A Fulbright Scholar, Frances Fahy was previously Head of Geography at the University and is the past President of the Geographical Society of Ireland.  She currently leads several international research teams on sustainable consumption and energy citizenship research.

Professor Frances Fahy, Director of the Ryan Institute, said:
“It is a great privilege to be given the opportunity to lead the largest research institute in University of Galway and to support all of our colleagues who pursue breakthroughs in science, sustainability, the marine, the environment and in so many fields of the natural sciences. I would also like to acknowledge the work of the outgoing director, Professor Charles Spillane, who led the Ryan Institute since 2017 and wish him the very best in his future research and academic work.”

Professor Fahy is a leading environmental geographer and has more than 100 publications to her name, including four books (Methods of Sustainability Research in the Social Sciences published by Sage, 2013, Challenging Consumption Routledge, 2014, Energy Demand Challenges in Europe Palgrave 2019 and Energy Citizenship across Europe, Palgrave Macmillan forthcoming in 2024).

Professor Fahy has coordinated more than 20 funded research projects and obtained competitive research funding, totaling more than €36 million, including from Horizon Europe, H2020, JPI-Climate, Interreg, the Marine Institute, National Economic and Social Council and the Environmental Protection Agency.  She has supervised 10 PhD students to completion, 11 Postdoctoral Research Fellows and Master’s students, many of whom have gone on to hold key roles in policy and academia.

Professor Fahy has also won numerous awards for her research and academic life, including the President’s Award for Research Excellence (2017); Societal Impact (2017); Teaching Excellence (Team Award 2020); and the Irish Research Council’s National Ally Award for Mentoring and Supervision (2023).

Professor Fahy joined University of Galway as a postdoctoral research fellow in 2005 and lives with her family in Corcullen.