Academy News – Irish Academy of Engineering welcomes
four new Fellows at a conferring ceremony held on 4th June
2026
News Article
The Irish Academy of Engineering(IAE) welcomed four new Fellows to membership of the
Academy at a conferring ceremony held on 4th June 2026. A short citation was read out by
Academy Honorary Secretary David Dumigan and parchments were presented by Academy
President Sean Finlay.
Present at the ceremony were the Executive team of the Academy including:
President – Sean Finlay
Special Advisor & Past President – Tom Leahy
Hon. Secretary – David Dumigan
Hon. Treasurer – Jim Browne
In attendance
Administrator – Fiona McCarron
To celebrate this joyous event the invited guests included new Fellows guests and family
members, and proposers of the new Fellows.
The aim of the Irish Academy of Engineering is to advance the wellbeing of the country by
marshalling the expertise and insights of eminent engineers to provide independent advice
to policy makers on matters involving engineering and technology.
The IAE is an all-island body concerned with issues where the members, based on their wide
and diverse experience, can make a unique contribution to economic, social and technological
development.
The list of four new fellows awarded the title Fellow of the Irish Academy of Engineering(FIAE) is:
- Martin Hogan
- Barbara Lane
- Kenneth Stanton
- Liam Prendiville
President Sean Finlay welcomed the new fellows and said “ It is a pleasure to welcome the new
Fellows to our Academy and we are in awe of their contribution to the Engineering profession”.
Special Advisor Tom Leahy circulated a presentation on our Academy to the new fellows and
how they can actively contribute to the work of the Academy.
For more information on the Academy please visit our website www.iae.ie
Biographical details of the four new Fellows
Sean Finlay, Martin Hogan, David Dumigan
Martin Hogan FIAE
Citation for Martin Hogan
Martin Hogan, with degrees including BSc (Hons), MSc, and fellowships such as FRSC, has a
diverse career starting in pharma, where he gained experience in wet chemistry, R&D, and
safety.
He became the first professional environmentalist at Élan Pharma, then moved to the waste
sector, winning awards for innovations.
He was awarded the Ericsson Award for his innovative work.
He supported NTR’s environmental and renewables business, managing technical delivery
with various teams, before transferring to the UK and returning to Ireland.
There, he contributed to growing JB Barry and Partners from €7M to €20M, led strategic
planning, and facilitated its sale to Egis, which has a projected turnover of €2.5B. There he
championed the establishment of the HR and Finance functions.
Now, as Chief Business Officer, he handles client relations, public affairs, M&A, strategy,
and governance in Ireland.
He has voluntary sports involvement, notably chairing Rowing Ireland through its best
Olympic campaign for Paris 2024, and supported charitable, educational, and environmental
initiatives, including serving on the EPA Advisory Committee from 2013-16.
Martin has supported many charities and educational organisations. He lectures at the
master’s level in DCU, and acts as an external examiner for TUS.
Sean Finlay, Barbara Lane, David Dumigan
Barbara Lane FIAE
Citation for Dr. Barbara Lane
Dr. Barbara Lane graduated from Trinity College Dublin with an Engineering degree in 1992
and earned a PhD from the University of Edinburgh in 1997, researching multi-storey steel
buildings in fire.
She has worked at Arup in London, with periods in New York and Dublin.
An expert in total fire safety, she focuses on creating fire-safe buildings through
collaboration, decision-making, tools, and legislative navigation from design to construction.
She has managed large-scale projects globally and risk portfolios. From 2017 to 2024, she
was an expert witness for the Grenfell Tower inquiry and now advises the UK on fire safety
regulation reform.
Based in Dublin, she has led teams at Arup with turnovers over £35M and 320 staff. She
held senior roles, including UKIMEA Board member (2017-2021) and Global Board Officer
(2021-2025), overseeing capability and engineering excellence.
She was on Arup’s Global Strategy Group (2021-2024) and led transformation programs. A
Fellow of Arup since 2012, she received the Royal Academy of Engineering Silver Medal in
2008 and became a Fellow in 2016, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2018.
Barbara is a strong advocate for innovation and ethics in engineering.
Sean Finlay, Kenneth Stanton, David Dumigan
Kenneth Stanton FIAE
Citation for Professor Kenneth Stanton
Professor Kenneth Stanton is a Full Professor of Materials Engineering and Executive Dean
at the University of Limerick, overseeing eight departments, the Bernal Institute, and
research centres with around 6000 students and 600 staff. From Cork, he studied Materials
Science at UL (BSc, 1995), then earned a Master’s in Physics Research from Royal Holloway,
London (1996), and a PhD in glass-ceramic biomaterials from UL in 2000.
After postdoctoral work, he joined UL as a lecturer in Materials Science and the Materials
and Surface Science Institute, focusing on bioceramic-titanium coatings.
In 2004, he moved to UCD as a College Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering, becoming
Associate Professor in 2014 and Professor in 2018. He founded Master’s programs in
Materials Science and Engineering, with dual accreditation from Engineers Ireland and the
Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining and served as Graduate School Director (2014-
2018).
As Head of the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering (IOM3) (2018–2023), he led
staff growth, launched a joint degree in China, founded Systems Engineering.
His research covers biomedical and space engineering, notably titanium additive
manufacturing for orthopaedic implants and coating technologies for ESA’s Solar Orbiter,
earning awards from Engineers Ireland and Knowledge Transfer Ireland. He holds a patent
related to this work.
Prof Stanton is a Fellow of Engineers Ireland and IOM3, Chartered Engineer in Ireland and
the UK, and received the 2023 IOM3 International Medal. He is also a Visiting Full Professor
at UCD.
Sean Finlay, Liam Prendiville, David Dumigan
Liam Prendiville FIAE
Citation for Liam Prendiville
Liam Prendiville is a chartered civil engineer and holds qualifications in project management
and highway engineering. He is a Fellow of Engineers Ireland.
Six years of experience with Local Authorities in operations and major projects provided a
foundation on how quality infrastructure improves people’s lives. His 36 years at JB Barry &
Partners, starting as a Junior Design Engineer and eventually Managing Director with 200
staff, involved developing infrastructure in water/wastewater, transportation, and building
sectors in Ireland and abroad.
Liam’s early work focused on water and wastewater scheme development, then extended
to projects in Latvia, Romania, Croatia, Bosnia, Albania, Lebanon, and Gaza.
In the late 1990s, as Ireland built a major interurban motorway network, JB Barry entered
the transportation sector through a joint venture with Halcrow, a global transport
consultancy. Roles included Client Designer, Project Manager, and Contractor’s Designer.
His national and international project experience with joint ventures was pivotal in the
formation of Halcrow Barry Limited, servicing the growing transportation market. He was
involved in many of the major motorway projects, traffic management and the LUAS
extension.
Liam has overseen the recent integration of JB Barry into the Egis Group, which has strong
public transport capabilities.
The welcome event coincided with the departure of our Academy Administrator Fiona
McCarron after 14 years of dedicated service to the Academy and President Sean Finlay
made a special presentation to Fiona on behalf of the Academy to mark the occasion.
Sean Finlay, Fiona McCarron
Karen McCarthy replaces Fiona and was welcomed by the Academy.
Karen McCarthy
Karen has extensive experience in state, third level and private sectors, having worked with
the office of Global Engagement in UCD; as EA to the CEO of Inland Fisheries and
Administrator of the EBRD project and with a market research agency in Boston. Karen has
two Masters degrees in Cognitive Science and Political Science ; a BA in Politics and a
Diploma in Business Studies , all from UCD.