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The Global Undergraduate Summit 2019 took place in Dublin in November 2019 at the historic Blackhall Place.

Guest Speakers

Christian Kromme

Christian Kromme is a futurist, entrepreneur and author of the bestseller book Humanification. He is interested in the impact of the latest innovations, and how they enable organisations to adapt, innovate, and disrupt using these exponential technologies. Christian challenges organisations to think like a surfer, so they know how to surf the next great wave of technological change, and achieve success. Beside writing and speaking Christian holds a position as a board member at the Workforce Institute EMEA and The Human Genome Foundation.

Dr. Jessica Grahn


Dr. Jessica Grahn (Western University) studies how music affects our brain and behaviour, specializing in the study of rhythm. Her major focus has been understanding why we move to music, and her work has shown that the brain areas that control movement respond when we listen to musical rhythm, even if we are sitting still. By studying the neural mechanisms of how we ‘feel the beat’, her work can be applied to optimize our understanding of how patients with neurological movement disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, may benefit from musical interventions.

Jim Barry

Jim Barry is the Chief Investment Officer of BlackRock’s Renewable Power Group and CoHead of Global Infrastructure Debt. Prior to this role, he was Chief Executive of NTR plc from 2000, having previously served as Assistant Chief Executive and General Manager of Development. Jim has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from University College Cork and a Masters in Business Administration from the Harvard Business School. Jim is on the Council of Patrons of Special Olympics Ireland and is a board member of The Ireland Funds. He also sits on a number of Advisory Boards related to activities in University College Cork and Harvard Business School.

Áine Maria Mizzoni

Áine Maria Mizzoni is a highly experienced Business Leader, Non-Executive Director, Practitioner and Leadership Coach. She has co-founded a number of technology startups and thrives on innovation, growth and transformation. As part of her work with SoCapSo, she helps deliver best practice interventions to organisations to help the individual, the team and the organisation flourish and ‘navigate rapid change’. Áine Maria is inspired by co-creating cultures, leadership development programs, tools, content, processes, and technologies, that embody feminine intelligence and feminine wisdom in service to humanity.

Fionnuala Herder-Wynne

Fionnuala Herder-Wynne is a strategic partner of both Oxford Leadership and S-Ray diagnostics and partner of the RedZebra Group. She has three decades of experience as Senior Leader, Coach and Catalyst building high performance teams and cultures of innovation within organisations. She has extensive experience in the design, development and delivery of change interventions that have impact at the individual, team and organisational level.

Barry Sheehan

Barry Sheehan is Head of Design and Assistant Head of the Dublin School of Creative Arts at Technological University Dublin. An architect by profession, he has been involved in the design of numerous projects from architecture and interior design through to graphics, multimedia and product design. He is a regular commentator on design-matters in the national media. Barry previously served as the Chair Judge of the Architecture and Design category and is a member of the Academic Advisory Board of The Global Undergraduate Awards.

Dr. Astrid Sasse

Dr. Astrid Sasse is the Chair Judge of the Chemical & Pharmaceutical Sciences category and has been involved with UA for a number of years. As an Associate Professor in Pharmaceutical Chemistry, in the School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences at Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, Astrid focuses on the development of small ligands for G-Protein coupled receptors, the identification of new receptor subtypes, and the genetic linkage of those receptors to psychiatric disorders. Astrid has also a special interest in the traditional use of medicines as well as health promotion.

Dr. Rossana Henriques

Dr. Rossana Henriques is the Chair Judge of the Earth & Environmental Sciences category. As a Plant Molecular Biologist she interested in understanding how the circadian clock regulates growth. She did her PhD between the University of Lisbon, Portugal and the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, Germany. Since 2018 Dr. Henriques is the Paddy O’Keeffe Senior Lecturer in Plant Genetics at the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences at University College Cork in Cork, Ireland.