In 2008, a forgotten corner of Trinity College Dublin was transformed into a living experiment called Science Gallery Dublin. Through a cutting-edge programme that ignites creativity and discovery where science and art collide, Science Gallery Dublin encourages young people to learn through their interests.
Since its opening, more than three million visitors to the nonprofit gallery have experienced 43 unique exhibitions, ranging from design and violence to light and love, and from contagion and biomimicry to the futures of the human species and play. Science Gallery Dublin develops an ever-changing programme of exhibitions and events fuelled by the expertise of scientists, researchers, students, artists, designers, inventors, creative thinkers and entrepreneurs. The focus is on providing programmes and experiences that allow visitors to participate and facilitate social connections, always providing an element of surprise.
Science Gallery Dublin is part of the Global Science Gallery Network pioneered by Trinity College Dublin. See more about the Network here.
Science Gallery is an initiative of Trinity College Dublin and is kindly supported by the Wellcome Trust as founding partner, and by ‘Science Circle’ members – Accenture, ICON and the NTR Foundation. Science Gallery Dublin receives support from programme partners Intel Ireland, FSAI, The Marker Hotel and Walls to Workstations. It also receives government support from the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and Science Foundation Ireland. Science Gallery Dublin’s media partner is The Irish Times.
Professor Chris Morash became the inaugural Seamus Heaney Professor of Irish Writing at Trinity College Dublin on January 1, 2014. Born in Nova Scotia, his first degree is from Dalhousie University, after which he moved to Ireland to join the first cohort of students in the M.Phil. in Anglo-Irish Literature (as it was called at the time) in Trinity in 1985; his Ph.D on Irish Famine Literature is also from Trinity, carried out under the supervision of Professor Terence Brown. Prior to his appointment to Trinity, Chris Morash worked in Maynooth University, where he had been Professor of English since 2007, and founded the Centre for Media Studies in 2003. He was the first chair of the Compliance Committee of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (2009-2014), and has been an active member of the Royal Irish Academy since 2007.
Conor joined Google in 2015 and currently leads the Scaled Engagement and Learning (SEAL) team, which focuses on engaging, informing, and educating all parties in the Advertising ecosystem, in order to drive customer success with Google advertising products.
Conor trained as an electronic engineer and designed microchips for mobile applications for four years with Nasdaq-listed semiconductor intellectual property company ParthusCeva, Inc. Conor’s team delivered the world’s first commercially licensed Bluetooth IP, selling to clients such as Panasonic, Sharp, Hitachi, and Fujitsu. After obtaining his MBA he transitioned into management consulting, spending 10 years with McKinsey & Company — the last four as Managing Partner of McKinsey’s Irish practice. Conor’s work with McKinsey focused on Telecoms, High Tech and Media clients across EMEA and he was Global co-Lead of the Customer Experience Practice, writing a number of articles on the subject for the McKinsey Quarterly and HBR.
Conor is married with three young children and lives in Dublin, Ireland. In his spare time he works with a number of local NGOs. On the weekend, Conor coaches his kid’s GAA academy and hopes they can reach the heights he didn’t.
Conor graduated from University College Dublin with a BEng in 1999, and obtained his MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management in 2005.
David Puttnam is the chair of Atticus Education, an online education company based in Ireland. Atticus, through a unique arrangement with BT Ireland, delivers interactive seminars on film and a variety of other subjects to educational institutions around the world.
David is Ireland’s Digital Champion; President of the Film Distributors’ Association; Chair of the TSL Advisory Board; Chair of the Academic Board, Pearson College; a UNICEF Ambassador; and Adjunct Professor of Film Studies and Digital Humanities at University College Cork. In 2016, he was appointed as International Ambassador for WWF. David spent thirty years as an independent producer of award-winning films including The Mission, The Killing Fields, and Chariots of Fire. His films have won ten Oscars, 25 British Academy of Film & Television Arts (BAFTA) awards and the Palme D’Or at Cannes. He was awarded a BAFTA Fellowship in 2006.
