Position: DIT president

Born: Belfast

Term of office: 10 years, ending 2003

Takes most pride in: the "personal touch'" of the staff, and the "caring environment for students". "I'm very proud of the whole system, with its ladder of opportunity, allowing people to progress to different levels. I'm also very proud of the fact that our staff continually maintain really high academic standards."

Biggest headache: Lack of autonomy in decision making. The Department of Education plays a direct role in most decisions. The physical environment of most of the colleges also leaves a lot to be desired.

Education: BSc maths Queen's University, Belfast; MSc and DPhil in maths, Oxford University

Previously: maths lecturer DIT Kevin Street; head of department, briefly; appointed first president of DIT in 1993

Family: married to Ann, maths graduate, librarian

in Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies; children, Ma∅re, Ciarβn, Michael, Robert.

Post-presidency plans: "I'm still a practicing mathematician - the two PhD students who graduated in October were both my students. I still publish papers. I'm a mathematician at heart."