News
1.1
TU Dublin GradX
25th May 2026
The TU Dublin Faculty of Arts and Humanities are delighted to welcome you to Gradx, the Graduate Exhibition of the TU Dublin School of Art and Design, School of Media, School of Mechanical Engineering and the TU Dublin Conservatoire.
Launch night: Thursday, 28th May, 6:00pm – 10:00pm
Opens daily: Friday, 29th May – Thursday, 4th June, 10:00am – 5:00pm (closed Sunday, but the exhibition will re-open on Bank Holiday Monday, 1st June and with late opening each Thursday)
Location: East Quad, TU Dublin City Campus, Grangegorman Road Lower, D07 XFF2
See https://gradx.ie/
This is the fifth year that we host our exhibition at the East Quad, the creative and cultural hub in the heart of TU Dublin’s Grangegorman Campus, that is home to our state-of-the-art studios, workshops, and practice and performance spaces.
The exhibition is the highlight of the academic year for students and staff, and features an exciting, innovative range of work from over 200 degree students from our programmes in Fine Art, Product Design (in partnership with the School of Mechanical Engineering), Interior and Furniture Design, Visual Merchandising, Visual Communication Design, Creative Industries and Visual Culture, Film and Broadcasting, Game Design, Photography, and Journalism.
The work presented in this exhibition, print publication and on our GradX website represents the culmination of many years of full-time study, and affords our students the opportunity to showcase the results of their imaginations, hard work and significant creative skills.
1.2
TU Dublin Student Progression Working Group
23rd April 2026
Dr Con Kennedy has joined the Student Retention Progression Working Group at TU Dublin. This group will provide institutional leadership, coordination, and strategic oversight for the development, implementation, and monitoring of a holistic, evidence-informed approach to student retention across TU Dublin. The Group supports the creation of a student-centred environment that fosters academic success, engagement, well-being, and a sense of belonging, key factors that contribute to improved student progression and completion.
The purpose of this group is to:
Promote a holistic approach to student retention that considers academic, personal, financial, social, and well-being factors.
Analyse retention and progression trends and identify systemic and structural barriers to student success.
Combine admissions, retention and examination data to establish University-wide procedures for identifying and engaging with 'at-risk' students.
Develop a quantitative forecasting model for retention rates. This will help enhance student number forecasts.
Encourage collaboration among academic and support services to ensure timely, coordinated support for students.
Explore the feasibility of developing and introducing an attendance/engagement monitoring system to provide timely feedback to students and staff.
Support the use of data, student feedback, and benchmarking to inform continuous improvement.
Scope of work
Review institutional data on student enrolment, progression, withdrawal, and
engagement and student satisfaction and quality enhancement plans.Champion an inclusive approach to retention that supports diverse student groups,
including mature students, first-generation students, international students, students
with disabilities, etc.Promote early intervention strategies using learning analytics, attendance/engagement
monitoring, and academic performance indicators.Ensure appropriate integration of retention strategies within teaching and learning practices.
Advocate for co-curricular initiatives (e.g., peer mentoring, peer-assisted learning, student leadership, campus life) that promote engagement and community.
The Student Progression Working Group will report to UET, provide updates to faculty boards and the TU Dublin Academic Council, and support compliance with external reporting requirements (HEA).
1.3
Hidden Scientists/Hidden Creatives 2026
20th April 2026
Hidden Scientists/Hidden Creatives is an annual student poster exhibition that showcases the often-overlooked contributions of women in STEM and Design. Now in its third year, the project challenges prevailing narratives about innovation and knowledge by addressing the underrepresentation and historical marginalisation of women in these fields. The exhibition highlights the essential yet frequently unseen roles women have played in advancing research, discovery, and design.
Science and design are often presented through a limited set of recognised figures. Hidden Scientists/Hidden Creatives seeks to address this imbalance by uncovering and sharing the stories of women whose work and contributions have been overlooked or undervalued.
Second-year students from TU973 BA (Hons) Design: Visual Communication at TU Dublin School of Art and Design have created this poster exhibition that examines the structural and cultural factors behind the historical invisibility of women’s contributions. Through research, storytelling, and creativity, the exhibition gives voice to these important achievements.
This project promotes visibility and recognition. Although many women have made foundational contributions to science and design, their work often remains hidden. By sharing these stories, the project broadens our understanding of innovation and creativity and who contributes to them.
By highlighting these contributions, Hidden Scientists/Hidden Creatives advocates for a more inclusive and accurate account of innovation and design that recognises the diversity of people and practices shaping progress, ensuring women’s contributions are acknowledged as central rather than peripheral.
The Exhibition will run from Monday, 27th April to Friday, 1st May 2026 in the main Atrium, East Quad, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, TU Dublin Grangeorman Campus.
Project coordinators
Dr Con Kennedy - Lecturer in Visual Communication Design, TU Dublin School of Art and Design.
Dr Clare Wynne - Lecturer, School of Biological, Health and Sports Sciences, TU Dublin School of Biological, Health and Sports Sciences
Dr Steve Meaney - Head of Research Ethics and Integrity at TU Dublin
Professor Jesús María Frías Celayeta - Academic Leader, Sustainability and Health Research Hub
Dr Niamh Ann Kelly - Head of Art and Visual Culture, TU Dublin School of Art and Design.