Other work he has been involved in includes: Chancellor of the Open University (2006-2013); Deputy Chairman, Channel 4 Television (2006-2012): Deputy Chairman, The Sage Gateshead (2007- 2012); President, UNICEF UK (2002-2009); Founder and Chair of the National Teaching Awards (1998-2008); Chair, Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Draft Climate Change Bill (2007); Chancellor of The University of Sunderland (1996-2006); Vice President and Chair of Trustees, BAFTA (1994-2004); founding Chair of the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA), (1996-2003); Chair, National Museum of Photography, Film and Television (1994-2003); Inaugural Chair, General Teaching Council, (2000-2002); Chair, Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Draft Communications Bill (2002); and Chair, National Film and Television School (1987-1996).
He has been Chair of two Hansard Society Commission Reports and has served as a non-executive director on a number of public companies. He has served as a trustee of the Tate Gallery, the Science Museum, the Thomson Foundation and a great number of other organisations.
David has been awarded a CBE (1982) and a knighthood (1995); he was appointed to the House of Lords (1997) and as the UK Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia (2012). In France, he was made a Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters (1985), then becoming an Officer (1992), and a Commander (2006). He has been the recipient of more than forty honorary degrees from universities in the UK and overseas.
Linda Doyle is the Director of CONNECT and Professor of Engineering and The Arts in Trinity College, University of Dublin. CONNECT is a national research centre focused on future networks and communications and is co-funded by SFI and industry. CONNECT is headquartered in Trinity College Dublin and is spread over ten different academic institutions in Ireland. Her expertise is in the fields of wireless communications, IoT, cognitive radio, reconfigurable networks, spectrum management and creative arts practices. She has raised over 70 million in research funding in the past decade and has published widely in her field. Linda has a reputation as an advocate for change in spectrum management practices and has played a role in spectrum policy at the national and international level. Currently she is a member of the National Broadband Steering Committee in Ireland, and is a member of the Ofcom Spectrum Advisory Board in the UK. She is on the advisory board of Wireless@KTH in Sweden and is a Fellow of Trinity College Dublin. She is on the Board of the Festival of Curiosity - a STEM outreach activity for children based on a city-centre yearly science festival. She is a judge in the BT Young Scientist. She is the Chair of the Douglas Hyde Gallery and on the board of Pallas Studios. Linda Doyle is a Director of Xcelerit and SRS.
Linda Hogan is an ethicist with extensive experience in research and teaching in pluralist and multi-religious contexts. Her primary research interests lie in the fields of inter-cultural and inter-religious ethics, social and political ethics, human rights and gender. In addition to her academic expertise, Professor Linda Hogan has expert knowledge of institutional management and governance, having spent 5 years as the Vice-Provost/Chief Academic Officer and Deputy President at Trinity College Dublin. In that role she had overall responsibility for education and research at the university and was an ex officio member of the university's Senior Management Team. She coordinated strategic planning, and had responsibility for the direction and quality of research, undergraduate and postgraduate education and the student experience.
Niall Ó Donnchú is the Assistant Secretary-General of the Department of Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht. He is a graduate of Queens University, Belfast and the London School of Economics. Prior to this, he was head of ecommerce and broadband policy at the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources and head of alternative energy policy at the Department of Energy. He is a board member of the National Concert Hall, Culture Ireland and Energy Action Ltd.
Rachael Naughton is the manager of the Naughton Scholarships, a programme established in 2008 to promote the study of engineering, science and technology at third level in Ireland. She is also on the board overseeing the Naughton Graduate Student Exchange Program in Science and Engineering which enables students to experience international education at one of Ireland’s leading universities or at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana. Rachael qualified as a Solicitor with the Law Society of Ireland and spent a number of years practising as a financial services lawyer. She holds a degree in History from Trinity College Dublin and a diploma in legal studies from the Dublin Institute of Technology.
