TUS celebrates two award-winning postgraduate students in special ceremony
Tuesday, April 1st, 2025: The Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) has celebrated two award-winning post-graduate students during a special ceremony on its Athlone campus.
TUS PhD researcher Jennifer Fitzpatrick recently won the accolade of PhD Researcher of the year at the Irish Cancer Society Research Awards, while Dr Jeovan Araujo, Assistant lecturer at TUS, was crowned the winner of the prestigious ESAI Postgraduate Researcher of the Year Award 2024, having recently completed his studies.
Jennifer’s project The ‘CHildhood & adolescent cancer survivors’ physical Activity & Movement Programme’ (CHAMPs), was developed in collaboration with families and supports young people (aged 10-19 years) who have had cancer. CHAMPs is a free, personalised, 12-week physical activity programme, based entirely in the young person’s home and guided by their ability and interests for activity.
Dr. Araujo’s research “Towards Circularity for Petroleum- and Bio-Based Plastics: Tailoring Properties and End-of-Life Routes”, looks at addressing the environmental impact of plastics and how mixed petroleum and bio-based plastics degrade. It also focuses on how these plastics can be upcycled into valuable by-products like bacterial nanocellulose, which is a biomaterial with a wide range of potential uses, while also developing bioplastics with enhanced properties.
Organised by the TUS Grad School office in Athlone, an intimate ceremony celebrating the two award-winning researchers was held last Friday at the University, where President of TUS, Professor Vincent Cunnane commended both Jennifer and Jeovan on their stellar achievements.
Speaking at the event, Jennifer explained what winning the Irish Cancer Society award meant to her: “Receiving the Irish Cancer Society PhD Researcher of the Year award is such an honour. To be recognised for dedicating the last four years of my research to improving the lives of young people who have had cancer is such a privilege. I am incredibly grateful to everyone involved in this research; it wouldn’t be possible without you all.”
Dr Araujo, who graduated last year and is now working at TUS said: “I am incredibly proud of the contribution my thesis on circularity for plastics has made to the field of environmental sciences. Receiving the prestigious ESAI Postgraduate Researcher of the Year Award is a great honour and a meaningful recognition of the years of hard work I have dedicated to my PhD research. This humbling and inspiring acknowledgment marks an important milestone in my journey as an early-career researcher. It also motivates me to continue fostering sustainable collaboration that will benefit Irish communities and beyond.”