This project is an ongoing collaboration between the TU Dublin School of Art and Design, the School of Biological, Health and Sports Sciences, the Sustainability and Research Hub, and the Research, Ethics, and Integrity Office. It is supported by the Office of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion and the Faculty of Sciences and Health.
Each year, upon the exhibition's completion, posters are permanently housed in the Green Way Hub, expanding the collection.
For previous exhibitions, see: https://www.conkennedy.com/hidden-scientists-hidden-creatives
TU Dublin News: https://www.tudublin.ie/explore/news/hidden-scientistshidden-creatives-2026-.php
1.4
Trinity College Dublin Business School MBA Students Help Develop Strategy Document for The Liberties Festival
23rd March 2026
As part of their Social Enterprise Project with The Liberties Community Project, Trinity College Dublin Business School MBA Students, led by Haley Carey and colleagues Molly O'Brien, Declan M., Kate Tomczykiewicz, Denis Antonov, and Kunwar Chadha, helped develop a strategy for The Liberties Festival- ‘Keeping Community In The Festival’.
Today, the team presented their interim findings to the Liberties Festival Cahir and Advisory board, with a detailed report document following shortly.
Partnerships like this demonstrate the value of connecting third-level education bodies and local community organisations to create meaningful impact on community initiatives, such as The Liberties Festival.
Congratulations to all involved, and thanks to Dr Clodagh O'Reilly and Sheila Cannon for supporting The Liberties Festival's growth.
1.5
Enterprise Challenge: Guest Speaker
4th March 2026
Dr Con Kennedy was a guest speaker for the final-year students on the TU981 BA (Hons) Creative Digital Media Students programme at the TU Dublin Blanchardstown campus. The students were engaged in their Enterprise Challenge module, which focuses on entrepreneurship and innovation management skills vital to future-proofing their careers. Dr Kennedy spoke about his career spanning 3 decades in the design industry and design education.
1.6
National Student Survey
18th February 2026
Dr Con Kennedy has joined the TU Dublin Working Group on the National Student Engagement Survey. This group was founded under the Academic Quality Assurance and Enhancement framework as a sub-committee of the Academic Council.
The purpose of this Working Group is to promote the National Student Survey (www.studentsurvey.ie) and maximise the response rate, so that the University receives data representative of the student body and can utilise it to enhance the student experience on taught programmes. To develop an action plan to ensure impact from the feedback provided by students on their engagement during their programmes of study.
The Working Group will:
Develop a promotion strategy for the Student Engagement Survey which utilises HEA promotional resources to encourage students to complete the survey and staff to support its completion
Consider how to distribute Student Survey Merchandise across TU Dublin campuses
Consider how best to disseminate survey responses across the university
Develop a draft action plan to address key trends and issues arising from the response
Consider how to maximise the impact of student feedback provided through this survey
The Working Group will submit a final report to the Academic Quality Assurance & Enhancement Committee, including recommendations for future survey cycles and a suggested action plan to address key trends and issues arising from the responses. The Group will complete its work during both the 2025/2026 and 2026/2027 academic terms.
1.7
Ellenfield Community College Visit
12th February 2026
Dr Con Kennedy has returned to Ellenfield Community College and has spoken with first- and second-year Junior Certificate students. As part of a visit to Ms Hayes' art class, Dr Kennedy gave a presentation on potential career opportunities in the creative sectors and study options at the TU Dublin School of Art and Design.
1.8
Design Principles and Practices; Design Tolerances 2027
26th January 2026
The Twenty-First Common Ground Research Networks International Conference on Design Principles & Practices will be hosted by TU Dublin School of Art and Design, 10-12 March 2027.
The theme of the conference is Design Tolerances, reflecting Ireland’s enduring commitment to dialogue and diversity. Design Tolerances will examine this delicate balance seen across the entire design landscape, from an idea to materiality, from systems to trust, from information to collective space through social and cultural contexts, and from the crafted to the technical or conceptual design interventions. Design Tolerances 2027 reflects Ireland’s enduring commitment to dialogue and diversity. Here, tolerance is not only a social value but a creative principle; visible in how communities balance heritage with innovation, information and language, and craft with technology.
Dr Kennedy is part of the organising committee along with Dr Aija Freimane (Chair), Ceri Almrot, Brenda Dermody, Brenda Duggan, and Benjamin Readman.
You can find out more about the conference here, and the call for papers here.
1.9
TU Dublin Learning, Teaching and Assessment Showcase 2026
23rd January 2026
Dr Con Kennedy will participate in a teaching practitioner panel discussion at the TU Dublin LTA Showcase 2026. The theme for this year’s showcase is “Teaching that Connects”. Dr Kennedy will be discussing the continued importance of retaining relational teaching through studio-based learning and the connection between student learning and emergent technologies.
1.10
Design Management Institute ADMC Reviewer
18th January 2026
Dr Con Kennedy has been appointed as a reviewer for the 2026 DMI Academic Design Management Conference (ADMC), to be held in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, from August 11-12, 2026.