Rachel is an art and architectural historian with a particular interest in medieval Ireland. Her research has developed
from doctoral studies in Romanesque architecture and sculpture to focus on
the later medieval period, in particular
the social context of medieval art and architecture. She is also interested in the extended biographies of medieval buildings — how the architecture of the Middle
Ages came to be perceived and managed after the mid-sixteenth century. She was editor and principal author of the rst volume of the Royal Irish Academy Art and Architecture of Ireland series, published by Yale University Press in November, 2014. She is currently Principal Investigator
on the IRC-funded Monastic Ireland, Landscape and Settlement Project and academic partner on the Bank of America Merrill Lynch-TCD Gospel Books Project.
Shay Garvey is chair of Science Gallery Dublin. He is a founding partner of Frontline Ventures and one of the most active and experienced early-stage technology investors in Europe. Shay has invested in over 30 early-stage European tech companies; notable exits include Toucan Technologies (acquired by PMC Sierra, NASDAQ: PMCS), Exceptis Technologies (acquired by Trintech, NASDAQ: TTPA), DRM Data Management (acquired by P&O UK, LSE: PO), Improveline (acquired by Homeserve UK, LSE: HSV) and, most recently, Logentries (acquired by Rapid7, NASDAQ: RPD). Shay currently sits on the board of Qstream, Roomex, Linked Finance, and AQMetrics. Shay has engineering degrees from University College Dublin (BSc) and University of New Brunswick Canada (M Eng). He also has an MBA from the Harvard Business School.
Shay has had a wide and varied career, covering corporates (Exxon, Corning, McKinsey), startups (Glentara Foods, Irish Seafood Producers Group), and venture capital (Delta Partners). Throughout his career in venture, he has been part of teams that have raised eight funds, totalling a combined $500 million through three different economic cycles.
Shay has long been interested in the convergence of startup culture and society, as well the internationalisation of companies and ideas. In addition to his board membership at Science Gallery, he is also chair at Genio, an Irish non-profit that manages the Social Reform Fund in Ireland. When not investing, Shay likes to walk the hills of Wicklow. He also likes reading English literature and has an interest in all things Latin.
Tom Molloy leads Trinity College Dublin’s Public Affairs and Communications unit, which is responsible for ensuring good relations between the university and outside organisations such as government and the media. He is a former group business editor of Independent Newspapers and a former editor of the Kilkenny People and at Bloomberg News. He trained as a journalist in Hamburg and worked as a reporter in Washington, London and Dublin. He studied History in Trinity College Dublin and International Relations in Cambridge.
Vinny Cahill is a Fellow of Trinity College Dublin and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Mathematics and Science where he has responsibility for the provision of academic and strategic leadership within the Faculty. Vinny is also a Principal Investigator for Science Foundation Ireland and previously served as Dean of Research for the University, Head of the School of Computer Science, Director of Postgraduate Teaching and Learning for Computer Science and Statistics and Head of the Distributed Systems Group. His research addresses many aspects of distributed systems, in particular middleware and programming models for mobile, ubiquitous and autonomic computing with application to optimisation of urban resource usage and service delivery.
Drawing together a group of exceptional people from a range of backgrounds – science, technology, the arts, media, education and business – the Leonardo group acts as a ‘brain trust’ of Science Gallery. This is where themes for the new exhibitions are inspired and where collaborations are sparked. Brainstorms often lead to Leonardos contributing to programmes in their area of interest and providing the connections to make it happen.
The Young Leos are the youth branch of Science Gallery Dublin's advisory board. Hailing from across Ireland, they act as youth ambassadors and advisors to the gallery, programming their own events and and helping to inform Science Gallery Dublin’s approach to several aspects of our activity, including social media, marketing, exhibition themes, and broader education initiatives.
Science Gallery Dublin’s mission to ignite creativity where art and science collide would not be possible without the generous support of individual donors and corporate partners. We rely on you to keep Science Gallery Dublin’s exhibits, events and education programmes free and open to everyone – thanks for your donations!
Every donation you give us goes towards developing exhibits, events and education programmes providing free science, tech and design workshops for some really deserving students all over Ireland. Thanks for your help! Email info@dublin.sciencegallery.com for more details or read on below for more information on how you can support Science Gallery Dublin.
