Skip to main content

News & Events

  • Upskilling Women returning to the Workforce

    01 Feb 2022
    Upskilling Women returning to the Workforce

    We are delighted to announce that Rejuvenate Spring 2022 will commence on Tuesday 8th March -

    International Women's Day!

     

    Read more
  • UCC launches a new employment-based Master’s Degree in Dairy Process Technology in partnership With Kerry Group

    14 Jul 2021
    UCC launches a new employment-based Master’s Degree in Dairy Process Technology in partnership With Kerry Group

     

    • Kerry Group to sponsor two Masters students in 2021 through a new employment-based MSc in Dairy Process Technology at University College Cork.
    • The students will be employed by Kerry Group while completing their Masters at the School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, UCC.
    • This partnership represents an excellent example of Ireland’s dairy processing sector working together with the University to invest in the next generation of dairy science leaders.

     

    Read more
  • Join Enterprise Ireland for Food Evolution - A Forum on the Future of Food

    27 May 2021
    Join Enterprise Ireland for Food Evolution - A Forum on the Future of Food

    The Forum will hear from leading industry experts and thought-leaders on innovating for sustainable growth, emerging megatrends and insights in food and beverage on 27th May 2021 at 09:00 ET / 14:00 GMT+1 / 15:00 CEST. Find out about the key to long-term success in sustainable growth, and how Ireland has become a hub for food and beverage companies wishing to develop and scale their European presence.

    Food Evolution will be officially opened by the opened by the Tánaiste (Irish Government Deputy Prime Minister) and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar.

    The keynote speaker is Georgiana (Jojo) de Noronha, President, The Kraft Heinz Company, Northern Europe. You’ll also hear from Mintel, the world’s leading market intelligence agency, who will discuss their report, ‘Global Food and Drink Trends 2021’.

    Food Institute UCC Director Jim Corbett will act as a moderator during the Forum.

    Click here for speaker and company profiles.

    Read more
  • Launching your Career in STEM!

    24 May 2021
    Launching your Career in STEM!

    MONDAY 24TH - THURS 27TH MAY 

    We are delighted to invite UCC students to attend STEM Career Insights Week 2021 – the first event series of its kind.

    Eight sector-specific sessions will be hosted between Monday and Thursday with insights from our keynote speakers and UCC graduates on launching a career in STEM.

    The aim of the events is to highlight the range of career paths STEM graduates can pursue and inspire our current students to consider the broad career options available to them.

    Food Career Insights

    Tuesday 25th May - 10.00-11.30

    While this event is targeted at STEM cohorts, we encourage all students with an interest in any of the below events to attend.

    Learn more about our keynote speakers and alumni speakers.

     

    Read more
  • Upskilling Women returning to the Workforce

    25 May 2021
    Upskilling Women returning to the Workforce

    We are delighted to announce that Rejuvenate Autumn 2021 will commence on Tuesday 5th October.

     

    Read more
  • An Appetite for Excellence Panel

    16 Mar 2021
    An Appetite for Excellence Panel

    UCC's School of Food and Nutritional Sciences - Panel Discussion

    The College of Science, Engineering and Food Science presents a panel discussion which will showcase our prestigious School of Food and Nutritional Sciences. Our panelists will represent just some of the research themes within the School and will highlight why our programmes should be top of your list.

    UCC has an established legacy of over 90 years delivering research and innovation for the Irish and international food industry. Our School of Food and Nutritional Science ranks number 43 in the Global Shanghai Rankings in food science and technology and our teaching and research cover all areas of Food and Nutritional Sciences, from primary production to processing and from food systems research to healthcare.

    To register, click HERE. 

    Thursday, March 25th

    Start Time: 12.30 GMT/18.00 IST

    Check your time zone: https://bit.ly/3ugq1P2

    Read more
  • UCC Food and Nutrition Work Placement Programmes

    18 Mar 2021
    UCC Food and Nutrition Work Placement Programmes

    UCC Work Placement Programmes connect employers with students with a unique blend of scientific and technical skills, designed to meet the needs of the food industry.

