Dr Ray Griffin receives annual Award for Excellence in Research Supervision at Waterford Institute of Technology
The winner of the annual Award for Excellence in Research Supervision at Waterford Institute of Technology is Dr Ray Griffin, a Lecturer in Strategic Management in the Department of Management and Organisation in the School of Business.
The WIT Postgraduate Supervision Award seeks to recognise excellence in the supervision of postgraduate research. It provides a means for the Institute community to acknowledge the exceptional efforts that nominees and awardees from the WIT academic staff put into guiding and supporting research postgraduates in what is typically a very intensive and demanding programme of research and scholarship.
Dr Griffin’s research work spans a number of fields including economics, organisational, anthropology and ethnography and he collaborates with numerous colleagues in sociology, finance, law and psychology. Dr Griffin is a regular contributor to local and national media and is one of the co-authors of the South East Economic Monitor report series.
In selecting Dr Griffin for this award the evaluation panel members were hugely impressed by his innovative and creative approach to research supervision that is nonetheless very well thought out and structured. The panel noted that Dr Griffin demonstrates deep knowledge and appreciation of the needs of the student, particularly in the context of their development as independent researchers in their field.
Dr Brendan Jennings, WIT’s Head of Graduate Studies said: “Supervising a research postgraduate project requires a huge commitment to the research work itself, but also to the student’s development as an independent expert in their field. WIT is extremely fortunate to have a large number of incredibly dedicated research supervisors who guide and nurture early career researchers who go on to make considerable contributions to the region. This year’s awardee, Dr Ray Griffin, is a fine example of a research supervisor who goes out of his way to create an environment in which research postgraduates thrive and develop as independent scholars. The Institute is delighted to honour his ongoing contribution in this way.”
Following the announcement Dr Griffin stated: “I am very taken aback to get this award because everything I do in WIT is collaborative. Each of my PhD and DBA supervisions arose from scores of complex relationships and networks, so much so that I do not really see my imprint in much of the work. Having worked in UCC, CIT and DIT, and a number of international universities, I can say that WIT is a very special place for an academic to work. In many ways it is like a classic university, a critical insitution, a tight knit, curious learning community.”
“I come from a family of committed educationalists, my parents, both retired long before I made my way back to Tramore worked in education, as does my sister – Principal in St. Paul’s National School a stone’s throw from WIT,” he added.
