Dr Justin McCarthy, Director of the Biotechnology programme at UCC and Dr Sinead Kerins, Lecturer and Training Co-ordinator, Department of Biochemistry, presented the Annual Student Scholarship to Stephen Duggan [First Class Honours, Biochemistry UCC] and the Annual MSc Biotech Research Bursary to Sandra O’Shea [First Class Honours, Biochemistry, UCC].
Pfizer also participate in Biochemistry & Biotechnology student education and curriculum development through the provision of tours of the Pfizer Biotechnology Manufacturing Facility, Shanbally, student placement and Guest lectures in Biotechnology. Co-ordinated by Ms Clodagh Kerr, Placement Manager, Careers Service, UCC, a number of UCC students, especially from programmes in Biotechnology, Chemistry of Pharmaceutical Compounds, and Process and Chemical Engineering, have benefitted from placement in Pfizer, and many UCC graduates have been employed by Pfizer.
Pfizer and UCC have several partnerships going back many years. Highlights include the establishment of the Process Development Centre in 2001, in collaboration with Professor Anita Maguire, and the commissioning, with financial support from Pfizer, of the NMR Spectrometer in the ABCRF in 2008. In addition, undergraduate students have had the opportunity to visit Pfizer laboratories as part of its outreach programme and Pfizer staff have contributed to guest lectures on numerous occasions. A recent development centres on the delivery of a new postgraduate training module on Creativity and Innovation which is delivered to PhD students with assistance of Pfizer staff.
Dr McCarthy expressed the appreciation of the College of Science, Engineering and Food Science and Masters in Biotechnology Programme for the continuing partnership with Pfizer and other industries and looked forward to further developments in the future.
Picture L-R: Dr Justin McCarthy, Director of Biotechnology, UCC; Sandra O’Shea, Stephen Duggan (Pfizer Scholarship in Biotechnology recipients) and Dr Sinéad Kerins, Lecturer and Training Co-ordinator, Department of Biochemistry.
MMcS