    If you are an employer and are interested in learning more about our six month work placement programme please email:

    Clodagh Kerr - c.kerr@ucc.ie  or visit https://www.ucc.ie/en/careers/areyouanemployer/employers/

    Read more
  • Agriculture Forestry ranked #57 Globally in the QS University Rankings 2021

    08 Mar 2021
    Agriculture Forestry ranked #57 Globally in the QS University Rankings 2021

    QS World University Rankings by Subject - Agriculture Forestry is the subject in which UCC earned the highest score (96.1) for Citations Per Paper.

    UCC has been named as one of the world’s top universities for the study of 20 subjects, according to the latest edition of the prestigious QS World University Rankings by Subject.

    A total of 13 of our 20 scored over 70 on citations, and nine scored over 70 on the H-Index.

    This year Agriculture Forestry is the subject in which UCC earned the highest score (96.1) for Citations Per Paper.

    Rankings contribute positively to our global reputation, enhancing our visibility and our ability to attract talent.

    To find out more, visit the Irish Examiner.

     

    Read more
  • Leading scientist appointed to spearhead Research and Innovation at UCC

    15 Mar 2021
    Leading scientist appointed to spearhead Research and Innovation at UCC

    Many congratulations to Professor John F. Cryan who has been appointed as Vice President for Research & Innovation at UCC.

    One of the world's leading scientists, Professor Cryan is a neuroscientist who is recognised as a global leader in the study of gut-brain interactions.

    Prof. Cryan’s ground-breaking discoveries on microbiome-brain interactions have led to fundamental changes in understandings in both the neuroscience and psychiatry fields. Through his research in the APC Microbiome Ireland SFI Research Centre at UCC, Prof. Cryan was recently listed as among the world’s top one percent of most-cited researchers, for the fifth time.
     

    Prof. Cryan has earned in excess of €23 million in research funding, published over 550 peer reviewed publications across a range of high-profile journals, and has been cited over 62,000 times throughout a distinguished career in both industry and academia. Prof. Cryan has trained more than 40 PhD students, is a member of the Royal Irish Academy, and has received an Honorary Doctorate from University of Antwerp, Belgium.
     
     
    Read more
  • UCC Work Placement Programmes

    25 Feb 2021
    UCC Work Placement Programmes
  • Discover STEM at UCC!

    03 Mar 2021
    Discover STEM at UCC!

    Do you want to shape the future? Yes?

    A UCC STEM degree will lead to some of the most exciting and rewarding careers on the planet.

    Study Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and take the first step in your journey towards an exciting future.

    Read more
  • Agents of Change - a new book co-edited by Professor Alan Kelly

    19 Feb 2021
    Agents of Change - a new book co-edited by Professor Alan Kelly

    Agents of Change - Enzymes in Milk and Dairy Products

    An edited collection of chapters on dairy enzymology, including chapters written by many staff and postgraduates of the School of Food and Nutritional Sciences.

    Published by Springer-Nature, the book, or selected chapters, can be purchased by clicking on the link below.

    https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783030554811

    The enzymology of milk and other products is of enormous significance for the production and quality of almost every dairy product. Milk itself is a complex biological fluid that contains a wide range of enzymes with diverse activities, some of which have identifiable functions while others are present as an accidental consequence of the mechanism of milk secretion. Over time milk enzymology has become an incredibly essential component of milk and other dairy product production, and with advancing technology and processing techniques, its importance is at its peak. 

     

     

    Read more
  • Join FITU and UCC Careers at the AgriTech Conference

    01 Mar 2021
    Join FITU and UCC Careers at the AgriTech Conference

    The Local Enterprise Office South Cork are holding their third annual AgriTech conference online on Wednesday 3rd March.

    AgriTech Speakers 2021

    Join key note speaker Aidan Connolly, President of AgriTech Capital and other panellists on the day - view the speaker schedule and register for free HERE.

    With numerous panels throughout the day, Food Institute Director Jim Corbett will moderate the 11.20am session - AgriTech and Export Opportunities.

    UCC Careers Service will be available to talk about work placement opportunities with employers and our Food Industry Training Unit will be on hand to chat about their part-time continuous professional development courses.

    Read more
  • FOOD INDUSTRY TRAINING UNIT UCC

    25 Feb 2021
    FOOD INDUSTRY TRAINING UNIT UCC
  • I WISH Virtual 2021

    21 Feb 2021
    I WISH Virtual 2021

    This year, the College of SEFS in one of the sponsors of I WISH 2021.

