Chartered Engineer of the Year

The Professional Title of Chartered Engineer, considered to be the gold standard of our profession, was established in Ireland over 50 years ago. Chartered Engineers are leaders in their industry. They are ethical practitioners who maintain the highest level of competence and professional integrity. They develop new technology and use innovative methods to solve complex problems.

Within the Republic of Ireland, Engineers Ireland is the sole authority to award the title, which is granted to professional engineers who, through a rigorous review process, have shown their ability to apply their professional competencies in the workplace.

The Chartered Engineer title attained through Engineers Ireland is an accolade associated with the very best of the engineering profession. It is an important and valuable milestone in the career of any engineer.

Róisín Buckley, Chartered Engineer of the Year 2024

Róisín Buckley, Senior Lecturer at Glasgow University where she undertakes leading geotechnical engineering research to support the energy transition.

Pictured l - r: Shirley McDonald, Membership Director, Engineers Ireland; Damien Owens, Director General, Engineers Ireland; Donal McDaid, Director of Transport and Resources, Arup; Róisín Buckley, Chartered Engineer of the Year; Laura Burke, President of Engineers Ireland

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Shortlist

Read more about Róisín and the three other Chartered Engineers who were shortlisted for the prestigious Chartered Engineer of the Year Award 2024, supported by Arup, below.

Róisín Buckley
Darragh Beirne
Aaron Smyth
Gráinne Egan

Róisín Buckley, Senior Lecturer, Glasgow University

Roisin Buckley

Róisín Buckley is currently a Senior Lecturer at Glasgow University where she undertakes leading geotechnical engineering research to support the energy transition.

Having spent six years as an engineer in Ireland and Australia, she is passionate about bridging the gap between academia and practice. She is currently the Principal Investigator of a major government and industry-funded project that aims to optimise offshore wind-turbine foundation design.

Her recent contributions, as part of joint industry projects, have led to practical new design approaches that are being applied at several multi-€bn developments. Roisin regularly gives advice to contractors, consultants and developers on major projects. She teaches courses up to Masters Level and currently mentors 6 PhD candidates.

Róisín is an Associate Editor of Géotechnique and a Visiting Fellow in Engineering at Oxford, where she was a lecturer until 2021. Roisin graduated with a BEng from NUIG, and an MSc and PhD from Imperial College.

Project title: SOURCE: Improved insitu Stiffness measurements for Offshore foundation design considering Uncertainty, Repeatability and Common sources of Error

Darragh Beirne, Associate (Rail), ARUP

Darragh Beirnes

With over 15 years of experience in the railway industry, Darragh has built a distinguished career in delivering large-scale infrastructure projects. Starting in 2007 with TII (formerly RPA), he later moved to the UK in 2012 to work with Network Rail, before joining Arup in 2014 and returning to Ireland two years later.

Darragh is recognised for his ability to lead cross-functional teams and consistently deliver projects on time and within budget, with a strong focus on safety and regulatory compliance. His innovative approach integrates advanced technologies and sustainable practices, enhancing operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness. A standout project is the value engineering and design development of the Tottenham Hale tunnel portal for Crossrail 2.

Passionate about the future of railway engineering, Darragh champions energy-efficient solutions and actively mentors emerging engineers. His dedication to excellence, innovation, and positive industry change underscores his commitment to making a lasting impact on the engineering community.

Project title: Applying the Philosophy of ‘Total Architecture’ on Crossrail 2

Aaron Smyth, Senior Engineer, AECOM

aaron smyth

Aaron is a Senior Engineer at AECOM, with 9 years’ experience in the design, supervision, and overall management of infrastructure projects. With a particular focus on highways and active travel schemes, Aaron has consistently demonstrated his skill in delivering high-quality, innovative and sustainable schemes from conception to completion, ensuring they meet both client expectations and regulatory standards.

Passionate about sustainability, Aaron is committed to providing engineering solutions that contribute to achieving the target of net-zero emissions by 2050 while supporting compact growth. This passion has enabled Aaron to upskill from solely delivering highway infrastructure to researching and developing active travel as part of the wider multimodal transport solutions.

Aaron holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Ulster University. Since graduating, Aaron has returned to deliver talks on how AECOM is promoting sustainable infrastructure. He has also volunteered time to promote engineering in schools through the Engineers Ireland STEPS Programme, further showcasing his commitment to advancing the industry.

Project title: Tackling net-zero through sustainable transport solutions

Gráinne Egan, Senior Project Manager, AtkinsRéalis

Grainne Egan

Gráinne Egan is currently working as a Senior Project Manager with AtkinsRéalis in Belfast. An avid sportswoman, Gráinne thinks dynamically and has honed her technical knowledge though years of planning and project management with John Paul Construction.

Starting on site, she quickly progressed to Senior Planner and Project Manager, delivering the Hyatt Centric Hotel in Dublin 8. As a Senior Planner she worked on the National Gallery of Ireland and the Merrion Hotel and became synonymous with complex city centre projects. Gráinne has significant expertise in sustainability, developing and introducing new policies and has worked with TransLink’s PMO to transform their planning practices.

Gráinne is passionate about the development of the role of the planner who she believes, in conjunction with the latest digital tools can serve to create efficiencies and deliver projects to schedule. She holds a BSc in Civil Engineering and a MS in Process Systems Engineering.

Project title: The National Gallery of Ireland: Respecting the past and underpinning the future

Sponsor

The Chartered Engineer of the Year Award is kindly supported by Arup. We would like to thank Arup for their support and commitment to recognising and celebrating our Chartered Engineers.

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