Aisling Reynolds-Feighan graduated from University College, Dublin (UCD) with a BA in economics and geography in 1985. She earned an MA in economics the following year and then joined our PhD program in Fall 1987. As part of her doctoral research, I traveled to Houston with Aisling to interview Continental Airlines in hopes that they would share data about the aircraft allocated to their origin-destination routes. The staff were so impressed with her presentation that they prioritized the data assembly while we were in the office and Aisling received it within a few days! This data was incorporated into her dissertation: Measuring the impact of network changes by the airlines in the deregulated environment.
Aisling began as an assistant professor at UCD in 1989 and rose to Professor of Transport Economics in 2007 (the promotion system is much slower in Ireland; until recently, a vacancy was necessary before someone could be considered for promotion). For three years (2018-21), she also served as Vice Principal for Research Innovation and Impact. Aisling has received many honors and awards: Chairman of the British & Irish Section (RSAI-BIS) of the Regional Science Association International (2013-17), a founding member of the Irish Transportation Network (2009), and is an elected member of the IGU Transport Geography Commission (2021-27). She became a Fellow of the Air Transport Research Society in 2018 and received the Moss Madded Memorial Medal (RSAI-BIS) in 2007. She has been an active consultant for various European governments (including the EU Commission) and is frequently interviewed on radio and television about transport-related projects. Her work has been published in major journals such as Spatial Economic Analysis, Urban Studies, Journal of Air Transport Management, and Transport Research A. She has also been actively assisting younger scholars within professional societies and at UCD.
Aisling is deeply proud of her connection with Illinois and never misses an opportunity to tell people she earned a PhD there. She has made many visits back to campus and holds a sentimental attachment to the community since this is where she met her husband (who was a civil engineering postdoc specializing in highways).
It was a great pleasure and honor to serve as Aisling’s advisor and host her Distinguished Alumna Award visit in April. She gave a talk entitled Dimensions of Global Air Transport Networks and enjoyed conversations with current faculty and graduate students, especially our strong contingent of transportation geographers!