Women on Walls
Women on Walls was a campaign led by Accenture in partnership with the Royal Irish Academy, that aimed to make women leaders visible through a series of commissioned portraits, thereby creating a lasting cultural legacy for Ireland. The five artworks are now on permanent display at the Academy.
The five artworks were commissioned in 2015 through an open competition, and completed in 2016.
Vera Klute was the chosen artist to complete the individual portraits of the first four female Members of the Academy, who were elected in 1949, and were pioneers in their respective fields which included: mathematical physics, Irish art history, plant viruses and classical Irish literature.
The fifth artwork is a group portrait of eight female scientists, who were recipients of the European Research Council Starter Grants (2012–2015) and were chosen as representatives of a generation of outstanding contemporary young female scientists working in Ireland. Blaise Smith was the chosen artist who worked with the eight women to produce the portrait.
This pioneering Women on Walls campaign has since extended to other leading academic institutions including the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (2018) and Dublin City University (2020).
The Women on Walls initiative was supported by Accenture.
The first female Members of the Academy
Eight contemporary female scientists
Professor Sarah McCormack (Trinity College Dublin)
Professor McCormack’s research explores photovoltaic panels which convert solar energy into direct current electricity.
Professor Aoife McLysaght (Trinity College Dublin)
Professor McLysaght is one of Ireland’s leading geneticists and was on the team that analysed the initial sequence of the human genome in 2001. She was also involved in a major discovery about how genes are formed.
Dr Aoife Gowen (University College Dublin)
Dr Gowen investigates how contact with water contributes to fouling or degradation of various synthetic materials, including medical sutures, pacemakers and water filters.
Professor Lydia Lynch (Harvard Medical School moving to Trinity College Dublin)
Professor Lynch’s research has found that a type of anti-tumour immune cell protects against obesity and the metabolic syndrome that leads to diabetes.
Professor Debra Laefer (University College Dublin)
Professor Laefer’s research aims to prevent damage to buildings above tunnel excavation, by developing a 3D modelling system that can predict what buildings are most likely to sustain damage during tunnelling.
Professor Emma Teeling (University College Dublin)
Professor Teeling is a world authority on bat genetics. She studies bats for insights into human diseases such as blindness and deafness as well as aging.
Dr Maria McNamara (University College Cork)
Dr McNamara is a world expert on the fossilization of colour in animals and has conducted ground-breaking work on the evolution of feathers in dinosaurs.
Professor Caitríona Lally (Trinity College Dublin)
Professor Lally is the principal investigator on a project focusing on developing a means of early diagnosis of degenerative cardiovascular diseases. These studies are highly relevant to stroke patients and those with vascular disease.