Professor John O’Halloran is President at University College Cork since August 2021.
Prior to this he was the Deputy President & Registrar and led UCC’s first Academic Strategy
to reimagine the curriculum, transform assessment and nurture graduate attributes to
position UCC students for their future world of work. Having formerly served as Vice-President for Teaching & Learning, and as Vice-Head of the College of Science, Engineering & Food Science, he is an academic leader with an ambitious vision for the future of Higher Education.
Professor O’Halloran has delivered transformation through collaboration on a range of
Higher Education priorities including the advancement of research; enhancement of
learning; digital education; lifelong learning; and professional development. He is
committed to developing an inclusive culture at UCC – one where equality is upheld, and
diversity is respected. He is also dedicated to putting sustainability at centre stage in UCC,
in the community and beyond. Under his leadership UCC’s Green Campus Programme
became the first third level institution worldwide to receive the Green Campus award in
2010. Now ranked as one of the most ‘sustainable universities’ in the world, UCC has
achieved significant impacts including the development of a Sustainability Strategy,
influencing national policy and winning many international accolades.
An ornithologist, he holds the Chair in Zoology at UCC and previously held academic posts
at Colby College in the USA and at the University of Wales. He has published 250 research
papers and several book chapters aimed at developing a deeper understanding of the
ecological impacts of land-use change, climate change on a range of systems and
processes.