Michael Murphy officially begins EUA presidency

EUA is pleased to announce that Michael Murphy of University College Cork has taken office as the Association’s president.

Professor Murphy was elected by the EUA General Assembly in Paris in April. He succeeds Professor Rolf Tarrach, who has served EUA diligently over the past decade – first in the Council, then as Board member and finally as president since 2015.

The EUA president serves a four-year term and presides over the EUA Board, which is responsible for the preparation and implementation of the Association's policy and the planning of its activities.

Among Professor Murphy’s goals for EUA are:

1. Ensuring sufficient European support for research as it impacts significantly on university funding;
2. Restoring the parity of respect for learning and teaching so that European universities graduate citizens of Europe with the adequate skills to face the challenges of tomorrow;
3. Creating deeply networked universities, encompassing institutions from all parts of Europe and harnessing excellence to enhance Europe’s influence in the world.

Before his election, Professor Murphy had been a member of the EUA Board since 2017 and still serves as Chair of the EUA Learning & Teaching Steering Committee. He has held a variety of leadership roles including President of University College Cork, Vice-Chancellor of the National University of Ireland, Chair of the Health Research Board of Ireland, Chair of the Irish Universities Association and Chair of the Permanent Working Group of European Hospital Doctors. He graduated in Medicine from University College Cork. After postgraduate training in Dublin and at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School in London, he received his doctorate from the National University of Ireland. Professor Murphy held faculty positions in Pharmacology and Medicine at The University of Chicago before returning to Cork. He is an expert in drug therapy for cardiovascular disease and has led several large international clinical trials of interventions to reduce cardiovascular mortality.

This communication was first published 1 July 2019 by EUA.