    We are delighted that I WISH will take place virtually on Thursday 4th March and are proud to support this initiative, which aims to transform the future of STEM by ensuring participation by girls.

    I Wish 2021 will run a live in-studio event with a virtual audience. Dynamic and engaging interviews, fast paced demos, and day in the life videos will be beamed live to an online audience in schools right across the country and the world!

    Letter to my 17 Year Old Self

    I WISH, recognising the important of female role models in persuading girls to study STEM, have asked women in at all stages of their STEM career, to a write a letter to their 17 year old self - exploring what they were like, what they wished they knew back then, why STEM is important to them now and who inspired them.

    Both Professor Sarah Culloty, Head of the College of Science, Engineering and Food Science and Professor Anita Maguire, Vice President for Research & Innovation UCC, have supplied a letter and video, providing sincere and valuable advice to young girls considering STEM as a career.

    To find out about this virtual event, visit I WISH

     

     

    Read more
  • THERE'S MORE TO MILK THAN MEETS THE EYE!

    20 Feb 2021
    THERE'S MORE TO MILK THAN MEETS THE EYE!

    Echo Live's KATE RYAN talks to dairy scientist, Professor Alan Kelly of UCC’s School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, as she continues the Echo's series on Milk.

    Science isn’t something to be wary of, to dissociate or view with suspicion: chemistry isn’t a four-letter word when it comes to food. Food is alive, food is biological, food is complex, food is chemical, cooking is chemistry and that’s alright!”

    Find out more about what Prof Alan Kelly has to say by clicking on the link below:

    THERE'S MORE TO MILK THAN MEETS THE EYE!

    Read more
  • Launch of our STEM Post Graduate Prospectus 2021 . 

    08 Feb 2021
    Launch of our STEM Post Graduate Prospectus 2021
. 

    To find out more about the postgraduate courses available in food and nutrition, view our 2021 Prospectus by clicking HERE.

    STEM has always been hugely important in society and will play a pivotal role in the world’s COVID-19 recovery, providing significant career opportunities for those who opt to study at postgraduate level in a STEM discipline.

    The School of Food and Nutritional Science provides a thriving, dynamic and diverse environment in which to carry out cutting-edge research. When completing a postgraduate course in STEM at UCC, you will discover an exciting environment which provides a vigorous and challenging academic atmosphere for all our students.

    With internationally renowned academics, research institutions and centres, we provide students with the opportunity to carry out postgraduate research, towards either a Masters or PhD, or to undertake a taught Postgraduate Programme. There is a wide range of research courses on offer, for further details click HERE.

    It has never been such an exciting time to study STEM. We know you will find your postgraduate education in UCC fulfilling and you will be equipped for rewarding careers in academia, commerce or industry.

     

    Read more
  • COVID Conference 2021

    10 Feb 2021
    COVID Conference 2021

    We are delighted to announce that UCC's COVID Conference 2021 will commence on Monday 22nd February. 

    With numerous rapid and innovative advancements in many areas during the pandemic, including the development of vaccines, we are going to give those at the forefront of these developments a chance to share their stories with us.

    The week-long conference is being organised by five UCC societies:  

    UCC Biomedical Science Society 

    UCC Pharmacy Society 

    UCC Science Society 

    UCC Public Health Society 

    UCC Medical Research and Technology Society 

    Registration for these talks is via a google form.

    Register here for the Conference: https://forms.gle/BYo8BYNLtFiJw6HPA

    Talks are live and questions are welcome via the chat function.

    To find out more, please email Katie O’Brien biomed@uccsocieties.ie

    _______________________________________________________________________________________

    Read more
  • Upskilling Women returning to the Workforce.

    25 Jan 2021
    Upskilling Women returning to the Workforce.

    We are delighted to announce that Rejuvenate 2021 will commence on Tuesday 16th February.

     

    Read more
  • Interested in studying or working in STEM?

    08 Jan 2021
    Interested in studying or working in STEM?

    STEM South West’s Industry & Career Expo is back for its 2nd year on Wednesday 13th January from 5pm to 9pm.

    This FREE virtual event is an industry-led initiative bringing together representatives from Ireland’s leading tech, pharma, science and engineering giants, STEM SMEs and start-ups excelling in the sector, as well as 3rd level colleges and local government bodies to stage a unique STEM exhibition.

