News & Opinion

2023

UCD Researchers awarded over €4m in ERC grants for Biomedical Engineering and Political Economy projects
The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded over €4 million to two researchers at University College Dublin (UCD) to pursue groundbreaking research in areas of biomedical engineering and political economy. 

Prof Carel Le Roux named IRC Researcher of the Year 2023
Professor Carel Le Roux, an expert on how the gut 'talks' to the brain to inform safer and more effective treatments of obesity, has won the prestigious Irish Research Council (IRC) Researcher of the Year Award for 2023. 

SFI Research Image of the Year Award 2023 for PhD student, Elin Strachan
PhD student, Elin Strachan is announced as the winner of the SFI Research Image of the Year 2023 at the Research Summit, a joint Summit hosted by SFI and the Irish Research Council in Cork on 20-21 November 2023.  

Prof Catherine Godson to deliver the Barry Brenner Lectureship at ASN Kidney Week
On 3 November, Professor Catherine Godson, UCD School Of Medicine, will deliver the Barry M. Brenner, MD, Endowed Lectureship at the American Society of Nephrology (ASN)’s Kidney Week - the world's premier nephrology meeting.

Cancer research documentary featuring patients and scientists screened by RTE as part of Science Week 2023
RTÉ broadcast a special documentary shinning a light on the lived experience of cancer patients, their contribution to research and the ongoing work of research centres that will shape how cancer will be treated in the future.

UCD Conway Institute celebrates 20 years of research, innovation and impact
An event marking twenty years since the launch of UCD Conway Institute took place in UCD O’Reilly Hall on Friday, 20 October 2023 as part of the 2023 UCD Conway Festival of Research & Innovation (19-20 October).

QBI/SBI Symposium highlights international collaboration of multidisciplinary experts
An international symposium set to highlight groundbreaking research and international collaborations was held at University College Dublin (UCD) last week.

Irish SME announces world's first commercial deployment of novel table-top soft x-ray microscope
SiriusXT Ltd, an Irish technology SME, announced today the world’s first commercial deployment of the SXT-100, the company’s unique table-top Soft X-ray Microscope with applications in disease research and the drug discovery process, at the UCD Conway Institute.

Changing the Landscape of Cancer Research across the Island of Ireland through Collaboration
Minister Simon Harris, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science of Ireland opens the All-Island Cancer Research Institute  Showcase – Vision and Progress event at the Herbert Park Hotel, Dublin.

ERC Starting Grant for a biomimetic testing platform in bone cancer
Dr Fiona Freeman, Assistant Professor and Ad Astra Fellow at UCD School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering and a Fellow at UCD Conway Institute was one of two UCD academics to be awarded a prestigious European Research Council (ERC) 2023 Starting Grant.

Science Week 2023 sparks national conversation about what it means to be human‘The Vitruvian: Uncovering the Layers of Cancer’ is an exhibition by Irish artist, Vincent Devine that was co-created with researchers and a patient voice partner at the UCD Conway Institute. 

Dublin deer herd first in Europe to be infected with COVID-19 virus
UCD scientists led by Dr Nicola Fletcher have discovered that deer at the Phoenix Park in Dublin are the first in Europe to be infected with the COVID-19 virus, most likely a result of regular human contact. 

ERC Proof of Concept Grant for UCD Researcher exploring macromolecular crowding in cell culture systems
UCD researcher, Professor Dimitrios Zeugolis, is among 66 recipients of European Research Council (ERC) Proof of Concept grants announced today.

New study reveals cancer-promoting mutations in the ‘dark matter’ of genome.
International study led by Assoc. Prof. Rory Johnson reveals new mechanism that tumours use to mutate and evolve. 

UCD welcomes IRC funded Ukrainian scientist, Dr Svitlana Miros
From Ukraine to UCD, Dr Svitlana Miros describes relocating to Ireland to continue her scientific career with the Halim group.

Prof. Breandán Kennedy appointed interim Director, UCD Conway Institute
Professor Breandán Kennedy has been appointed to the interim role of Director, UCD Conway Institute effective from 01 June 2023, following a competitive process in the wake of Prof. Helen Roche's transition to interim Vice President for Research, Innovation and Impact within UCD.

