South African post will enable top IWA researcher to advance humanitarian work

Professor Neil Rowan, Director of Bioscience Research University at the Athlone Institute of Technology, has been appointed Honorary Professor at the School of Nursing and Public Health in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Professor Rowan said: “It is humbling to accept this position which will create exciting opportunities for mobility, training and research between AIT and this very progressive university with a view to improving important food security, including sustainable food production. “

Prof Rowan said the appointment would also advance collaborative research in the emerging field of bio-inspired and bio-based materials research, with a focus on adding value to indigenous South African traditional foods produced. by more than 300 regional farmers, including testing and potential development. solutions to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

Professor Rowan is the guest editor of a special issue published in the leading scientific journal Current Opinion in Environmental Science and Health, which is the first in the world to address sustainable and potentially disruptive eco-solutions in the important New Green theme. Deal.

Professor Rowan said: “This is a timely meeting as the research aligns strongly with the opinions of 20 leading experts published in this special issue on key societal challenges, including mitigation of impact of extreme weather events on food supply chains “.

Professor Rowan is Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Biomedical Sciences at NUI Galway and assesses professorial chair appointments internationally, including at the University of Malaysia, Malaysia.

He previously supervised 26 doctoral researchers in related fields of study where his research is cited by his peers in more than 5,300 scientific publications internationally.

Professor Rowan is on the editorial board of the prestigious journal Science of the Total Environment and is one of the founding directors of “Empower Eco CLG”.

Neil hails from West Lodge in Athlone and is the son of Ruth and the late Breffni Rowan.

He lives locally in Coosan with his wife Michelle and their children Chloe, Kevin and Liam.

Professor Ciaràn O’Cathàin, President of AIT, declared: “I am very happy for Professor Rowan where this prestigious appointment attests to the quality, impact and internationalization of the exploratory research carried out at the ‘AIT which will support and enable the advancement of the new technological university. Shannon: Midlands Midwest (TUS: MW), which begins October 1 of this year.

“I wish Professor Rowan and his collaborating partners at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, success in this important humanitarian research,” concluded Professor O’Cathàin.