News

Government of Ireland awards for 3 APC early career researchers

30 Oct 2024

Dara Meehan, Mélanie Depret, and Dr Elizabeth Schneider have received research funding in the Research Ireland 2024 Government of Ireland (GOI) Postdoctoral Fellowship and Postgraduate Scholarship awards announced today.

The programmes support exceptional early-career researchers to pursue cutting-edge research with world-class potential in any discipline across the sciences, engineering, arts and humanities. The highly competitive programme enables the development of high-level skills and knowledge for current and future challenges across a variety of settings, including industry, the public sector, civil society and academia.

Postdoctoral IRCGOI Awards 2024

Dr Elizabeth  Schneider has been funded for her project ‘Decoding the role of the microbiota-gut-brain axis in food reward’

Postgraduate IRCGOI Awards 2024

Dara Meehan has been funded for his project ‘Genetic Lineage, Microbiome and Forage; The interactions between these variables and how they affect honeybee health in Ireland’

Mélanie Depret has been funded for her project ‘MICROBEGENIAL: Decoding the gut-brain mechanisms mediating the impact of gut MICROBEs on GENetic inter-individual social variability’

In addition, Dr  Luiza Wasiewska from the Tyndall Institute has received funding for her project ‘EndoSensor – Endolysin-based sensor for highly sensitive detection of multiple clinically relevant pathogenic bacteria’ which she will work on in collaboration with APC’s PI Prof. Colin Hill.

These awards underscore the exceptional research talent within APC Microbiome Ireland and their contribution to advancing knowledge across key scientific areas.

Nationally, the Research Ireland funding is a combined €27.5m and will be allocated to 290 projects across the two programmes.

Announcing the funding awards, Minister Patrick O’Donovan said: "Following the establishment of Research Ireland earlier this year, I am delighted to announce this very significant investment in top research talent. Ireland has a strong reputation for research and innovation and it is vital that we continue to invest in future research leaders who, together, can play a key role in addressing the many challenges we face and the opportunities open to us. The ability to attract and retain excellent researchers within Ireland is key to the success of our knowledge economy for the long-term, and the Government of Ireland programme supports this aim. I wish the many researchers supported under the 2024 programme every success with their projects."

Celine FitzGerald, Interim CEO of Research Ireland, said: “Research Ireland is delighted to be making this major investment in new research talent. A diverse range of early-career researchers working across a spectrum of disciplines will benefit from this funding, including awardees funded by the programme’s valued partners. The 290 awardees have demonstrated through rigorous international assessment the quality of their projects and the capacity to contribute new insights and solutions to technological, scientific, environmental, social and cultural challenges."

Congratulating all UCC awardees, Professor John F. Cryan, UCC Vice President for Research and Innovation said: “I would like to congratulate all postgraduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and their principal investigators on securing these prestigious awards. These awards will support the development of the next generation of innovative researchers in UCC, as they pursue excellence across a range of research disciplines, spanning all ten thematic areas of UCC Futures.”