2020
Aoife Slyne Receives Lilly Research Scholarship
Congratulations to Ms Aoife Slyne (BSc Physiology class of 2020) on receiving a Lilly Research Scholarship. Aoife will join the Department of Physiology at University College Cork in October 2020 to pursue doctoral training under the supervision of Dr David Burns and Professor Ken O’Halloran.
Aoife Slyne will graduate with a First Class Honours BSc (Hons) degree in Physiology in October 2020 from the College of Science, Engineering and Food Science, University College Cork. During her undergraduate degree, Aoife displayed a passion for biomedical science and a strong desire to deliver high quality scientific research. Aoife received the Physiological Society Undergraduate Award for her performance in her final year research project, entitled “Respiratory muscle dysfunction in the mdx mouse model of muscular dystrophy: Role of NADPH oxidase (NOX)?”. In July 2020, Aoife presented her research findings at Future Physiology 2020, a meeting of The Physiological Society (UK & Ireland), during which she received the Rob Clarke Abstract award and the Rob Clarke Presentation Award from The Physiological Society. Aoife is honoured to be a recipient of a Lilly Research Scholarship and is delighted to have the opportunity to pursue postgraduate training at University College Cork. Aoife will continue research in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a genetic disease characterised by an absent structural protein, dystrophin, which is ordinarily expressed in muscle and nerves. DMD is characterised by profound skeletal muscle weakness, which extends to the muscles of breathing. Aoife will pursue an ambitious line of enquiry, seeking to examine neuromuscular control of dystrophic muscles in pre-clinical models of DMD, with the aim of targeting deficits within the system using genetic approaches designed to protect and improve breathing in DMD. This project will be supervised by Dr David Burns and Professor Ken O’Halloran, University College Cork.
The Lilly Research Scholarships were established to promote research excellence in one of the following disciplines: Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences; Biotechnology related areas and Chemical Engineering. These scholarships aim to support students and integrate them into the academic, social and cultural aspects of University College Cork. First offered in 2017-2018, the scholarships are targeted at high performing students proposing to undertake impactful research at the highest level in the broad areas of these disciplines, under a supervisor or supervision team with significant experience in the area.
https://www.ucc.ie/en/scholarships/news/lilly-research-scholarship-winners-2020-2021-announced.html