Date published: 1st October 2026
Interview by Technology Ireland ICT Skillnet with Patsy Finn – Centre Manager for the Research Ireland Centre for Research Training in Foundations of Data Science
As graduates from the Research Ireland Centre for Research Training (CRT) in Foundations of Data Science move into industry, academia and the public sector, we spoke with Centre Manager Patsy Finn about what the programme has achieved, how industry engagement has shaped the student experience, and the capabilities its graduates are bringing into organisations.
When the Research Ireland CRT in Foundations of Data Science was established in 2019, its ambition extended beyond developing researchers with deep technical expertise, to developing graduates who were both technically expert and had the range of transversal skills required to excel in industry.
The Centre brings together the University of Limerick, Maynooth University and University College Dublin. Across the initiative, 130 PhD students and nine MSc students have been funded, with academic leadership spanning all three institutions.
Technology Ireland ICT Skillnet is one of the funders supporting the programme, alongside Research Ireland, industry partners and the three participating higher education institutions. Five PhD cohorts and one MSc cohort have been funded through the initiative since its launch in 2019. As the CRT reaches a point where significant numbers of researchers are now graduating, we spoke with Centre Manager Patsy Finn to explore what the programme has delivered and what its experience tells us about developing advanced data science talent for industry.
Developing advanced data science talent at scale
The CRT combines advanced research training with direct industry engagement, creating pathways between doctoral research and real-world application.
Developing Researchers for Real-World Data Science Challenges
For Patsy, one of the defining characteristics of the CRT is the breadth of development built around the PhD experience.
Rather than focusing solely on an individual research project, students participate in a cohort-based training environment. They have opportunities to collaborate with industry through training and placements, work with international research teams and operate across multiple disciplines.
At the heart of our Centre vision is understanding the importance of preparing our students with a wide breadth of technical and transversal skills to equip them to translate their research into meaningful, real-world application.
That connection between advanced research and practical application has been central to the programme from the beginning.
As Patsy describes it, the aim is not simply to develop researchers with specialist technical expertise. It is also to prepare people who can take that expertise into different environments, collaborate across disciplines and apply rigorous research thinking to real-world challenges.
72 Graduates and a Growing Data Science Talent Pipeline
With the programme now at a more mature stage, its graduate outcomes provide an increasingly clear picture of where that talent is progressing. According to Patsy, the CRT currently has 72 graduates and is on target to produce over 140 in total. Of those who have already graduated, 47% are working in industry and 53% in the public sector, with some taking short-term postdoctoral roles before deciding on their longer-term career direction.
Recent appointments also demonstrate the connection between the CRT’s training model and its network of participating organisations, its so-called Enterprise Alliance.
In total, 14 CRT graduates are now working within 6 Enterprise Alliance organisations. Very recent hires include two positions in the Central Statistics Office (CSO), one in RenaissanceRe and also one in Novartis.
Patsy sees those appointments as an important endorsement of both the quality of the graduates and the relevance of the capabilities they have developed.
“They also demonstrate the strength of the relationship between the CRT and our industry partners.”
That relationship reflects something built deliberately into the programme. Industry is not simply treated as a destination researchers encounter after completing their PhDs, but as an integral co-driver of the research and development of students.
Bringing Industry Into the Research Experience
The CRT’s Enterprise Alliance gives participating organisations a direct connection with its researchers throughout the programme.
Its partners span SMEs, multinational organisations and public-sector bodies across a diverse range of industries. They include Analog Devices International, the Central Bank, Central Statistics Office, Ericsson, Grant Thornton, Hertz, Met Éireann, Microsoft, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Tata Consultancy Services, RenaissanceRe, SIG, University Hospital Limerick and Valeo.
Patsy describes the ambition behind that network as creating a pipeline of highly skilled graduates who can engage with industry and contribute to innovation in the Irish economy.
One of the most significant elements of this engagement has been the programme’s industry placements. Approximately 130 students have completed training placements with Enterprise Alliance Partners, giving them direct experience of applying their research in real-world environments.
For Patsy, the value goes beyond exposure to the workplace. The placements give researchers experience of industry challenges and practices, while helping them develop professional skills, expand their networks and explore career opportunities beyond academia.
“As a result, students were better equipped to pursue careers across industry, academia, and the wider public and private sectors.”
