Professor Karen Rafferty
First and foremost, I am a proud mother of 3 young children who keep my feet firmly planted on the ground. After that I am a daughter, a wife, a friend, a colleague and, of course, an academic.
I studied an MEng in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Queen’s, before continuing my studies with a PhD in Computer Vision. I then took up my first academic position at QUB in 2003. In 2016 I was appointed as Deputy Head of School and then in 2018 I became the Head of School of EEECS; a position I am extremely proud to hold.
As Head of School, I am responsible for its strategic direction and for planning our education and research portfolio. We have 200 staff members who teach, mentor, lead and conduct outstanding inter- and multi-disciplinary research to drive our future mission, which is to enhance the use of technology in communication, health services, data security and other related areas.
During my time at QUB, I have witnessed first hand the changes and cultural shift that have evolved since I sat in my first Board of Examiners meeting as a new academic and the only female at the table. It has been a pleasure to see us develop to being one of the first Engineering and Computer Science Schools in the UK to achieve Silver Athena SWAN.
I have benefited personally. I am no longer afraid to say I am a mother first and an academic second. I am proud, rather than conscious, of saying I am a working mother who is able to successfully balance an academic career and family. I am passionate that everyone with primary caring responsibilites doesn’t view it as a barrier to progression but rather an exceptional showcase of their talents to balance life and work.
In my personal research career to date, I am proud to have published over 100 research papers and 2 subject textbooks. Alongside this I am an active researcher, focusing on the synergistic use of software and hardware to lead the way for the adoption of new tools and systems in different applications.
Currently, I am leading the creation of tri-partite agreement with PwC and Ulster University to develop an Advanced Research Centre within Northern Ireland. The research focus is based on automation, digital empowerment, visualisation, and virtualisation. The centre will provide considerable opportunity for Queen’s University, and we are excited to work alongside PwC and Ulster University.