Irish software Professor to head global technology association

Professor Mike Hinchey, director of Lero, the Irish Software Research Centre, has been elected President-Elect of IFIP (the International Federation for Information Processing). Limerick-born Professor Hinchey will be the first Irishman to be elected President of the organisation since it was established under the auspices of UNESCO in 1960. 

IFIP is the global professional federation of associations for people working in ICT (Information & Communications Technologies) and Sciences. It represents ICT professional associations from more than 50 countries and regions with a total membership of over half a million.

Professor Hinchey will retain his role as Director of Lero. His election as the 18^th President of IFIP was made at its General Assembly in Daejeon, Korea. He will serve as President-Elect until the next General Assembly in Costa Rica in September 2016, after which he will take on a three year term as President.

Director of Lero and Professor of Software Engineering at the University of Limerick,  Professor Hinchey was previously Director of the Software Engineering Laboratory at NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre in Maryland. The Limerick man remains as a consultant to NASA. His work has been implemented in various space projects and will be incorporated in future missions. Particular areas of software research for Professor Hinchey include Formal Methods, Autonomous Systems and Software Reliability. 

Recognised by the United Nations, IFIP brings together more than 3,500 scientists from industry and academia, organising them into over 100 working groups and 13 technical committees to conduct research, develop standards and promote information sharing. Based in Austria, IFIP organises and supports over 100 conferences each year, fostering the distribution of research and knowledge to academics and industry practitioners.