Committee, among other committees in the University. Externally, he chairs the Board of the Central Admissions Office (CAO), is a member of the Senate of the NUI, and a member of the board of Coláiste na Coiribe in Galway City. A native of Belfast, Pól holds a BA (Hons) in German from the University of Wales (Cardiff) and a BA (Hons) in Irish from Ulster University, as well as a PhD and a DLitt in German from Nottingham University. He is a Member of the Royal Irish Academy, a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He has served as President of the Association for German Studies in Great Britain and Ireland (2011-14) and Chair of the Royal Irish Academy's Committee for Modern Language, Literary and Cultural Studies (2004-9). Pól has worked on the legacy of the Holocaust, the German involvement in Celtic Studies and, more recently, on Jews in Irish literature and history. He has published five monographs, six edited collections and over forty articles and chapters.

Monica Crump is Interim University Librarian, in which role she is responsible for leading the Library team in the delivery of the Library Strategy:  Preserving the Past, Enabling the Future.  A particular focus of her work is the planning of a new Library Building, which will deliver a future-ready learning environment, supporting the University’s Academic Strategy - Teaching and Learning, by enabling students’ collaboration and creativity, supporting their learning success, as well as providing collections and spaces for individual, focussed study.  Monica has nearly 30 years’ experience working in higher education, as a librarian and a researcher.  She has particular interests in the ever-evolving world of scholarly communications and publishing, as well as the alignment and development of teams to deliver institutional strategic goals and support evolving user needs.  Monica holds a B.A. in Computer Science, Linguistics and German (TCD), a Masters in Library and Information Science (UCD), and has completed an evening B.A. in French (University of Galway).  She is an elected member of Údarás na hOllscoile since 2021, has been a member of the Finance Resource Committee, and is currently a member of Standing and Strategic Planning Committee.

  Director, Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CELT)

Dr. Iain MacLaren is the Director of the Centre for Excellence in Learning & Teaching (CELT), which spans a range of responsibilities including technologies to support teaching and learning (whether in the classroom or online), the professional development of academic staff, teaching and learning policy and strategy, and research and scholarship in higher education. Prior to taking up this role, he taught and researched in a number of universities in Scotland and England, and his own disciplinary background is in Astrophysics (BSc(Hons) Edinburgh, PhD Durham) which broadened also to atmospheric physics, advanced computing techniques, multimedia technologies, and education. He has participated in, and led, a number of national and international projects related both to professional development and learning technologies. He was a founding Board member of the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching & Learning, is currently a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy/AdvanceHE, and writes and publishes in the field, most recently in Reflective Teaching in Higher Education (1st and 2nd Editions, Bloomsbury) which is a core text for many Postgraduate programmes in teaching and learning.

Director of Sustainability 

Richard Manton is the University's first Director of Sustainability, leading the new Sustainability Office to achieve an ambitious sustainability strategy and champion the Sustainable Development Goals. Richard was previously the Registrar at Engineers Ireland and a Non-Executive Director at Bus Éireann. He was also a lecturer and researcher in transportation, energy and environment at the University, and a visiting researcher at UC Berkeley and LMU Munich. Richard is a Chartered Engineer with a BE in civil engineering, a MA in financial management, a PhD in sustainable transportation and a professional diploma in digital transformation management. He is a member of the Royal Irish Academy Engineering & Computer Sciences Committee 

Michelle is Director of Strategy and Planning in the Office of the Deputy President and Registrar, leading University-wide projects related to the delivery of its strategic academic mission. Prior to her appointment to this new role, she previously held the position of Institutional Press & Information Officer at the University of Galway. Michelle has over 20 years’ experience in public administration, communications and in corporate governance. She was an elected member of Údarás na hOllscoile from 2009 – 2013 and was a member of its Committee for Strategic Initiatives and External Affairs. She is currently serving her second term on the Board of TG4 where she served as interim Chair to the Board in 2017. She previously served on its Audit and Finance Committee and is current Chair of its Brand and Marketing Committee. In 2018 she was invited onto the Board of Macnas and is a previous board member of Volunteer Galway.  Michelle holds an MA in Business (IMI/UCC), MA in Media Studies (UL), HDip in Arts Administration (University of Galway), HDip Applied Project Management (IPM/UCC), and BMus (UCC).

Oifigeach Gaeilge

Caroline Ní Fhlatharta  was appointed the University of Galway’s first ever Irish Language Officer in October 2021.  This appointment  is a key part of the University’s inaugural Irish Language Strategy - A Strategy for the Irish Language 2021-25.  Caroline will support this Strategy and our vision to develop and foster a sustainable bilingual environment and promote our language across University life and the the University of Galway community, as well as in the Gaeltacht and Irish language communities.  Caroline holds an MA (Adult Learning and Development), a BA (Applied Irish), a Diploma in Irish and a Diploma in Business Technologies from the University of Galway, as well as a Postgraduate Certificate in Adult Learning Guidance and Theories from Maynooth University.  She facilitated the first ever LIFT Leadership Programme in the country  through Irish with the University of Galway staff members and won a LIFT Leadership Award for Innovation and Adaptability.  A native speaker from Connemara, Caroline joined the University of Galway in 2005 and had worked with TG4 prior to that. 

Sinéad currently holds the role of Director of Quality having been appointed to the role in the summer of 2019.  She has eighteen years’ experience in the areas of governance, audit, risk management, and strategic management.  She has seven years’ experience in the higher education sector having worked as Internal Auditor with the University of Galway, playing a central role in the public accountability process by providing assurance to the Governing Authority on the internal control and risk management frameworks within the University.  She also worked as Finance Manager for the Insight Centre for Data Analytics.  Sinéad is the former Ard Stiúrthóir of the Camogie Association, a national sporting organisation comprising 600 clubs and a network of almost 100,000 members. Sinéad is a member of the Quality Enhancement Committee, Academic Council and Academic Council Standing Committees and previously served on the University’s Audit Committee and Risk Management Group. Sinéad has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Scranton and Masters in Accounting from UCD.  She is a Fellow Chartered Accountant.

Michelle O’Dowd Lohan is the University of Galway’s inaugural Community and University Sustainability Officer. Appointed in September 2019, this is a senior leadership position that supports the Deputy President and Registrar to further the aims of the Community and University Sustainability Partnership (CUSP). CUSP aims to make the University of Galway a top-class, green, smart and healthy campus by embedding sustainability into teaching learning, operational and wider outreach activities. Michelle is an Environmental Science graduate from the University of Galway.  She went on to complete a Higher Diploma in Education before attending Queen’s University, Belfast where she completed an MSc in Environmental Engineering. Michelle previously worked as a Sustainability Research Associate with the Ryan Institute, University of Galway.  Her research interests include sustainability relating to education and health sectors.  Prior to her time at the University of Galway Michelle worked for 12 years as the Environmental & Waste Management Co-ordinator with Galway University Hospitals.