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News 2022
Inaugural Professorial Lecture Series - Professor Ruth Massey

Our inaugural professorial lecture series returned for another academic year, with Professor Ruth Massey, SALI Professor for Microbiome & Health Sciences at University College Cork taking the stage for an engaging and informative event.
Professor Massey's lecture entitled: The art of not taking 'NO' for an answer: The microbial endeavours of a female professor”, traced her career journey and current research.
Ruth Massey has a B.A. (mod) in Natural Sciences and a Ph.D in Molecular Microbiology both awarded by Trinity College Dublin. Upon completion of her Ph.D. she moved to the UK where she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at both the Universities of Oxford and Bath, and it was in the laboratory of Sharon Peacock in Oxford where her interest in Gram positive bacterial pathogen began.
Ruth’s first independent position was in the Zoology Dept. of the University of Oxford, where Wellcome Trust funding allowed her to set up her first lab, which subsequently moved to Bath in 2007. In 2017 Ruth moved to the University of Bristol and in 2019 was awarded a Wellcome Trust Investigator Award and promoted to Professor of Microbial Pathogenicity. In 2021 Ruth became the SALI Professor for Microbiome and Health Sciences at UCC affiliated with both the Schools of Microbiology and Medicine, and is an APC Principal Investigator.
In addition to her academic interests in microbial pathogenicity, Ruth is a scientific consultant and shareholder of a biotech company Microgenetics Ltd., and using their patented technology they are developing a diagnostic testing service for use in both agricultural and pharmaceutical settings. She is a mother to three children and two dogs and a passionate rugby coach.
We are delighted to welcome Professor Massey to the UCC STEM team and wish her the very best with her research.