Marie Sherwood has been awarded an honorary Doctorate of Science from University College Dublin.
In recognition of her groundbreaking research and exceptional contributions to Irish agriculture, environmental governance and public policy, Marie Sherwood has been awarded an honorary Doctorate of Science from University College Dublin.
Pictured are from left, Marie Sherwood; UCD President, Professor Orla Feely and Dr. John Roche. University College Dublin has conferred an honorary Doctorate of Science on Dr Marie Sherwood and Dr John Roche. Image: Chris BellewOver a career spanning four decades, she became a leading voice in agricultural and environmental science, championing the use of scientific evidence to inform public policy and commissioning new research to address critical gaps in knowledge.
A graduate of UCD, Marie earned a First Class Honours degree in Chemistry in 1956 and received the Professor Hugh Ryan Memorial Medal. She subsequently completed an MSc before beginning her career with An Foras Talúntais (now Teagasc) at Johnstown Castle in 1958.
One of a small cohort of women scientists working in a predominantly male research and policy environment, Marie went on to make pioneering contributions to agricultural science and environmental policy at a time when women faced significant legal, social and economic restrictions.
Her early research in the 1970s on white clover-Rhizobium symbiosis and biological nitrogen fixation helped lay the foundations for more sustainable grazing systems.
In the 1980s, her research expanded to examine the impact of farming systems on surface and groundwater quality. Her work contributed to growing awareness of diffuse agricultural pollution and informed the development of the first Good Agricultural Practice for the Protection of Waters regulations.
Marie subsequently became Head of the Environmental and Land Use Department at the Teagasc Research Centre at Johnstown Castle, where she led the transition towards a more environmentally focused and systems-based approach to agricultural research.
In 1992, she was appointed Deputy Director of the newly established Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Ireland. At the EPA, she provided strategic leadership for the Agency’s environmental research mandate, overseeing major research initiatives addressing nutrient losses from agriculture, waste reduction and reuse, and climate change.
Delivering her citation, Associate Professor Helen Sheridan said Marie’s leadership “was grounded in a rigorous commitment to scientific evidence, using available data to inform decision-making and actively commissioning new research to address knowledge gaps that constrained progress.”
“Marie took ‘the road less travelled’, and in doing so, she paved the way for so many others, and we are deeply grateful for this.”
UCD honoured Marie Sherwood during the centenary year of its UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science, marking both her outstanding contribution to the fields of agriculture and environmental science and her enduring connection to the University.
The honorary degree was conferred by UCD President Professor Orla Feely during a special ceremony at UCD’s O’Reilly Hall.
A graduate of UCD, Marie earned a First Class Honours degree in Chemistry in 1956 and received the Professor Hugh Ryan Memorial Medal. She subsequently completed an MSc before beginning her career with An Foras Talúntais (now Teagasc) at Johnstown Castle in 1958.
One of a small cohort of women scientists working in a predominantly male research and policy environment, Marie went on to make pioneering contributions to agricultural science and environmental policy at a time when women faced significant legal, social and economic restrictions.
Her early research in the 1970s on white clover-Rhizobium symbiosis and biological nitrogen fixation helped lay the foundations for more sustainable grazing systems.
In the 1980s, her research expanded to examine the impact of farming systems on surface and groundwater quality. Her work contributed to growing awareness of diffuse agricultural pollution and informed the development of the first Good Agricultural Practice for the Protection of Waters regulations.
Marie subsequently became Head of the Environmental and Land Use Department at the Teagasc Research Centre at Johnstown Castle, where she led the transition towards a more environmentally focused and systems-based approach to agricultural research.
In 1992, she was appointed Deputy Director of the newly established Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Ireland. At the EPA, she provided strategic leadership for the Agency’s environmental research mandate, overseeing major research initiatives addressing nutrient losses from agriculture, waste reduction and reuse, and climate change.
Delivering her citation, Associate Professor Helen Sheridan said Marie’s leadership “was grounded in a rigorous commitment to scientific evidence, using available data to inform decision-making and actively commissioning new research to address knowledge gaps that constrained progress.”
“Marie took ‘the road less travelled’, and in doing so, she paved the way for so many others, and we are deeply grateful for this.”
UCD honoured Marie Sherwood during the centenary year of its UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science, marking both her outstanding contribution to the fields of agriculture and environmental science and her enduring connection to the University.
The honorary degree was conferred by UCD President Professor Orla Feely during a special ceremony at UCD’s O’Reilly Hall.