    REGISTER HERE FOR FREE TICKETS TO STEM SOUTH WEST INDUSTRY & CAREER EXPO 2021

    STEM South West 2021 will provide a window into the world of STEM in the South West of Ireland, showcasing the types of careers that will be available in the sector in the future and highlighting achievable pathways for students to follow to fulfil their career goals.

    Over 60 leading STEM organisations in Cork and Kerry will be showcasing their work with interactive displays and activities. There will be career talks, demonstrations and many prizes to be won for students and schools including vouchers and class visits to leading STEM companies and (when access is once again permitted).

     

    Read more

DPTC and UCC

Phase 1 of this strong, long-term industry–academic collaborative partnership was completed in July 2020, Phase 2 has recently begun

The DPTC (Dairy Processing Technology Centre) has been established as a centre of excellence for dairy processing research and innovation. The Centre will help to fuel growth in the Irish dairy sector by performing research focused on cost-efficient processing, facilitating a step-change in environmental sustainability and creating, validating and commercializing a pipeline of science and technology-based manufacturing platforms for dairy ingredients. The foundation of the DPTC is a strong, long-term industry–academic collaborative partnership that will develop, build and translate the knowledge and capabilities in dairy processing that are needed today and for the long-term growth development of the sector.

The Irish dairy industry is a global leader in the production of nutritious, sustainable dairy products and ingredients, supporting over 60,000 jobs, producing enough dairy products to feed almost 40 million people across 5 continents. The value of those exports has doubled from €2bn to €4bn over the last 5 years since the abolition of EU milk production quotas.

In supporting the Irish dairy processors with this planned growth in production, the Dairy Processing Technology Centre (DPTC) was established in 2015, and is a major national, multi-institutional, interdisciplinary, Enterprise Ireland (EI)-funded Technology Centre. Being a major partner in the DPTC, the core UCC expertise base deployed and developed in the centre over the past 5 years focused on dairy chemistry, ingredient development, powder engineering, novel processing technology evaluation and application of quality-by-design approaches to dairy processing.

The Principal Investigators were Dr Seamus O’Mahony and Prof Alan Kelly from the School of Food and Nutritional Sciences and Dr Kevin Cronin and Dr Maria de Sousa Gallagher from the School of Engineering, with support from the UCC Food Institute. These UCC academic staff collectively supervised and mentored thirteen dedicated postgraduate research students, research assistants and postdoctoral researchers in Phase 1 of the centre. Working at the interface between academia and industry provided these students and researchers with a unique, value-added experience and involvement in DPTC projects has served as a very important springboard to employment for such postgraduate research students and staff.

 Indeed, the UCC-based DPTC-funded students and researchers, on completion, have secured employment not just with the DPTC industry partners (e.g., Glanbia and Kerry), but also with international food and beverage companies (e.g., Nestle, Unilever and Fairlife in Switzerland, UK and US, respectively), in addition to academic positions (e.g., Lincoln University, UK) – serving to grow our international alumni reach.

While scientifically underpinning the growth and development of the Irish dairy industry as a primary objective, involvement in DPTC, in addition to supporting development of internal and external collaborative links, has been important in supporting advancement of the strategic dairy research agenda at UCC, providing access to leveraged external funding from EI and the European Union, through the EI Capital Equipment Fund and the Marie Curie CareerFIT Postdoctoral Fellowship programme. Dr Seamus O’Mahony and Prof Alan Kelly were successful in four applications for Marie Curie CareerFIT Postdoctoral Fellowships, totalling almost €1m, enabling development of novel research projects with four DPTC industry partners.

Involvement in DPTC has provided UCC staff with an additional opportunity to connect with dairy and food science alumni across the country, and indeed globally, and with the initial 5-year Phase 1 of DPTC completed in July 2020, Phase 2 has recently begun, promising to be an exciting adventure over the next 5 years.

My Career: Marie Cronin, Chartered Accountant

Name: Marie Cronin 

Lives: Newmarket, Co.Cork 

Job title: Chartered Accountant, working in James Byrne & Co. with offices in Mallow and Blackpool and Dungarvan.