Bringing Institute public engagement initiatives to global conference
Two public engagement initiatives from UCD Conway Institute and Systems Biology Ireland were presented at a global science communication conference in Rotterdam on April 10 - 14.

Des Higgins wins EMBL Alumni Award for 2023
The winners of the 2023 EMBL Alumni Awards include Des Higgins who has been awarded the Lennart Philipson Award in recognition of his major contributions towards enabling bioinformatics technologies based on multiple sequence alignment. 

Third call for applications to the DevelopMed MSCA COFUND Fellowship Programme
The Programme offers prestigious Precision Oncology Fellowships to experienced researchers at the early stage of their career. In the third Call, fellowships will be 24 months in duration.

Would you like to have your say in ovarian cancer research?
This World Ovarian Cancer Day, May 8th, PhD researchers from the Cancer Biology and Therapeutics laboratory at University College Dublin are inviting members of the public and people who have been affected by ovarian cancer to get involved with their cancer research. 

Professor Helen Roche appointed interim UCD Vice-President for Research, Impact and Innovation
UCD announces the appointment by the Governing Authority of Professor Helen Roche to the position of Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Impact on an interim basis.

Fragment of a story about science 
Lorna Donlon, the 2020/21 UCD Conway artist-in-residence produced an installation piece after conversations with Assoc. Prof. Oliver Blacque that is now on permanent display in the Institute. Lorna documented her inspiration for this creative work. 

Novel combination of gene therapy and chemotherapy may provide new treatment option in osteosarcoma. A multi-institutional led study by researchers in UCD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Trinity College Dublin is the first to evaluate the dual-therapeutic effect of gene therapy in a clinically relevant model for this bone cancer.  

Curiosity; Enabling equity of access to a STEM transition year placement programme
The first of eight STEM placement weeks on CuriosiTY programme took place during the 20-24 March in UCD with twenty four pupils from nine schools across Dublin, Wicklow and Wexford experiencing life in a research environment.

UCD Conway Institute hosts the 1st Extracellular Vesicle Workshop in Ireland 
The 1st Extracellular Vesicle Workshop to be hosted in Ireland covering key aspects of EV isolation to analysis took place from the 13th to the 16th March in the Conway Institute.

Assoc. Prof. Siobhan McClean receives 2023 NovaUCD Licence of the Year award for melioidosis vaccine candidateMelioidosis is a potentially fatal tropical disease for which there is no current approved vaccine available. Assoc. Prof. McClean has invented a vaccine candidate for the disease.

Assoc. Prof. Eoin O'Cearbhaill Receives 2023 NovaUCD Innovation Champion of the Year Award Assoc. Prof. Eoin O'Cearbhaill has been named recipient of the 2023 NovaUCD Innovation Champion of the Year Award in recognition of championing the promotion of innovation and entrepreneurship since joining UCD in 2013.

Plant-based sources of dietary iron may reduce colorectal cancer risk in men 
Findings published in the British Journal of Cancer suggest that dietary, non-heme iron may reduce colorectal cancer risk in men.

Prof. Pat Guiry elected President of the Royal Irish Academy
Professor Pat Guiry has been elected as the 58th President of the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) for a three-year term. 

US-Ireland R&D Programme funding for research on diabetic kidney disease and low power computing elements 
Three Conway Fellows, Profs Catherine Godson and Brian Rodriguez and Dr Eoin Brennan receive awards under this prestigious programme.

SFI Discover award for CuriosiTY, a placement programme to broaden participation in STEM
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD and Minister for Education Norma Foley TD have announced an investment of more than €6 million in 40 projects to empower diversity and inclusion in STEM.

Musical tribute to mark World Cancer Day
More than 250 singers join forces to honour those whose lives have been touched by cancer.

Diabetes Complications Research Centre recognised in 2022 UCD Research Impact Case Study competition
The Diabetes Complications Research Centre (UCD DCRC), a multidisciplinary research group led by Professor Catherine Godson were announced as runners-up of the 2022 UCD Research Impact Case Study Competition last month 

UCD-Led Team Find New Tools to Manage Rare Eye Cancer 
Conway Fellow, Professor Breandán Kennedy and team reveal a candidate drug and biomarker that could be used to manage uveal melanoma.