ENDA HOWLEY// SENIOR LECTURER // UNIVERSITY OF GALWAY

»Don't delay any longer. There is a ready-made network of people just waiting to work with you!«

Dr. Enda Howley, Head of the School of Computer Science at the University of Galway. A long-time advocate for collaboration and innovation in higher education, Enda has been closely involved with ENLIGHT since its early days, helping to shape international learning experiences and build connections across universities in Europe.

Enda Howley taught at the BIP "AI for Everyone"

Where are you from?

ENDA: I’m originally from Galway, which is a small city in the west of Ireland.  

Where are you teaching?

ENDA: I am currently Head of School of Computer Science, at the University of Galway. I have been an academic here since 2012.   

Why did you choose your field of teaching?

ENDA: I began studying computer science at degree level almost by accident as it seemed like an interesting emerging area. But when I began a final year project in the area of Artificial Intelligence then I knew I wanted to stay doing research and find a career that would enable that as much as possible for the future. Academic life then offered the most fulfilling mix of research and independence.  

Tell us about your participation in ENLIGHT. 

ENDA: I was approached to get involved in ENLIGHT when nobody really knew what it was other than it seemed to be an interesting proposition for a European University. I was nominated to participate in a number of brainstorming style teams calls and quickly found myself among a group of academics working on various activities relating to Artificial Intelligence. Arising from this we designed a Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) titled “AI for Everyone”. We deliver eight weeks of online material to students from a wide variety of backgrounds and then provide an immersive week where we bring all the strands together in one of the partner locations. We began in Tartu, then moved to San Sebastian, then Bratislava and this year we are the host here in Galway. Each year we make a few minor changes and every year we make a few new friends and build the connections more.   

Briefly describe your overall experience.     

ENDA: The challenge of proposing something new and implementing it across multiple institutions is always going to be a steep learning experience. You encounter a wide variety of challenges in making one university system talk to another, but these challenges are incredible learning experiences in themselves. We see how other universities work, and we appreciate what we do well, and also see how we can improve. It ultimately raises the bar, and that’s a huge insight which we need to apply more often. The goodwill of your ENLIGHT partners, and the common goal of making your event or activity a success, is what will drive change. It will also cut through the tendency to let inertia prevail and strangle us from being the creative and dynamic organisation we aspire to become.

How do you feel participation in ENLIGHT has changed your perception of collaboration/research/education? 

ENDA: Every interaction with an ENLIGHT partner is a genuine opportunity to learn. You see completely different perspectives on both teaching, and research. You quickly realise that there is never a ‘one size fits all’ career, or collaboration in a university. Mechanisms to make collaborative ideas a reality can almost always be found. I’ve even found myself offering advice to others from ENLIGHT partners who happened to find themselves frustrated with a particular work situation. in the end, I came away with a far greater appreciation of just how lucky I have been throughout my career here at the University of Galway.    

What motivated you to participate in ENLIGHT?

ENDA: Increasingly I’ve found that attending a week-long academic conference in Computer Science to be very expensive and not good value for money. My time is too valuable to commit to the draining long-haul flights, and ultimately not delivering the types of collaborations I seek at my career stage. Many of the attendees are direct competitors with similar specialisms, and limited bandwidth for new collaborations. ENLIGHT is typically shorter, easier engagements that are more enjoyable. The people in the room are a self-selecting group that are genuinely there with a view to collaborating. This was the critical motivation for me.    

Did you feel part of a broader academic community by taking part in ENLIGHT? 

ENDA: Most certainly, as you come in contact with participants in ENLIGHT events, there is a very strong sense that we are part of a bigger, and more diverse community. In time I hope that we see ENLIGHT universities launching joint programmes and hosting many joint PhD students. I believe that there is a huge appetite for this to happen and I know it would add huge value to the students and academics if we found a way for this to become a reality.  

What is your biggest takeaway from your experience with ENLIGHT? 

ENDA: Academic network building from a cold start is incredibly hard and time consuming, but if given a simple avenue to follow like what ENLIGHT offers, then it’s much easier to find opportunities for collaboration and engagement, without having to dedicate such a huge amount of time attending conferences and cold calling collaborators in the traditional way. Some academics inherit a network via their PhD supervisor or some more senior mentor. However, the vast majority do not, and this creates huge inequalities at critical stages of a career. Opportunities such as ENLIGHT offer a means of levelling the playing field and opening doors to a wide range of opportunities.    

What city did you visit, what was your impression of it?

ENDA: I’ve visited Tartu, San Sebastian and Bratislava and have loved each of them to the point that I keep looking for opportunities to return. Just like Galway, they are each quite small and friendly, but all have a unique energy and appeal that is unforgettable.   

How would you describe ENLIGHT in two sentences?

ENDA: ENLIGHT is like a patchwork quilt of genuinely distinctive strands that represent its members, who are all complimentary to each other. It enables these participants to come together and collaborate via a mix of activities and opportunities that can build stronger bonds and ultimately realise greater outcomes collectively.    

If you were to recommend ENLIGHT to a colleague, what would you say? 

ENDA: Don’t delay any longer. There is a ready-made network of people just waiting to work with you.    

Enda Howley with participants of BIP "AI for Everyone"