UCC’s Dean of Doctoral Studies hosted the final of the University’s 2025 Three Minute Thesis competition, an event highlighting excellence in postgraduate research across the university.
A shortlist of eight finalists were chosen, and the event was attended by over 150 incoming PhD and Research Masters students at their orientation in the Aula Maxima on Thursday October 9th. The eight finalists presented their research in three minutes, with the winner selected by those in attendance.
Áine Gorman, a postgraduate student in the Department of Economics at Cork University Business School, was chosen as the winner of the competition. She will now represent UCC at the national Irish Universities Association (IUA) finals in November 2025. Her research explores how shifting healthcare delivery from clinical-based care to community-based services can create more inclusive, efficient, and sustainable systems of care in Ireland.
Working in collaboration with the Crann Centre, Áine applies economic evaluation methods to assess whether new models of community-based healthcare, particularly for people living with neuro-physical disabilities, deliver both effective and value for money treatment. By combining economic evidence with lived experience, Áine’s research offers a roadmap to guide public investment decisions and build a more equitable future in healthcare delivery
Commenting on the Three Minute Thesis competition, UCC’s Dean of Doctoral Studies Professor Orla Lynch said: “The three minute thesis competition is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the groundbreaking research being conducted by postgraduate students in UCC. The competition focuses on sharing sophisticated research projects with general audiences and that is at the core of our mission as a university. I would like to congratulate the winner Áine Gorman, who will now represent UCC at the national competition.”
As part of today's events, those in attendance celebrated a foundational moment of our 180-year research history: the conferring of our first PhD degrees. On Wednesday, the 16th of May 1928, UCC marked its entry into the modern era of research training by awarding doctorates to two remarkable individuals, Gerald Thomas Pyne and Peter John Drumm. Both graduated in Applied Chemistry under the pioneering supervision of Professor Joseph ‘Joss’ Reilly.
The PhD degree itself was a relatively novel import at the time. Its origins lie in 19th-century Prussian educational reforms, and it represented a significant shift from the older doctorate, which was a mark of an established mid-career scholar. Unlike its predecessor, the modern PhD was designed as a training ground for early-career researchers, culminating in a thesis containing an original contribution to knowledge.
The success of this model is perfectly embodied in UCC’s first two graduates. Dr. Peter Drumm, after his PhD, worked at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute with Richard Kuhn, contributing to Nobel Prize-winning research, before returning to UCC to become our first Professor of Biochemistry. Meanwhile, Dr. Gerald Pyne became a world-renowned authority in Dairy Chemistry, whose seminal work on milk salts remains foundational and widely cited to this day.
We thank Professor Paul McSweeney, Vice President Learning and Teaching, for displaying the certificate at this event.
“Pyne retired from UCC in 1969 and his heavy antique oak desk, together with his archaeological sample of bog butter and other memorabilia passed to his successor as Professor of Dairy/Food Chemistry, Pat Fox. When, in turn, Pat retired, Pyne’s desk came to me. While clearing it out, I came across Gerry Pyne’s degree parchments, including his PhD which I have now framed in my office”, added Professor McSweeney.
Professor John F. Cryan, UCC Vice President for Research and Innovation said: “It is profoundly fitting that as part of our 180th Anniversary we celebrate this history with the certificate of Professor Pyne displayed at the induction of our new cohort of postgraduate students. It creates a powerful and tangible connection between the pioneering scholars of our past and the vibrant research community of our present.”
A special thank you to Professor Orla Lynch, Professor McSweeney and all staff and students that organised and took part in this event.