ATU academic Dr Mark Kelly appointed by HEA to advise on national policy for Education for Sustainable Development

ATU engineering lecturer Dr Mark Kelly has been seconded by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education to serve as Policy Advisor for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).

Dr Kelly, Senior Lecturer in the ATU Department of Building and Civil Engineering and Head of the ATU Galway-Mayo Centre for Sustainability, will help shape the national approach to embedding sustainability within teaching and learning curricula in Ireland’s third-level education system. He is one of four academics seconded to the HEA Forum. The others are Dr James O’Sullivan, University College Cork and Dr Sharon McGreevy and Rebecca Roper, Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT). 

In a statement, the HEA said “The appointments (secondments) lasting 18 months, will focus on advancing key areas of policy development that are central to enhancing teaching and learning practices across higher education institutions. The new policy advisors will engage closely with the higher education institutions and national bodies over the next eighteen months, consulting with key stakeholders across the sector, and supporting alignment with institutional and national objectives.”

Mark has more than 25 years of experience leading applied research in construction and demolition waste management, resource efficiency, the circular economy and education for sustainability. 

Dr Orla Flynn, President of ATU, says: “I want to congratulate Dr Kelly on his appointment to this important role in the HEA; he is a strong advocate for sustainability generally and has an excellent track record of driving initiatives in education for sustainability. We are delighted in ATU that his passion and commitment will be harnessed for the higher education sector as a whole, and we look forward to working with Dr Kelly and the HEA in this new capacity.” 

Dr Mark Kelly says: “I am delighted to be given the opportunity to support the fantastic work going on across the higher education sector in relation to Education for Sustainable Development. There is a real opportunity to build on this and position Ireland as a global leader in this space if we can move towards more holistic and transformative ways of teaching and learning that will directly engage with the ever-evolving societal challenges both locally and globally. I look forward to collaborating with both staff and students over the next 18 months to explore and imagine the possibilities that this presents.”

Professor Graham Heaslip, Head of the School of Engineering, ATU Galway-Mayo, says: Dr Kelly’s secondment to serve as policy advisor to the HEA is testament to his reputation as a leading figure in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Ireland. His expertise in sustainability, climate action, and education will be instrumental in aligning academic programs with Ireland’s commitments to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the national Climate Action Plan. In his new role Dr Kelly will shape Ireland’s educational framework, ensuring that sustainability is embedded across higher education curricula.”

For further information please contact Regina Daly, ATU Communications 
Tel: +353 (0)91 742826 Mob: +353 (0)879618355 regina.daly@atu.ie www.atu.ie/news