Michael Philip Mortell is an Irish mathematician and academic. He was the

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

University College Cork University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh) is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork. The university was founded in 1845 as one o ...

from 1989 to 1999. Mortell also had a sporting career and played

hurling Hurling ( ga, iománaíocht, ') is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic Irish origin, played by men. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the number of p ...

with a number of club sides and the Cork senior hurling team.

Early life and education

Born in

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

, Mortell was educated at Charleville CBS Secondary School. He studied for his primary degree in Mathematics and Mathematical Physics at

(UCC) where he was awarded a BSc in 1961 and an MSc in 1963. Mortell subsequently studied at the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

and was awarded a

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * '' Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. al ...

for a thesis on "Waves on Shells" in 1968.

Academic career

Mortell was named associate professor at the Center for the Application of Mathematics at

Lehigh University Lehigh University (LU) is a private research university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer and was originally affiliated with the Epi ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

in 1967. From 1973 he was statutory lecturer in the department of Mathematical Physics at UCC and later Professor of Applied Mathematics. He was appointed registrar in 1979 and was named

in 1989. Mortell held a personal chair in Applied Mathematics from 1999 until he retired in 2006.

Sporting career

Mortell first played

with the CBS Charleville team in the Harty Cup. He joined the Rath Lúirc intermediate team in the 1958 season. Mortell lined out with

UCC GAA UCC is a football and hurling club associated with University College Cork. UCC teams play in the Cork Senior Football Championship and Cork Senior Hurling Championship as well as the two main third-level competitions namely the Sigerson Cup in ...

from 1959 until 1963, during which time he won three Fitzgibbon Cup titles. He was also a member of the team that won the college's inaugural

Cork Senior Hurling Championship The Cork Premier Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Co-Op Superstores Cork Premier Senior Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Cork PSHC) is an annual club hurling competition organised by the Cork County B ...

title in the 1963 Cork Senior Hurling Championship. Mortell first appeared on the inter-county scene as a member of the Cork minor hurling team during the 1959 Munster MHC. He later played with the Cork senior team for one season. Mortell ended his club career with

Carrigaline Carrigaline () is a town and civil parish in County Cork, Ireland, situated on the River Owenabue. Located about south of Cork city, and with a population of 15,770 people, it is one of the largest commuter towns of the city. The R611 regiona ...

Sporting honours

;University College Cork *

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...

* Fitzgibbon Cup: 1959, 1962, 1963 ;Carrigaline *

South East Junior A Hurling Championship The South East Cork Junior A Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Carrigdhoun Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1928 for junior hurling teams in the southeastern region of County Cork, Ireland. T ...

: 1974

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Michael 1941 births Living people Alumni of University College Cork Academics of University College Cork Presidents of University College Cork Charleville hurlers Carrigaline hurlers UCC hurlers Cork inter-county hurlers