Congratulations to Ulster University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Paul Bartholomew who has been awarded a CBE for services to higher education and public service and to Professor Tara Moore who has been recognised with an OBE for services to research, innovation and education in the King’s New Year Honours List 2026.
As Vice-Chancellor, Professor Bartholomew has focused his leadership on progressing the identity of Ulster University as a unitary institution which delivers for its multiple places – Belfast, Derry-Londonderry and Coleraine.
Paul took up the role of Vice-Chancellor just before the world faced into the COVID-19 pandemic and the University made the significant effort of moving the teaching of almost 30,000 students from in-classroom to online and then the successful completion of the Belfast campus and move of 15,000 students and staff into the new facility in 2022.
During his tenure, the University established a School of Medicine, which this year graduated its first cohort of doctors, as part of a major development in our ongoing expansion of the Derry~Londonderry campus. Studio Ulster, a £72m state-of-the-art virtual production facility, was officially opened and underlines the University’s commitment to innovation and regional economic growth. So too, does the nascent establishment of the Centre for Food and Drug Discovery on the Coleraine campus which will position the University and the wider Causeway Coast and Glens region as a premier destination for drug discovery and health innovation, nationally and internationally.
In 2024, Ulster University was crowned UK and Ireland University of the Year by Times Higher Education, one of the most prestigious awards in the sector, recognising its meaningful and lasting contribution to Northern Ireland.
Professor Tara Moore has been recognised for services to research, innovation and education in Personalised Medicine, reflecting a career that has transformed how cutting-edge science is translated into practical healthcare - and how future generations of scientists and surgeons are trained.
For more than 25 years, Professor Moore’s work has focused on understanding how DNA influences health and disease, and how that knowledge can be used to design better diagnostics and treatments. She is internationally recognised for developing advanced training programmes in eye surgery that have helped set international benchmarks for safety, quality and clinical standards.
Alongside academia, Professor Moore is active in research-led innovation. She is CEO and Laboratory Director of Examen, a Belfast-based diagnostics company focused on men’s health and fertility.
Away from work, she is also frequently involved in charitable activities linked to health and education. Tara has a family of seven, some of whom are already studying genetics and aspiring to scientific careers themselves.
Sincere and heartfelt congratulations to both.
Congratulations to two recent honorary graduates from the University who were also recognised in the King's New Year Honours:
Dr Rhys McClenaghan, Olympic gold medallist, has been made an MBE for services to sport.
In July 2023, Rhys was conferred as an honorary graduate of Ulster University, for his outstanding dedication in the pursuit of excellence and improvement in sport.
Dr Hilary McGrady, Director General of conservation charity the National Trust, has been made a CBE for services to heritage.
In July 2025, the University conferred on Hilary an honorary doctorate in recognition of her impact on sustainability, climate action and social responsibility.
Congratulations to both Rhys and Hilary for this well-deserved recognition!
