The Stokes Research Institute is named after one of Ireland’s most famous physicists, George Gabriel Stokes (1819-1903), who was born and brought up not far from the University of Limerick. After school in Dublin, Stokes spent his academic career at Cambridge University where he held the Lucasian chair, previously occupied by Isaac Newton, for over 50 years. His fame covered many areas of mathematics and physics. We are particularly proud of his derivation of the equations that describe the flow of fluids – the Navier-Stokes equations (these appear on the top banner of this website). We also use fluorescence, a term he coined, in tagging DNA, Stokes law for the drag on micro-particles and Stokes flows in microchannels. He also investigated wave and diffraction theories of light, concepts which we currently use in optical measurements of temperature, strain and mass diffusion. Finally, he made critical contributions to the understanding of elasticity and wave motion in solids.