He sounds like a vital piston in the proposed smart economy. A bright and enthusiastic scientist with plenty of international research under his belt.

He has also built up valuable links with industry and he’s forging ahead in a highly bankable area of computing.

He’s the kind of guy we want to hang on to, but he is upping sticks from a research post here and moving to a more prestigious job abroad. Why? Because he’s frustrated with the lack of promotional opportunities in academic research in Ireland.

“The universities are screwing up royally when it comes to computer science,” he says, although he doesn’t want to be named before taking up his new role. . “It’s not too complicated to retain people, they just need to recognise the needs of the discipline.”

That means not focusing only on traditional metrics like journal publications, and instead attributing more value to “real-world” contributions like publishing at conferences and writing software – approaches that build credibility in the field.

His move – he will become an associate professor in a highly visible institute – has been prompted in part by being knocked back for promotion in Ireland. He laments the lack of agility in the Irish academic system that has seen several of his colleagues hit that glass ceiling.

“When it happens to one person you can excuse it, but when it’s many people, there’s something broken here; clearly there’s something rotten in the state of Denmark,” he says.

But it’s not easy to leave. “I am walking away from lots of collaborators and students – however, they all understand my reasons and support me.

“When I saw what was happening to myself and others I couldn’t stand by and let it wear me down. I love my job and I want to keep loving it.”