![\"Prof](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/002476cd-614.jpg\"\/)
\nProfessor Neil Rowan was recognised with a higher doctorate of science by the University of Strathclyde<\/p>\n
A leading professor, who was once told there was no future in science for him, has said he believes students need to back themselves and follow their “gut dream”.<\/p>\n
Professor Neil Rowan, an expert in medtech, food security, environmental sustainability and bioeconomy, is the inaugural Director of the Bioscience Research Institute at Technological University of the Shannon.<\/p>\n
Now ranked number one in the world for decontamination research, Prof Rowan was the first from any generation in his family to attend university.<\/p>\n
A native of Coosan, Athlone, Co Westmeath, it was a football scholarship that led him to the University of Galway in the 1980s.<\/p>\n
“If you told me then that I would one day be awarded a higher doctorate of science, I wouldn\u2019t have believed it,” said Prof Rowan.<\/p>\n
“As a young boy, I was very active, I was very creative, I was a daydreamer and I was very sporty,” he said.<\/p>\n
“I was playing off a handicap of 2 at golf, I was playing soccer, Gaelic football and was involved in athletics but I always had an interest in science,” Prof Rowan said.<\/p>\n
However, some advice came after the Christmas exams in 1985, which rattled the now world-leading professor.<\/p>\n
“I remember the report after my biology exam, which said I was \u2018marginally honours\u2019 and ‘greater consideration needed to be given to the subject\u2019,” he said.<\/p>\n
The report ended by advising Mr Rowan that there was no future for him in science.<\/p>\n
“Thirty years on, I’m happy to report that I’m the top-ranked scientist in the world for decontamination,” he smiled.<\/p>\n
“I had fire in belly to do something I wanted to do and I went on to prove everyone wrong, when I got one of the first soccer scholarships at the University of Galway,” Prof Rowan added.<\/p>\n
“I went on to do a degree in microbiology in science,” he said.<\/p>\n
\nProfessor Neil Rowan was recognised with a higher doctorate of science by the University of Strathclyde<\/p>\n
From the University of Galway, Prof Rowan made his way to the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow on an academic scholarship, where he did a PhD which combined high voltage engineering with microbiology.<\/p>\n
Prof Rowan was later appointed a lecturer and then a senior lecturer at the University at the age of 29.<\/p>\n
“I came to Ireland to TU Dublin, DIT back then, that was in 2003 and then on to AIT, which is now Technological University of the Shannon in Athlone,” he added.<\/p>\n
Throughout his academic career, he has supervised around 120 undergraduate projects, as well as around 42 PhDs with industrial applications.<\/p>\n