Education background: I studied Marketing at Limerick Institute of Technology but I then realised accounting was the path I wanted to take so I studied to become a Chartered Accountant and I recently qualified as a Chartered Tax Advisor. I studied at Griffith College in Cork City and they were absolutely fantastic. I couldn’t recommend them enough. My sister also completed her ACCA accountancy exams in Griffith College and found them brilliant.

Hobbies: As a mum to five boys and living on a farm, my life is pretty hectic but I love the outdoor life and spending lots of time outside on the farm and with family.

Describe your job in five words: Teamwork, progression, flexibility, learning and rewarding.

Describe yourself in five words: Mother, enthusiastic, hardworking, persistent and honest.

Personality needed for this kind of work? Although it may not seem obvious, working in an accountancy practice is a team effort so you need to work well with others. It’s also important that you’re a well organised person and you need to be good at planning. Of course, you need to be good with numbers and open to constantly learning and updating your skills.

How long are you doing this job? I joined the team at James Byrne & Co. this year but I have been working as an accountant for 16 years in total, taking a career break in between to raise our five children.

How did you get this job? Following a career break to raise my family, I knew I wanted to return and luckily, I read about UCC’s Rejuvenate Programme for female ‘returners’ which is run in conjunction with Taste 4 Success Skillnet. I was hesitant to even start as I wasn’t sure if it would be for me and to be honest, this was down to confidence and being away from the scene for a number of years. Rejuvenate was the best thing I could have ever done and it really is a fantastic programme. I couldn’t recommend it enough. I was joined by women from a variety of careers and backgrounds on the programme. When you take a career break, you do lose confidence and Rejuvenate really helps to build that confidence back up and to learn and update your skills in preparation for returning to the workforce. Many organisations do not see the opportunity that ‘Returners’ bring to the workforce. ‘Returners’ bring along so many additional skills and Rejuvenate has helped us to highlight this. While completing the Rejuvenate programme, we were encouraged by our trainers Caroline Seacy and Joanne Fearon of UCC to explore engaging with recruitment agencies and heard from some really interesting guest speakers. I wouldn’t have even considered this before and this led me to connect with Marguerite Brahim of CPL. Marguerite was absolutely amazing and was a huge support, I really can’t thank her enough. Before my first interview, Marguerite even met me that morning, offering support and advice. As mentioned, I am currently working with James Byrne & Co.which has been great, James and his daughter Fiona have been hugely supportive and very understanding. It really does make all the difference. I work in a very encouraging environment and look forward to the future ahead.

Do you need particular qualifications or experience? Yes, you need to complete your ACA qualification to become a Chartered Accountant.

Describe a day at work: My workday starts at 8.30am and first things first is to check my emails, plan for the day ahead and then prepare accounts and liaising with the team throughout the day. I’m very lucky to have flexibility so I finish at 2.30pm and then back to family life and everything that goes with that. Busy is all I know but we make it work.

How many hours do you work a week? I work 30 hours a week.

What do you wear to work? Smart casual is my go-to look.

Is your industry male or female dominated? I don’t think it’s male or female dominated, it’s a nice balance which is great.

Does this affect you in any particular way? No, it creates a nice environment having a balance between male and female.

Is your job stressful? How? Rate it on a scale of 1-10: It varies, some days can be stressful and some not. When you work with a great team, this makes all the difference. Everyone supports one another which is important.

Do you work with others or on your own? I work with others, teamwork is important in our job and everyone works together towards the finished result.

When do you plan to retire or give up working? Definitely not for a few years to come. It’s great to be back now that my children are older.

Best bits: The team spirit and working with great people.

Worst bits: Completing timesheets is my least favourite task.

Advice to those who want your job? I advise those interested to find a college that suits your needs and that works for you in order to get the most out of your qualification. As I mentioned, I found Griffith College fantastic. It’s also important to find a practice that is supportive and encouraging and learn as much as you can every day. 

