Researcher of the Year 2024 (IRC legacy) Awards

Conway Fellow, Professor(opens in a new window)William GallagherfromUCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Sciencehas been recognised in the Researcher of the Year (IRC legacy) Awards announced by(opens in a new window)Research Ireland.

Prof. Gallagher's primary research interests are in the areas of cancer biology and molecular therapeutics. He is co-lead of an emerging virtual institute, the(opens in a new window)All-Island Cancer Research Institutethat aims to bring together cancer researchers across the island of Ireland within an overarching research programme. Prof. Gallagher was Deputy Director of(opens in a new window)Precision Oncology Ireland(2019-2024), a nationwide strategic research partnership funded by Science Foundation Ireland focused on developing better treatment strategies and diagnostics for cancer patients. He led the first Irish Cancer Society Collaborative Cancer Research Centre,(opens in a new window)BREAST-PREDICT(2013-2018).

The awards celebrated the very best of IRC-funded researchers deemed to have made highly significant and valuable contributions to knowledge, society, culture and innovation, selected by an independent expert panel chaired by Professor Emeritus Áine Hyland.

In August 2024, the(opens in a new window)Irish Research Council (IRC)amalgamated with(opens in a new window)Science Foundation Ireland (SFI)to become Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland, the new national funding agency for research and innovation in Ireland.

UCD Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Impact, Professor Kate Robson Brown said:
"We are immensely proud of the excellence, dedication and talent exhibited every year by UCD's research community, both our academics at every career stage and our highly skilled and committed research support staff. I'd like to offer my sincere congratulations to all who were recognised in the 2024 Researcher of the Year (IRC Legacy) Awards, especially Savannah Devine, on being awarded the Jane Grimson Medal of Excellence as the highest ranked STEM candidate in the Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship scheme, and all of the Research Allies who support the university’s research and contribute hugely to its success. Congratulations also to our highly commended academics, Alistair Nichol, Stefan Muller and William Gallagher, all of whose work is thoroughly deserving of the highest recognition." 

The Impact Award recipient is(opens in a new window)Dr Jakub Gajewski, Research Programme Director,(opens in a new window)Institute of Global Surgeryin RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences. Professor William Gallagher and(opens in a new window)Esther Murphy, Research Fellow and  DigiAcademy Founder in TCD, were highly commended.

(opens in a new window)Christine Casey, Professor of Architectural History at Trinity College Dublin, was named 2024 Researcher of the Year.(opens in a new window)Alistair Nichol, Professor of Critical Care Medicine at UCD, and(opens in a new window)Seamus Martin, Smurfit Professor of Molecular Genetics in TCD, were highly commended.

(opens in a new window)Dr Aaron Lim, Lecturer in Marine Geosciences from University College Cork, was named 2024 Early Career Researcher of the Year.(opens in a new window)Dr Stefan Müller, Associate Professor at UCD School of Politics and International Relations, and(opens in a new window)Dr Mary Canavan, Assistant Professor in Immunology in TCD, were highly commended.

The top-ranked researchers from the prestigious early career programme, Government of Ireland scheme, were also recognised. The programme is one of the largest funding schemes supporting early career researchers in Ireland and the awarded medals recognise excellence in the 2024 Government of Ireland postgraduate and postdoctoral funding calls in the arts, humanities and social sciences (AHSS), and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Read more about the awards at (opens in a new window)https://www.researchireland.ie/news/2024-irc-legacy-awards/