The relationship also provides value for participating organisations. Enterprise Alliance Partners have been able to engage directly with emerging PhD talent through 12-week industry placements. Employees of the Enterprise Alliance members can also access bespoke training opportunities and advanced masterclasses delivered by academic leaders and internationally recognised speakers across mathematics, statistics and machine learning.
What CRT Graduates Bring to Employers
The capabilities developed through doctoral research can become particularly valuable when organisations are dealing with complex questions where established answers may not exist.
From an employer perspective, Patsy highlights the ability of CRT graduates to approach data-driven challenges with confidence and rigour.
“Their doctoral training helps them develop strong analytical thinking, problem-solving and innovation skills, enabling them to generate new insights rather than simply apply existing solutions.”
Their experience of moving between academic and industry environments is another important part of that development.
Patsy points to graduates’ ability to communicate complex ideas, collaborate with multidisciplinary teams and translate advanced research into practical outcomes. As AI, data science and advanced analytics continue to evolve, she sees these capabilities as helping organisations innovate, adapt to emerging technologies and make better-informed decisions.
The value of advanced data science expertise, therefore, is not confined to knowledge of a particular technology or methodology. The research process itself develops the ability to interrogate complex problems, evaluate evidence, generate new insights and develop approaches where established solutions may not exist.
Graduate capabilities
Advanced research skills with practical application
Patsy Finn highlights the combination of research depth, analytical rigour and industry relevance that CRT graduates bring into organisations.
Analytical thinking
Approaching complex, data-driven challenges with rigour and the ability to evaluate evidence critically.
Problem-solving and innovation
Generating new insights and approaches rather than relying only on established solutions.
Multidisciplinary collaboration
Working effectively across academic, technical and industry environments.
Research into practical outcomes
Communicating complex ideas and translating advanced research into applications organisations can use.
Why Investment at PhD Level Matters
The CRT is also distinctive within the Skillnet Ireland ecosystem because of its focus on Level 10 skills development. From Patsy’s perspective, investment at PhD level is important because it develops the advanced research, innovation and leadership capabilities required to support Ireland’s rapidly evolving ICT sector.
She describes the CRT as creating a pipeline of highly skilled graduates capable of tackling complex industry challenges, driving research excellence and contributing to Ireland’s competitiveness and digital transformation.
For Technology Ireland ICT Skillnet, our support for the CRT reflects the importance of connecting advanced skills development with the evolving needs of industry. The programme provides a practical example of how collaboration between research, education and enterprise can help develop specialist talent capable of responding to increasingly complex technology challenges.
Patsy says “We would also like to thank Dave Feenan, Industry Director, and Susan Kelly, Network Director, both from Technology Ireland ICT Skillnet, who established the Enterprise Alliance and have been integral to building and strengthening the partnership. It has been a real pleasure working with them, and we greatly value their commitment, collaboration and support throughout.”
Building a Legacy Beyond the Programme
As the remaining CRT cohorts progress towards graduation, Patsy believes its longer-term impact will extend beyond the formal lifetime of the programme. When asked what she is most proud of, she points to the impact the programme has had across students, industry and the wider research ecosystem.
Through industry partnerships, collaborative research and more than 130 student placements, the CRT has developed a pipeline of highly skilled graduates while strengthening connections between academia and enterprise. The progression of graduates into roles across industry, academia and the public sector is, for Patsy, an important measure of that achievement.
The next measure will be the impact those graduates make within organisations and across the wider innovation landscape.
Its legacy will continue through the talent it has developed, the research collaborations it has enabled, and the strong industry-academic partnerships it has established.
Patsy also points towards the next stage of development for the Centre model. A call from Research Ireland for proposals under CRT2 is scheduled for December, presenting an opportunity to build on the experience of the CRT in Foundations of Data Science and further strengthen collaboration between research, skills development and industry.
For the graduates themselves, however, that next chapter is already underway.
They are now taking their advanced research expertise, collaboration networks and transversal skills into industry, academia and public-sector organisations. For the employers engaging with them, the value lies not simply in accessing people trained in today’s cutting-edge data science and AI technologies, but people equipped to investigate complex problems, adapt as technologies evolve and help develop what comes next.
Research Ireland CRT
Explore the CRT in Foundations of Data Science
Learn more about the Research Ireland Centre for Research Training in Foundations of Data Science, its research programme and its approach to connecting advanced data science talent with industry.