Any other comments? For anyone looking to return to work after a career break, I encourage you to look into Rejuvenate and discover how it can help you on your return to the workforce. ‘Returners’ have so much to offer employers and it’s important we highlight this.

https://www.echolive.ie/businessnews/My-Career-Marie-Cronin-Chartered-Accountant-b401cee7-6fe3-4cd4-9b46-1b5eee5936eb-ds

AEDIL delivers an extensive study entitled “Mapping Skills Needs and Supply in the Dairy Sector”

Dairy is one of Ireland’s and indeed Europe’s most important food sectors, with the European Union being the world’s largest dairy producer, at over 25% of total world milk production. The development of the sector is dependent on the recruitment and development of the next generation of enthusiastic and capable dairy professionals. However, the knowledge base of skills needs and available education for the sector is evolving and is poorly understood. To remedy this, the Association of European Dairy Industry Learning (AEDIL), with UCC as an Irish collaborator, delivered an extensive study entitled “Mapping Skills Needs and Supply in the Dairy Sector”. The study was undertaken over a 3 year period, across 14 countries, and engaging 157 organisations, and looked at the education supply for the Dairy sector as well as a gap analysis.

Building on this work, UCC has engaged with the Irish dairy industry to better understand and identify the challenges facing skills and talent development for the sector. Dairy science has been a fundamental part of UCC’s research and education focus since the 1920s, and UCC continues to be a leading support for the sector, providing qualified graduates and post-graduates and also with resources such as the Food Industry Training Unit (FITU) which supports part-time training and continuous professional development activities.

Over the summer months, a team from UCC Food Institute and the School of Food & Nutritional Sciences have been engaging with companies across Ireland’s dairy sector, including indigenous and multinational businesses, to learn about their experiences and challenges with nurturing new talent and succession planning. In addition, the team has been building on feedback from our extensive Alumni community to understand career paths and choices.

A third of UCC Food Science students enter the Dairy sector on graduation, but many others are choosing career paths in the wider global Food sector, with factors such as career progression, lifelong training opportunities and sector profile affecting sectoral attraction.

The team recently presented their initial findings to the Dairy Industries Ireland HR committee, and are developing their project contributions for the next phase of the AEDIL project.

'A Better Whey of Life' with IWC 2020

This year, the 9th International Whey Conference (IWC2020) goes virtual for the first time!

The IWC is a unique forum which brings together everyone involved in whey processing, from around the world, for an interactive dialogue on the most relevant aspects of whey production, processing and applications.

The conference will provide a platform to exchange knowledge and experiences between the whey business community and scientists worldwide.

A series of three Webinars will take place on Friday 13th Nov, 20th Nov and 4th Dec.

For further information and to register, please click on IWC 2020

AEDIL delivers an extensive study entitled “Mapping Skills Needs and Supply in the Dairy Sector”.

Dairy is one of Ireland’s and indeed Europe’s most important food sectors, with the European Union being the world’s largest dairy producer, at over 25% of total world milk production. The development of the sector is dependent on the recruitment and development of the next generation of enthusiastic and capable dairy professionals. However, the knowledge base of skills needs and available education for the sector is evolving and is poorly understood. To remedy this, the Association of European Dairy Industry Learning (AEDIL), with UCC as an Irish collaborator, delivered an extensive study entitled “Mapping Skills Needs and Supply in the Dairy Sector”. The study was undertaken over a 3 year period, across 14 countries, and engaging 157 organisations, and looked at the education supply for the Dairy sector as well as a gap analysis.

Building on this work, UCC has engaged with the Irish dairy industry to better understand and identify the challenges facing skills and talent development for the sector. Dairy science has been a fundamental part of UCC’s research and education focus since the 1920s, and UCC continues to be a leading support for the sector, providing qualified graduates and post-graduates and also with resources such as the Food Industry Training Unit (FITU) which supports part-time training and continuous professional development activities.

Over the summer months, a team from UCC Food Institute and the School of Food & Nutritional Sciences have been engaging with companies across Ireland’s dairy sector, including indigenous and multinational businesses, to learn about their experiences and challenges with nurturing new talent and succession planning. In addition, the team has been building on feedback from our extensive Alumni community to understand career paths and choices.

A third of UCC Food Science students enter the Dairy sector on graduation, but many others are choosing career paths in the wider global Food sector, with factors such as career progression, lifelong training opportunities and sector profile affecting sectoral attraction.

The team recently presented their initial findings to the Dairy Industries Ireland HR committee, and are developing their project contributions for the next phase of the AEDIL project.

The Food Institute

Room 354 A-D, Food Science and Technology Building, College Road, University College Cork ,

Top