Thirty early-stage UL researchers receive Government of Ireland awards

Wednesday, 30 October 2024

Thirty of 51��ɫ’s early-stage researchers have received Government of Ireland awards, it has been announced.

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Patrick O’Donovan TD has today announced €27.5m in funding for 290 projects under the Government of Ireland postgraduate scholarship and postdoctoral fellowship programmes.

The scheme supports exceptional early-career researchers to pursue cutting-edge research with world-class potential in any discipline across the sciences, engineering, arts and humanities.

Minister 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.”

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. It is made up of two strands – postdoctoral fellowships and postgraduate scholarships.

All awardees are based in Ireland’s higher education and research-performing organisations. The scheme is a unique facet of the Research Ireland portfolio, facilitating early-career researchers to lead on the development and implementation of their research idea. The investment this year will fund 210 postgraduate scholars and 80 postdoctoral fellows with projects ranging in duration from one to four years.

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.”

Ten of the Government of Ireland postgraduate scholarships to be announced are made in collaboration with, and funded by, the following partner agencies: the , the and the .

Peter Brown, Director, Researcher Development, Research Ireland added, “The Government of Ireland programme is a flagship, highly competitive scheme, nationally and internationally, that delivers a pipeline of exceptional early-career researchers to Ireland’s research and innovation system.

“The 2024 cohort showcases the impressive range and breadth of projects across the sciences, arts and humanities. The talented early-career researchers have an exceptional opportunity to lead their own research project and develop cutting-edge skills, knowledge and insights.

“In doing so, we boost the foundations for research and innovation in Ireland, for now and the future.

“Whether in industry, the public sector, civil society or our research institutions, our people are our most important resource, and the Government of Ireland programme very much aims to develop this resource to its maximum extent.”

The UL list of recipients:

Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellows

Name	Project Title
Abdul Rehman Akbar	MXene-Enabled Ultra-High Energy Density Lithium-Sulphur Batteries (MX-Battery)
Andrés Felipe Quintero Jaime	A Biphasic (Photo)electrochemical Platform to Regenerate the Redox Cofactors NADH and NAD+ to Enable the Use of NADH/NAD+-dependent Enzymatic Biocatalysts at Scale, Economically, and with an Enhanced Turnover Frequency
Ankita Bora	Development of Alkali Metal-based Copper Chalcogenide Nanocrystals for Energy Conversion Application
Maryam Karimijafari	Recyclable, Biological Piezoelectric Materials for Energy Harvesting from Ambient Vibrations (REVOLUTION)
Megan Vine	Evaluation of Women’s Sheds in Ireland: A Participatory and Ecological Approach
Sandeep Somvanshi	Magneto-Plasmonic Nanorods for Surface Enhanced Raman Spectro-Microscopy (SERM) based Multimodal Cancer Theranostics (NANOSERM)
Sara Natalia Moya Betancourt	Photoelectrocatalytic CO2 reduction at polarised liquid\|liquid interfaces functionalised with metallic nanofilms
Syed Abdul Ahad	Graphene-based Lithiophilic hosts for ‘Anode-free’ Solid State Batteries (GLASS)

Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholars

Name	Project Title
Ailbhe Dempsey	Religiosity, spirituality, and cardiovascular responses to acute psychological stress
Alsún Ní Mhéalóid	Biochemical and biophysical characterization of immunomodulatory enzymes (IMEs) produced by Lactobacillus species
Anastasiia Zubareva	Facilitators and challenges to refugees’ social inclusion in ireland
Anna-Mariya Lashkay	“Stranger in my skin”: Connecting Disidentification and Dissociation Through Social Identity Following Trauma
Catherine Cleary	Stable dry-powder formulations of monoclonal antibodies for pulmonary delivery (PulmoMAb)
Chloe O’Dwyer	Development of a framework to integrate sustainability in medical device development through practice-based design research
Darragh Collins	The feasibility of a school-based programme for improving muscular fitness, cognitive function and mental health outcomes in youth: ‘Resistance Training for Teens’ Ireland (RT4T-I).
Frank Fitzgerald	‘Plus ça change? How Does The Reorganisation of Government Ministries Affect Institutional Structures and Policy Outputs?’
Gabrielle Fath	Mature women in minor literature? Writing women's ageing in post-war European short fiction by Irish, Scottish and Swiss writers.
Isabel Andersson	Comprehensive biophysical characterisation of the human testes to inform the development of representative preclinical models
James Burns	Exploring the effectiveness of music therapy intervention on language and communication in young children with acquired communication impairments
Jelena Perišić	Spacetimes They Are A-Changin’: Re-shaping The Notion of Spacetime By Dissolving The Boundaries Between Sound, Music, Visuals And Text
Kexin Huang	An arts practice exploration of how the female originated Chinese script of Nüshu can illuminate Chinese feminism principles in contemporary dance.
Paloma Valencia Castro	Approximations of Practice for MA English Language Student Teachers: Optimising VLE Affordances in Teacher Education
Robert Hannan	Impact of Perceived Unfairness and Bias Relating to Diversity in Promotional Practices within an Educational Context
Róisín Cahill	Exploring the impact of physio-led education and home-based exercise for people with Rotator Cuff disorders in secondary care. A feasibility study.
Sarah Crowley	ADAPT - transforming ADolescent low bAck Pain care - a parTicipatory, mixed-methods approach
Tabitha Billingham	Integration of Injury and Illness Epidemiology around the Prevalence of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport in Ireland
Venkata sai manoj Palabathuni	Two - Dimensional Transition Metal Chalcogenides Based Novel Nanostructures: Control Over Structure, Surface and Electronic Properties for Electrocatalytic Applications
Victoria De Brún	Examining Cognitive and Non-Cognitive Factors Associated with Gendered Engagement and Performance in STEM
Xin Su	Identification and Assessment of Psychosocial Predictors of Occupational Burnout Syndrome Among Heroic Professionals.

Government of Ireland Environmental Protection Agency Scholarship

Name	Project Title
Gráinne Gibson	Unravelling the Intricacies Affecting Climate Action in Firms: The Role of Research and Development (R&D) and Digital Skill Shortages.