The rooms are named after Sheila O’Brien and Professor Ruth Lynden-Bell who are now both retired.

Sheila worked at Queen’s for 50 years and retired in 2020. When she joined the university she worked as clerical support for Pure Mathematics. She is being honoured for her diligence, dedication and the support that she provided to staff and students.

Professor Lynden-Bell worked at Queen’s for eight years. She co-founded the Atomistic Simulation Group and carried out ground-breaking work studying the properties of liquids using computer simulations. She was elected to the Royal Society in 2006 and helped to form the Queen’s Gender Initiative. She is now an Emeritus Professor at Queen’s.

Professor Mauro Paternostro, Head of the School of Mathematics and Physics, comments: “I am delighted that we are honouring both of our former staff members on International Women’s Day by naming rooms after them.

“These are the first two rooms to honour gender minorities within the School and first to honour our professional support staff. There continue be fewer women and gender minorities in permanent STEM career positions. The room naming ensures that Ruth will continue to be an exemplar and inspiration to future generations of Queen's students and early career researchers. Honouring Sheila highlights that education and science is done with a vast network, not just lecturers in front of the classroom.”

Media

For media inquiries, please contact emma.gallagher@qub.ac.uk