The Department of Biochemistry is one of the most successful departments in Ireland in research in the life-sciences and has several internationally recognized research leaders.  The Department has 10 full time and 2 part time academic staff, a Wellcome Trust/Health Research Board New Blood Fellow and Science Foundation Ireland funded investigators, 36 graduate students, 32 postdoctoral/clinical fellows and a very supportive technical and administrative staff.  A large section of the Department's research laboratories are currently housed in the new Biosciences Research Institute with state of the art research facilities and some in the Lee Maltings complex, off the University campus. Some staff members currently based in the Lee Maltings are closely involved with colleagues in the Chemistry Department in a new research centre, the Analytical & Biological Chemistry Research Facility which is due to be completed in January 2005.

The research in the Department is directed by the academic staff and spans the biomedical, biotechnological and environmental areas.  We use all of the modern tools in molecular and cellular biology, protein biochemistry, molecular genetics, signal transduction, immunology, bioinformatics and analytical biochemistry to address fundamental and applied research questions in the areas.  Further information on research in the Department can be viewed under Staff pages.

The Department is noted for its high quality publication record, its high level of innovation, its contribution to Irish Biotechnology start-up companies (EiRx Therapeutics Ltd. and Luxcel Biosciences) and its central role interfacing with a variety of other basic science and clinical Departments within the university and the scientific and biotechnological community broadly.

The major research themes within the Department are: