TCD Economist awarded prestigious Irish Research Council New Horizons award
Prof. Eleanor Denny, an associate professor in the Economics Department at TCD, has been awarded a large Irish Research Council grant to develop her research in the area of behavioural economics and energy consumption. The research project will investigate if consumers can be nudged towards purchasing more efficient electrical appliances through the provision of consumption cost information.
Speaking about the award Prof. Denny said “this award represents a significant investment in interdisciplinary research here in Trinity and, together with my co-PI, Prof. Declan O'Sullivan in the SFI Adapt centre, we are delighted to accept this award. This is an exciting area of research with the potential to lead to ground-breaking developments in the design of energy policy across the EU and beyond. It will also provide an excellent platform to establish Ireland as a leader in this area internationally and to attract future European funding.”
Speaking about the scheme, Minister English said that the funding announced today will 'provide opportunities for the Irish research community to maintain momentum in what is an incredibly competitive European research funding environment. This scheme taps into the incredible breadth and diversity of expertise in our institutions, and the funding will enable a set of exceptional researchers to carry forward their research and also help to establish a strong track record in interdisciplinary research.'
Professor Jane Ohlmeyer, Chair of the Irish Research Council, said that the scheme will 'nurture outstanding talent and help to promote the development of a research community that is internationally competitive into the future. The awards being announced today represent the outcome of a very rigorous, competitive process underpinned by international peer review. The potential for the awardees to go on and win further funding for Ireland through Horizon2020 is strong.'