Prof Des Fitzgerald, a vice-president of UCD and of the country's highest paid academics, is set to be appointed as the new president of University of Limerick.
The appointment sends a strong signal that UL is seeking to boost its research capacity and move up in world university rankings.
Prof Fitzgerald playing a central role in transforming UCD's research performance and helped develop a range of international partnerships, in particular in the US and China.
Announcing the appointment on Thursday, UL's chancellor Mr Justice John Murray said Prof Fitzgerald was a widely-respected scholar with an enviable international research reputation and experience in a number of highly-ranked universities.
“I know I speak for the governing authority and the broader UL community in stating how much we look forward to working with Prof Fitzgerald to build on UL’s fine foundations as we realise the institution’s vision and objectives for the future,” he said.
In a statement, Prof Fitzgerald said he was honoured to lead UL and looked forward to working with colleagues and partners to secure a strong national and international academic profile.
“UL has unique strengths, its staff, students, alumni and friends; its powerful local, national and international partnerships; its stunning campus and its excellent reputation,” he said.
“I want UL to establish and lead pioneering initiatives that will deliver real impact in a range of important areas that are critical to Ireland’s future and the future of the mid west.”
Prof Fitzgerald, a clinical academic, has earned wide-spread recognition for his research into platelets and thrombosis in coronary artery disease.
He joined UCD in 2004 after being head-hunted by the college's then president Hugh Brady from a senior leadership role in the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.
In 2009 it emerged that he was Ireland’s highest paid academic, with a salary of €409,000 per year.
However, his salary fell to just over €260,000 following cost-cutting and pressure from outside the college to reduce his salary.