The Science Circle is a group of leading global companies in the innovation space that invest and partner with Science Gallery Dublin over a period of three to five years. We have an extensive sponsorship package, which we individually tailor for each member. Members benefit through a bespoke package of engagement with Science Gallery Dublin, with the core benefits designed to maximize your return on investment by focusing in on impact, employee opportunities and brand alignment/PR.
Science Gallery Dublin is supported by our government supporters, the Department of Culture, Heritage, and the Gaeltacht, and Science Foundation Ireland.
With the kind support of education partners, Science Gallery Dublin produces educational programmes that are focused on the future — giving young adults and educators the experience and skills needed to meet and master the challenges of the 21st century. Since 2008, over 30,000 students have taken part in our educational programmes. Science Gallery Dublin has a substantial track record in delivering unique educational initiatives and is internationally recognised as a pioneer in the STEAM (STEM + Arts) educational sphere.
Through a programme of exhibition themes that combine science, art and design, we aim to inspire the next generation of learners to pursue new or previously unseen paths in a future that is constantly shifting. Engaging and involving new exhibition partners is a key factor that helps Science Gallery Dublin deliver compelling experiences and ensures the gallery remains a free-entry space.
Science Gallery Dublin’s events programme connects us with our target audience, sparking conversation and discussion and providing new opportunities to learn and make both in the gallery and at large-scale annual events like Dublin Maker, Electric Picnic and Body & Soul Festival. Every year, thousands of people dance, debate and engage with both art and science at our late-night events in the gallery, and at workshops, talks and courses held in the gallery and around the country.
Media partnerships help spread the word of Science Gallery Dublin, connecting us with our target market and ensuring that 15- to 25-year-olds have access to free events, tours, workshops and educational opportunities both within the gallery and at offsite pop-ups.
Since Science Gallery at Trinity Dublin opened in 2008, we have curated over 42 exhibitions and welcomed more than three million visitors through our doors. At the heart of everything we do is the idea that the most compelling experiences and valuable conversations happen at the meeting of art, science, design and technology.
But we can't do it alone.
We would like to sincerely thank all our supporters for 2018 at Science Gallery Dublin. You can see their names below and on the supporter's wall in the gallery itself. Thank you!
Internationally recognised as a leading cultural venue, Science Gallery at Trinity College Dublin presents contemporary art and science exhibitions alongside a cutting-edge programme of events including talks, workshops, music performances, food presentations and film screenings. With three exhibition openings a year, the themes explored change regularly and vary widely from light to love and the end of the world to fakery. Admission to our exhibitions is always free, though if you are visiting with a group, it is important to contact us in advance — please email tours@dublin.sciencegallery.com to discuss the best options for your group.
We're at the Pearse Street entrance of Trinity College Dublin, opposite The Academy Building, and around the corner from Westland Row and Pearse Street station.
44, 61 to Pearse St Station or 1, 44, 47, 56a, 61, 77A to Sandwith St. dublinbus.ie
DART and suburban train services stop at Pearse Street Station. irishrail.ie
The nearest 24hr car park is in Fleet Street, Temple Bar. parkrite.ie
The closest Dublin Bike station is right outside on Pearse Street dublinbikes.ie
Science Gallery Dublin is accessible to visitors who have mobility requirements. Its entrance is on the ground floor and there a lift to the first floor galleries. It also has a wheelchair accessible toilet on the ground floor. Please note that our exhibition layouts and content change with each new show, and while every consideration is made for access, we can't guarantee that all attendees can be facilitated at every exhibit.
Our staff are trained in guiding visually impaired and blind patrons through the content of our exhibitions. Please let them know if you need additional assistance.
If you are a visitor who is attending an event at Science Gallery and if you require ISL interpretation, please contact info@dublin.sciencegallery.com. Please note that we may need some notice to secure this and will make every effort to do so.
Our staff have also been trained by AsIAm.ie in guiding visitors with autism through the content of our exhibitions. Please let them know if you need additional assistance.
To view a virtual tour of the (empty) gallery space, please click here.
If you are with a group that has access needs, please contact tours@dublin.sciencegallery.com to discuss how we might best facilitate your visit.
