Professor Sarah McCormack has joined the judging panel for the Business Energy Achievement Awards 2026. Professor of Sustainable Energy at Trinity College Dublin and current Head of the Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, she brings over twenty years of research experience spanning solar technologies, energy systems, and sustainable engineering solutions to her panel role. Her appointment reflects the calibre of technical and academic expertise the Business Energy Achievement Awards brings to its evaluation process.

Professor McCormack's research career has been defined by a sustained focus on the practical and systemic dimensions of Ireland's transition to low-carbon energy. Working across solar technologies, energy systems design, and sustainable engineering, she has built a body of work that connects fundamental research with real-world application, informing both policy and practice across the Irish energy landscape. That applied research orientation gives her a grounded and evidence-based perspective when assessing the innovation and impact of competing entries.

Her leadership roles within the international solar energy community further distinguish her profile. She serves as Secretary of the Solar Energy Society of Ireland, promoting the development of solar and sustainable energy at a national level, and was recently elected to the Board of the International Solar Energy Society, a recognition of her standing within the global research community. Those roles place her at the intersection of scientific leadership and sector advocacy, a combination that is particularly valuable in a judging context where both technical rigour and broader sectoral significance must be weighed.

Across her career, Professor McCormack has held academic and research leadership roles across Ireland's higher education sector and has consistently demonstrated a commitment to advancing the transition toward a low-carbon future through research, teaching, and sustained industry engagement.

Her appointment strengthens the judging panel's capacity to evaluate entries across the full spectrum of renewable energy, decarbonisation, and sustainable engineering achievement represented in the 2026 programme.

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