Brendan Jennings received BEng in Electronic Engineering and PhD degrees from Dublin City University, Ireland. After two years working as a Software Engineer with Openet Telecom in Dublin, he moved to Waterford Institute of Technology as one of the first two post-doctoral researchers in the Telecommunications Software & Systems Group (now the Walton Institute). In his 15+ years in Waterford he was instrumental in developing and delivering a vibrant, well-regarded research programme on communications network management. He has been Principal Investigator on research grants totalling €9m+, many of which were co-funded by industry partners including Cisco, IBM and Intel. From 2014 to 2019 he was WIT’s first Head of Graduate Studies, leading the introduction of Structured PhD programmes and research student structures and supports across WIT’s 6 schools. During 2020 Brendan was the Interim Director of CONNECT, the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Research Centre for Future Networks and Communications. He contributed to the national response to the pandemic through his work in the SFI Expert Advisory Group on Contact Tracing, providing expert commentary on contact tracing apps to RTÉ Radio 1, the Irish Times, and the BBC. Brendan was appointed in 2021 as TU Dublin's first Vice President for Research and Innovation, with responsibility for the planning, development and implementation of research and innovation initiatives in support of the university's vision, mission and strategic direction.