15 July, 2019

McKesson, Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) and the Science Foundation Ireland Centre for Research Training in Advanced Networks and Sustainable Societies (ADVANCE) form a partnership to support Women in Technology.

• Are you a female graduate in computer science or cognate discipline looking to pursue a PhD?
• Do you want to make a real contribution in the area of personalised and connected healthcare that will benefit all members of society?
• Do you want to work in partnership with McKesson a Fortune 10 company?

Huge shortages in female graduates with the necessary skills for the digital-age economy, has led to a big push from industry worldwide to attract more female students to pursue a career in this area.

Leading the charge in Ireland is McKesson, Cork, who are offering an innovative PhD scholarship in Computer Science, in partnership with the SFI Centre for Research Training in Advanced Networks and Sustainable Societies (ADVANCE) and Cork Institute of Technology (CIT). The primary objective of the Centre for Research Training (ADVANCE) is to train the next generation of doctoral graduates in the field of communications technology that is developed for human and societal benefit. Prof John Barrett, Head of Nimbus, indicated his delight in partnering with McKesson stating “that the female PhD student will have the opportunity to work on a project that combines real-time monitoring, predictive analytics and patient data at scale with the aim of making a real contribution in the area of personalised and connected healthcare that will benefit all members of society”.

The McKesson PhD Scholarship is the first of its kind in the country and is specifically designed to prepare women for leadership and senior technical roles in the industry. As well as the scholarship providing financial assistance, it also offers on-site work placement with McKesson during the programme of study. A mentorship element is also part and parcel of this attractive initiative, giving students the opportunity to learn from the many talented software developers, network analysts and cyber security specialists employed by McKesson Cork.

The supervisory team for the doctoral student will include female academic mentors Dr Donna O’Shea and Dr Susan Rea and colleague Dr Ruairi O’Reilly. Dr Donna O’Shea, Head of Department of Computer Science (acting), welcomed the announcement stating the “McKesson PhD scholarship will provide a female doctoral student with a high level of technical training where she will have a critical role in shaping solutions and software that will underpin the technology and that will influence our society for decades to come.” Dr. Susan Rea, Group Lead at the Nimbus Research Centre at CIT, believes the McKesson PhD scholarship will facilitate a network for mentorship and support that will enable the PhD candidate to achieve their goals and prepare them for a career in computer science.

For further information, please contact Dr. Donna O’Shea, Head of Dept. of Computer Science (acting) at donna.oshea@cit.ie.

Application deadline is the 31st July.