TCD Mathematician Awarded RIA Gold Medal

Posted on: 26 November 2010

President Mary McAleese presented Professor Samson Shatashvilli of TCD’s School of Mathematics with a Royal Irish Academy (RIA) Gold Medal in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the physical and mathematical sciences.  

Professor Samson Shatashvili is a fellow of Trinity College Dublin where he is Professor of Natural Philosophy.  He is also Director of the Hamilton Mathematics Institute.  In 1990, at the age of 30, he was awarded a higher Doctorate of Science (DSc degree), traditionally awarded to those who make a substantial and significant contribution to scientific knowledge.  During his career, Professor Shatashvili has made several groundbreaking discoveries in the fields of theoretical and particle physics.

Professor Cormac Ó Gráda, President Mary McAleese and Professor Samson Shatashvili at the awards ceremony.

Established in 2005, the RIA Gold Medals aim to celebrate the achievements of higher education in Ireland and inspire future generations to strive for excellence in their field of study.  At the event Professor Cormac Ó Gráda, UCD economic historian, was also awarded an RIA Gold Medal for his contribution to the humanities.

Congratulating this year’s recipients, President McAleese said: “This year’s Gold Medals go to exemplary individuals from the Physical & Mathematical Sciences and the Humanities, one a ground-breaking theoretical physicist and the other a leading economic historian.  They are the kind of people who remind us at this torrid economic juncture, with its heartbreaking litany of bad news, that away from the depressing headlines we have exceptional people whose work is putting Ireland on the international map for all the right reasons.  Their cutting-edge, truly exciting research is part of the massive reservoir of talent which we have in our universities and institutes of technology.  Let that be a source of hope and reassurance as we start the climb up the ladder to prosperity after such a rapid slide down the snake of recession.”

The Royal Irish Academy Gold Medals acclaim Ireland’s foremost contributors to the world of learning and science.  The Gold Medals are awarded to two outstanding academics each year following a detailed international peer review assessment and are recognised as a truly national expression of celebration for scholarly achievement. The medals are sponsored by The Higher Education Authority and The Irish Independent.