St. Patrick’s Day Medal Award 2027

Nominations are now being sought for the 2027 Research Ireland St. Patrick’s Day Medal Award.

Nominations must be submitted to medal@resesarchireland.ie by 5pm (Dublin local time) on Friday November 6^th, 2026.

Please direct all queries to: medal@researchireland.ie

All nomination submissions must be made on the official nomination form.

The nomination submission must include:

• Nominee details
• Nominator details
• Nominator support statement (max 2 pages)*
• Nominee CV/Resume/Biography (max two pages)**
• Optional – up to two letters of support may also be included.

The deadline for receipt of nomination submissions is Friday, November 6^th 2026. All submissions must be sent via email in .doc format to medal@researchireland.ie.

Eligible nominations from the 2027 and subsequent calls will remain valid for a period of five years, including the year of nomination.

*Nominator support statements longer than two pages will, without exception, be cut off at the end of page two.

**CVs/Resumes/Biographies longer than two pages will, without exception, be cut off at the end of page two.

The nominee* must be an Irish** academic or industry leader who, at the time of the nomination, is living and working in the USA.

Academic Medal Specific Criteria

• The nominee should be an outstanding academic researcher and recognised as one of the field-leaders in their discipline.
• The nominee should hold or have held, a full professorial position, or equivalent, at a major US research-performing organisation.
• The nominee should have contributed to academic, economic, social, cultural and/or environmental development, and/or sustainability of Ireland.

Industry Medal Specific Criteria

• The nominee should be an inspirational leader operating, or have operated in an industry sector that promotes, enables or applies research, innovation or evidence-informed practice.
• The nominee should hold or have held a senior leadership position in industry.***
• The nominee should have contributed to academic, economic, social, cultural and/or environmental development and/or sustainability of Ireland.

*Self-nominations are not accepted

** Irish citizens, persons of Irish descent, persons entitled to Irish citizenship or persons with a strong historical and enduring connection to the research ecosystem in Ireland, including, but not limited to: mentorship, supervision and collaboration with Irish researchers/companies; supporting education and public engagement, industrial development or entrepreneurship in research in Ireland; and any other demonstrable contributions to Irish society or the economy within their field of research.

*** Eligible nominees may come from a broad range of industries, including but not limited to business, professional services, media and the creative and cultural sectors.

Each eligible nomination will be reviewed by the selection committee based upon the following criteria:

1. Research Excellence– Research Excellence as demonstrated through leadership in their field of endeavour, the significance and impact of their work (including the economic, social, cultural, environmental and/or policy impact) and discipline appropriate indicators of achievement such as publications, citations, creative works, exhibitions, patents, policy contributions, invitations, commercial outputs or other recognised measures of excellence. Industry candidates should also reach the same levels of esteem both in their field of expertise and their accomplishments within the industry, professional, cultural, creative, policy or other sectors in which they operate.
2. Global Recognition– Evidence of recognition of excellence at an international level as demonstrated through achievement of international awards, honours, fellowships, invited leadership roles and membership of prestigious academies or societies, major professional achievements, or other indicators of esteem appropriate to the nominee’s discipline. Industry leadership and business success, particularly in the case of Industry candidates.
3. Engagement with Ireland– Evidence of the nominees’ commitment to the support of the research community and/or industry in Ireland and to Ireland’s wider economic development as evidenced through ongoing and meaningful collaboration, mentorship of Irish researchers/companies, national policy dialogue participation, representation of Irish research at an international level, etc.

Each nomination must meet a minimum threshold in each criterion in order to progress to the next stage of the process. The Selection Committee will evaluate the merit of all eligible nominees to help inform a final decision.

Medals will be awarded by the Taoiseach* during the official St Patrick’s Day Programme in the United States in March 2027.

Professor Lynne S. Taylor is the Retter Distinguished Professor of Pharmacy at Purdue University. As a global authority on drug formulation science, her research provides the foundation for critical solubility-enabling technologies that enable the delivery of life-saving treatments for diseases such as cancer and hepatis C infection. An Irish citizen, Prof. Taylor has championed Irish pharmaceuticals by dedicating a special 2024 issue of Molecular Pharmaceutics to pharmaceutical research from across the island of Ireland. Through her commitment to women in STEM and mentorship of emerging scientists, she has built a formidable talent pipeline, with many former group members now holding prominent positions globally.

Dr Sarah O’Keeffe began her career with Lilly in Indianapolis in 2007 and has since played a pivotal role in advancing both drug development and manufacturing capabilities, including at Lilly’s Kinsale site, twice named by the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) as Facility of the Year for Innovation, first in 2017 for continuous manufacturing and again in 2024 for its synthetic peptide manufacturing platform. She is now accountable for the $4.5 billion Lilly Medicine Foundry in Lebanon, Indiana, exemplifying how Irish scientific talent is helping shape the future of advanced biopharma innovation on the global stage.

Previous recipients