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Fulbright Award Scholarships Announced

12 Jun 2018

Fulbright Award Scholarships Announced

APC  Postgraduate Students To Travel To Purdue And Harvard Universities

Fulbright 2018 UCC Awardees Shane O’Donnell (back left) Elaine Enright (back, second from left) Picture Conor McCabe Photography.

Elaine Enright and Shane O’Donnell, postgraduate students at the SFI Research Centre APC Microbiome Ireland were among 37 Fulbright Irish Awardees announced recently by An Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs & Trade, Simon Coveney TD, and Chargé d’affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Ireland, Mr Reece Smyth.

The Fulbright Programme in Ireland has been a key driver in cross-atlantic collaborative research for over 60 years.

Elaine Enright with Dr Sarah Ingle, Fulbright Commission Picture Conor McCabe Photography.

Elaine Enright is a pharmacist having completed a BPharm at UCC and an MPharm at RCSI. Currently, Elaine is an IRC PhD Scholar based at APC Microbiome Ireland and the School of Pharmacy, UCC under the supervision of Dr Cormac Gahan and Dr Susan Joyce. Her PhD research investigates the influence of gut bacteria (the microbiota) upon oral drug delivery and efficacy. As a Fulbright Student Awardee to Purdue University, Indiana, Elaine will investigate the impact of gut microbial bile acid metabolites on the solubility and absorption of oral dosage formulations.

Shane O’Donnell with Lance O’Brien, Teagasc, Fulbright Commission Picture Conor McCabe Photography.

Shane O’Donnell is a Teagasc Walsh Fellow pursuing a PhD in microbiology at UCC, based at APC in Teagasc, Moorepark under the supervision of Prof Catherine Stanton and Prof Paul Ross.. Shane has a BSc in Genetics from UCC. His current research focuses on the effect the genus Lactobacillus has on human health through its impact on the gut microbiota. As a Fulbright Student in Professor Jing Kang’s laboratory at Harvard University, Shane will conduct a trial analyzing the impact Lactobacillus casei has on the microbiome. Specifically he will look at the role of L. casei in ameliorating symptoms associated with IBS, utilizing a transgene mouse model capable of maintaining an ideal Omega3 Omega 6 ratio.  Shane is also a member of the Clare senior hurling team.

The Fulbright Programme in Ireland was established in 1957 and annually awards grants for Irish citizens to study, research, or teach in the U.S. and for Americans to do the same in Ireland. Since its formation over 2,000 postgraduate students, scholars, professionals, and teachers across all disciplines have participated in the program between the U.S. and Ireland. The Commission is supported by the U.S. Department of State and the Irish Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs. It is also a registered charity.

The next round of applications for Fulbright Irish Awards will open on 31st August 2018, interested applicants should visit www.fulbright.ie for more information.

Host Institution

Host Logos - UCC and Teagasc

Partner Institutions

APC Microbiome Ireland

Biosciences Building, University College Cork, Ireland,

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