Charitha presented with Eda Sagarra Medal of Excellence

Charitha Marcus, a Sri Lankan lecturer pursuing her doctoral studies in Ireland, has been awarded with the Eda Sagarra Medal of Excellence at the annual Irish Research Council Researcher of the Year awards 2022. The Eda Sagarra Medal of Excellence is one of the country’s most prestigious academic awards presented to the highest-ranked Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship recipient in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences domain.

Charitha’s doctoral research in the School of Media at Technological University (TU) Dublin ‘Constructing female identity in Irish politics: the impact of digital media’ examines digital media tactics used by Irish female politicians to build their political identities and proposes improved digital media strategies to increase women’s role at local, national, and EU levels.

The Eda Sagarra Medal of Excellence is one of the country’s most prestigious academic awards presented to the highest-ranked Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship recipient in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences domain

Speaking about the award, Charitha, who is a lecturer in Mass Communication, presently on study leave from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, said that there is a demanding need to understand how gender representation in politics can be increased in Ireland using modern communication methods while avoiding common barriers. “My research will be applicable not only to Ireland, but to any country in need of increased women political participation. I would like to dedicate this award to the free education system in Sri Lanka and the faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. I express my sincere gratitude to Prof. Shirantha Heenkenda, Dean FHSS, Prof. Kusumalatha Lankamulla, Head of the Department of Sinhala and Mass Communication, and Dr. Senani Harishchandra for their invaluable support and guidance in achieving this prestigious award,” she added. 

Dr Brendan Jennings, Vice President, Research and Innovation at TU Dublin, commented that Ireland’s first and largest technological university is committed to the kind of academic excellence Charitha exemplifies across all disciplines. “Her research, at the forefront of examining female political representation in the digital sphere, is timely, relevant and necessary.”

Dr Orla McDonagh, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at TU Dublin, commented that Charitha’s remarkable achievement in receiving this honour underscores the importance of Humanities research into understanding our relationship with the digital world, and especially the real issues faced by women politicians. 
Charitha’s research is co-supervised by Dr Caroline Ann O’Sullivan, Head of the School of Media, and Dr Kevin Hora, MPRII, Assistant Head of School and Head of Discipline of Journalism and Communications. Dr O’Sullivan commented: ‘This award is a wholly-deserved endorsement of Charitha’s scholarship as she embarks on what promises to be exciting and impactful research at a time when female political representation and discourse face existential issues online.’