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Rebecca grew up in Knocklyon, Dublin, as one of four children, with both parents working as primary school teachers. Fascinated by bacteria since secondary school biology, she wanted to understand how a tiny, complex cell could kill. In 2004, she earned her Natural Sciences degree, specialising in Microbiology, from Trinity College Dublin (TCD).
During her studies, she completed a lab placement at New York University Medical School with Professor Richard Novak, focusing on the superbug MRSA. This experience sparked her deep interest in research and led her to pursue a PhD at Trinity College Dublin. MRSA is a type of the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus that resists many antibiotics; about 30% of people carry it in their nose, which can lead to serious bloodstream infections. Her work studied nasal colonisation and the bug’s surface factors that let it stick inside the nose
She commenced her postdoc in 2008 in Imperial College London focused on a nucleotide signalling system that she identified in Staphylococcus aureus. They showed that this nucleotide controls potassium ion transport and helps bacteria survive stress and grow. This work earned her an EMBO Fellowship to join Prof. Vincent Lee at the University of Maryland, where she learned DRaCALA - a fast, simple method to study protein–molecule interactions and uncover new biological pathways. This foundation led her to start her own lab at the University of Sheffield in 2015 as a Sir Henry Dale Research Fellow and she was awarded a prestigious Lister Institute Fellowship in 2018 to work on infection models. In 2024 she received an Ad Astra fellowship in University College Dublin (UCD) with a focus on developing (opens in a new window)bacterial research. Today, she is an Assistant Professor in the UCD School of Medicine.
See below.
Current Research Challenges
Dr. Corrigan tackles antimicrobial resistance (AMR), focusing on the global threat posed by superbugs like MRSA, which kills around 120,000 people annually. A pivotal warning from the (opens in a new window)2016 O’Neill report predicts that, by 2050, AMR could cause up to 10 million deaths per year - a toll comparable to cancer - unless decisive global action is taken. AMR not only makes infections deadly but also undermines treatments like chemotherapy and surgery, since antibiotics no longer reliably prevent or treat secondary infections.
She has teamed up with interdisciplinary collaborators at the University of Sheffield, Jena University in Germany, and Harvard University in the USA for a Wellcome Trust Discovery Award worth £5.95 million. The team includes microbiologists, mathematicians (for modeling), and physicists with microscopy expertise. They aim to understand how bacteria grow and divide because many effective antibiotics target this process, stopping growth and division and ultimately killing the bacteria.
They have established that the bacteria have learned a new way to grow and divide in the presence of antibiotics. This new understanding has a whole new impact on the way we design and manufacture drugs to inhibit bacteria. They are working with natural compounds to test using an atomic force microscope to see if it can inhibit the new cell division in the presence of antibiotics.
Dr. Corrigan’s research team seeks to understand how bacteria grow and divide, how antibiotics can kill bacteria and how resistance can develop so they can exploit that for future therapeutic gain.
The Researcher
Dr. Corrigan is deeply committed to supporting the next generation of scientists. At UCD, she actively serves on the Biomedical Research Degree Committee and the Student Summer Research Awards Committee. She finds great satisfaction in working closely with students, believing that one of the most important roles of a scientist is to guide and nurture PhD students as they begin their research journeys. Drawing from the excellent mentoring she has received throughout her own career, Rebecca is passionate about providing the same support to her students. Her teaching includes running laboratory sessions where students learn hands-on skills by identifying pathogens from patient samples, combining practical experience with theoretical knowledge.
Internationally, Rebecca is expanding her impact through collaborations and service. She reviews grant applications for prestigious programs like The Royal Society Newton Awards and The Wellcome Trust. Her involvement also extends to peer reviewing for scientific journals, contributing to the global research community. One exciting collaboration includes working with a chemist to develop nanoparticles aimed at killing bacteria, highlighting her commitment to innovative solutions for antimicrobial resistance.
Outside of her professional life, Rebecca enjoys spending quality time with her husband and family. She stays active by cycling to work and loves travelling, family BBQs, and watching horror films, balancing a busy research career with personal passions.
Future Research Aspirations
Dr. Corrigan's future research aims to deepen understanding of bacterial infections by developing diverse infection models. She is building collaborations with the University of Dundee to explore nasal infection models and with Sheffield colleagues on tonsil infections. A promising partnership with a chemist at Sheffield has led to the creation of nanoparticles that effectively kill bacteria like E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus. They are now working towards securing funding to develop these nanoparticles into topical gels for wound healing, opening new avenues for antimicrobial treatments.
Looking ahead, Rebecca aspires to strengthen clinical collaborations, particularly with the Centre for Experimental Pathogen Host Research (CEPHR) and St Vincent’s, to obtain Staphylococcus aureus isolates from hospital patients with chronic infections. She plans to sequence these samples to better understand MRSA’s behaviour in clinical environments. Central to her vision is involving patients directly through patient and public involvement (PPI), focusing on those with recurring MRSA infections to ensure her research remains relevant and impactful.
Moving forward, she intends to advance her studies into more in vivo infection models, capturing the complexity of bacterial behaviour within living hosts. Rebecca is also committed to establishing an AMR Centre at UCD, aiming to acquire cutting-edge equipment, attract leading researchers, and foster growth in this vital area. Her aspirations align closely with the One Health approach, recognising the critical links between human, animal, and environmental health in combating antimicrobial resistance.
Related Links
(opens in a new window)UCD Profile
(opens in a new window)Bluesky: @corrigar.bsky.social
LinkedIn: (opens in a new window)Rebecca Corrigan