DCU awarded over five million in research infrastructure funding

Dublin City University has been awarded over five million in research infrastructure funding in the most recent round of Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) awards to support Irish science.

In total €47.4 million was invested into 36 research infrastructure and facilities projects by the SFI with Dublin City University receiving the second highest allocation with five awards in total.

The funding awards will be invested in research facilities in the areas of animal and human health, advanced manufacturing and materials, nano technologies and telecommunications.

The following researchers and areas were awarded funding:

Professor Niall Barron has received a grant of over €1.1 million for investment into research facilities to examine mass spectrometry, which is an important technique for protein identification and characterisation. The knowledge gained from understanding proteins is fundamental to the understanding of cellular function, especially in disease.

Professor Gregory Hughes has been awarded an allocation of €1.9million for the creation of an Integrated Surface Modification and Characterisation Facility. It will enable the development of advanced manufacturing processes, at the nanoscale. It will bring together basic scientific knowledge with advanced manufacturing.

Professor Dermot Brabazon of the School of Chemical Sciences was awarded over €300,000 for an Atomic Force Microscope which is used to provide 2D & 3D images of surface at atomic dimensional levels.

Professor John Costello was awarded funding of over €800,000 for a facility which will help to decipher the fundamental quantum dynamics that impact sectors from optical telecoms, through functional materials to pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.

Dr Kieran Moran of the School of Health and Human Performance and the Insight Centre for Data Analytics was awarded funding for a project called Indoors and Outdoors Motion Analysis Systems.

Professor Liam Barry of the School of Electronic Engineering was awarded funding to advance research in the area of optical signals and radio signals.