Designist at Science Gallery Dublin
Remarkable gists and bright ideas with a science twist
Shop online at https://shop.designist.ie/collections/science-gallery-collection
Contact sciencegalleryshop@designist.ie
The Science Gallery Café is the perfect place to end your visit — or begin your day. The menu emphasises seasonal and local produce, including coffee from Dublin City’s first micro coffee roastery, Cloud Picker. Click here to view a sample of the current menu or visit the café on Instagram and Twitter to see the latest breakfast, brunch and lunch bites being served up.
Contact cafe@dublin.sciencegallery.ie
Please note that for groups of people, it is important to contact us in advance. To book a tour (including school tours), please email tours@dublin.sciencegallery.com to discuss the best options for your group.
If you've ever visited a Science Gallery exhibition, then you'll probably have met one or more of our Mediators – a crack team with a passion for talking about science and the arts, who love nothing more than to chat nerdy to you.
The team is diverse in their academic, professional and life experience – undergraduates and postgraduates, from astrophysics to zoology, and acting to zorbing. Many are undergraduate and postgraduate students who work at Science Gallery part time during their studies.
Our mediators join us with enthusiasm. They are intrigued by communicating these ideas to the public and we train them to do so. We often take on people who are just starting out with working with the public and who want to build their confidence in doing so. We offer part-time shifts that are flexible around college schedules.
Some say they were born Mediators – others enquire by emailing education@dublin.sciencegallery.com for more information.
The diverse range of educational programmes on offer at Science Gallery Dublin provide young people with the opportunity to pursue creative ideas that interrogate and explore the boundaries of art and science.
Science Gallery Dublin’s work is primarily aimed at young adults aged 15–25, people at key stages of their life regarding school subject choices, college courses and decisions relating to future careers. Our education programmes aim to ignite a passion for science, technology and innovation, highlighting the rich network of interconnections between science, the arts, culture, design, business and innovation.
OPEN MIND Studio: Transition Year Programme at Science Gallery Dublin
OPEN MIND Studio is a week-long programme for transition year students to learn, play and explore through experiential workshops, talks and activities with a focus on the intersection between art, science, technology and design. Science Gallery Dublin is now accepting applications for OPEN MIND Studio 2019/2020 - any student who will be in Transition Year in 2019/2020 can apply by completing THIS form. The closing date for applications for Term 1 is September 10th 2019, and the closing date for applications for Term 2 is December 13th 2019. There will be six OPEN MIND Studio weeks in each term.
Please note due to the high volume of applications, Science Gallery Dublin will not be able to respond to every applicant individually - we will be in touch via email if you have been successful in obtaining a place.
From March 19-22nd 2019, the visiting students' experience was focused on the environmental impact of plastics and their role in our lives. We worked with the students to analyze and understand the world around us with a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach, fostering creativity and critical thinking.
Highlights from the week include:
A tour of our new exhibition OPEN LABS, which brings people together to experiment and discover emerging technologies, political activism and DIY culture.
A workshop with artist & scientist Conor Courtney, who worked with the students to make their own biodegradable polymers in the Gallery
A workshop with researchers from the AMBER materials science research centre focusing on the life cycle of various types of plastics.
An artist talk from Mary Conroy whose practice investigates humans’ connection with nature through socially engaged practice, including participation and intervention. Conroy is particularly interested in the use of found materials like plastic in contemporary art practice.
Student presentations of products, services and campaigns they have researched and designed in order to tackle issues around plastics and the environment.
To sign up for updates on Science Gallery Dublin's programme of educational events for teachers and students, email education@dublin.sciencegallery.com.
Science Gallery Dublin issues open calls when developing exhibitions, inviting artists, scientists, engineers and technologists from all over the world — and anyone else with an interest — to submit ideas. This makes each exhibition a unique, multidisciplinary and diverse collection of concepts and creations.
Click here to see our latest open calls.
Your ability to hear is due to the way your brain collects and processes the movement of molecules in the air. Vibrations are turned into chemical signals in the brain. This collaboration between an artist and a scientist has created a playful exploration of the world of human hearing.
