News
Celebrating Excellence at the APC Annual Symposium 2025
The APC Annual Symposium, held on Thursday 9th October, brought together researchers, collaborators, and industry partners for a day of sharing, learning, and celebration
This much-anticipated internal event showcases the most exciting developments in microbiome research taking place at APC Microbiome Ireland, as well as ongoing collaborations with industry and academic partners.
A key highlight of the day was the APC Awards Ceremony, where we recognised the exceptional achievements of our colleagues across scientific excellence, public engagement, leadership, entrepreneurship, and teamwork.
Scientific Excellence Awards
Benjamin Valderrama, a PhD student in the Brain-Gut Axis team, received the Postgraduate Scientific Excellence Award. Benjamin was first author on a recent Nature Communications paper titled The South American MicroBiome Archive (saMBA), which expands our understanding of gut microbiome diversity by studying underrepresented populations. His work introduced over 1,000 potentially new bacterial genera and was featured in Chile's leading newspaper El Mercurio.
In the Postdoctoral/Fellow category, Maria Kulecka and Samuel Breselge were honoured. Maria, an INSPIRE Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Marcus Claesson’s group, was fist author on a groundbreaking paper published in Nature Communications that showed the prognostic potential of combining mucosal microbiome and host multi-omics data in patients with paediatric ulcerative colitis. This work was part of a multi-national collaboration with Queen Mary University of London and was featured in Science magazine.
Samuel, a postdoctoral researcher in Paul Cotter’s group based in Teagasc, was recognised for multiple impactful publications over the last year, including co-authoring a Cell paper on unexplored microbial diversity in 2,500 food metagenomes. He discovered two new species of Bifidobacterium and filed a patent for their use in fermented beverages, which he is now actively seeking to commercialize with colleagues in Teagasc.
Public Engagement with Research
Michelle O’Riordan, a research support officer working with Prof Subrata Ghosh, received this award for her leadership in embedding the patient voice in research. As founder of the AUGMENT project Patient Engagement Research Panel, Michelle passionately ensures that patients’ lived experience guides and informs our research on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Her advocacy includes organising World IBD Day events and maintaining strong partnerships with Crohn’s and Colitis Ireland.
APC Future Leader
Lily Keane, a UCC graduate who recently joined APC from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, has already demonstrated remarkable leadership potential. She secured €1 million in competitive research funding and leads a programme investigating links between the microbiome and paediatric brain cancer. Lily’s recent academic output includes high-impact publications and international speaking engagements, alongside her dedication to APC’s strategic initiatives such as improving core research facilities.
Industry and Entrepreneurship
Julie O’Sullivan was recognised for her ongoing work in terms of developing a spin-out company focused on the skin microbiome, provisionally named SKINCOAT. Following completion of UCC’s SPRINT accelerator programmes, and backed by commercialisation funding from Enterprise Ireland, Julie is pursuing her entrepreneurial ambitions and translating research into real-world solutions.
APC Team Member Award
Gerry Moloney, Chief Technical Officer in the APC’s Brain-Gut lab and UCC’s Department of Anatomy & Neuroscience, received this award for his outstanding teamwork, technical support, collaborative spirit, and scientific contributions. Gerry is a hugely reliable and generous colleague, particularly in supporting early-career researchers, and actively contributes to the generation of high-impact publications. He helps to sustain the positive and inclusive culture and sense of community that defines the APC.
Best Poster Award
Finally, congratulations to Zoë Williams, PhD student in Yvonne Nolan’s group, who is the recipient of the 2025 Best Poster Award for her project entitled Exercise Reduces Neuropathology in an Alzheimer’s Disease Mouse Model via the Gut Microbiome.
The Symposium was a fitting celebration of the scientific excellence, collaboration, and innovation that continue to drive APC forward.
