2 minute read
ATU President in Profile
from ATU Magazine
by ATU Sligo
Dr Orla Flynn is the first President of Atlantic TU.
She believes the new university will play a key role in the social and economic development of the west and north-west. “Part of our remit is trying to grow the population in the region and to do that we need to make it an economically attractive place to live and work,” she says.
Dr Flynn served as President of GMIT from March 2020 to March 2022 having previously served as Vice President for External Affairs in Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) for six years.
A graduate of University College, Cork in mathematical physics and computer science, she holds an MA in Management in Education from Waterford Institute of Technology and a PhD from the University of Limerick.
During her time at CIT, she was a lecturer in the Department of Mathematics and Computing, Head of School of Humanities and of the Department of Media Communications, and latterly Head of the Crawford College of Art and Design.
A proud Waterford woman she played camogie for Waterford for 10 years and won the Ashbourne Cup, the All-Ireland university camogie competition during her time at UCC. She believes strongly in the power of sport to support the development of young people.
Dr Flynn is also a keen gardener and beekeeper. She says that the life cycle and resilience of our native Irish honeybee fascinate her and keep her “grounded.”
