Research 2023-2024
Advancing Research
DCU has long been recognised for the excellence of its research in Life Science, and in April 2024, the University launched a major new initiative that aims to build on that reputation — DCU Life Sciences Institute (LSI). The creation of the LSI is a recognition of the importance of this field in creating solutions in areas from the environment to human health. With a mission to 'Transform Challenges into Impact', LSI’s more than 70 cross-disciplinary research teams are focused on addressing challenges in areas such as cancer treatment, environmental monitoring, human nutrition, bioplastics and neuroscience. Another significant development for DCU research was the launch of the first publication by DCU Press. This new publishing imprint, a joint initiative between DCU Library and the University’s Office of the Vice-President of Research, is Ireland’s first open-access university press. DCU Press provides free, immediate global access to new DCU academic publications online. In April 2024, the press launched its first publication – ‘Statecraft and Foreign Policy: India, 1947–2023’, by authors Prof Subrata K. Mitra, Dr Jivanta Schottli and Dr Markus Pauli. At the Faculty of Engineering and Computing, DCU researchers will play a key role in phase two of the SFI I-Form Research Centre. A €25m investment will directly support 5 Postdoctoral and 8 PhD researchers in the field of advanced manufacturing at DCU. In the six-year phase of the centre, I-Form's work will aim to provide new solutions for the Digitisation and Sustainability of advanced manufacturing.
Human Health
Across DCU’s faculties, researchers advanced our understanding of human health and behaviour. In a significant milestone, the US Federal Drug Administration granted ‘Breakthrough Device Designation’ to a DCU innovation for treating bone fractures. Researchers at DCU’s Biodesign Europe collaborated with Irish medical device company PBC Biomed to develop OsStic®, an injectable bioadhesive used for healing fractures. At the School of Chemical Sciences, researchers successfully treated drug-resistant Pancreatic cancer cells in a laboratory setting. The new delivery system is based on microscopic particles called ‘carbon-nano onions’, which can be loaded with medication and targeted to reach specific areas of the body. In November 2023, DCU’s SignON project was announced as the winner of the Engaged Research of the Year 2023 Award. The project aims to bridge the communication gap between Deaf, Hard of Hearing (DHH) and hearing people through the creation of accessible translation services powered by state-of-the-art artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, researchers in the School of Health and Human Performance showed that goalkeepers are ‘different’. The study highlighted differences in perception between professional goalkeepers and outfield players. It found that goalkeepers possess a heightened ability to rapidly and precisely combine sensory inputs, outshining outfield players in this area.
Decoding Challenges
The work of DCU researchers also explored a range of pressing societal issues. DCU’s Anti-Bullying Centre found that some social media platforms are rapidly amplifying misogynistic and male supremacist content. In the study, researchers tracked, recorded and coded the content recommended to 10 experimental or ‘sockpuppet’ accounts on 10 blank smartphones - five on YouTube Shorts and five on TikTok. The researchers found that all of the male-identified accounts were fed masculinist, anti-feminist and other extremist content, irrespective of whether they sought out general or male supremacist-related content, and that they all received this content within the first 23 minutes of the experiment. A first-of-its-kind collection, Police Custody in Ireland, focused on detention in Garda Síochána stations, critically examining it from human rights and best practice perspectives. The book, edited by Prof Yvonne Daly from DCU’s School of Law and Government, outlines significant concerns around a lack of oversight of police custody in Ireland and the need to provide additional supports and safeguards for children and vulnerable people. Research from the School of Communications revealed that a third of Irish journalists have faced legal action in the past five years. 'Irish Journalists at Work', a study co-authored by Dr Dawn Wheatley and Prof Kevin Rafter, also found that 25% of reporters had experienced surveillance over the previous five years, while 11% had experienced stalking.
Business Insights
At DCU Business School, new research highlighted gaps between industrial development and climate change policy goals. With Irish businesses aiming to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, the researchers found fundamental conflicts between Ireland’s planned industrial development and the state’s climate targets. Researchers from the DCU National Centre for Family Business found that Ireland is bucking the international trend when it comes to succession in family-owned enterprises. The report finds that males surveyed were significantly more likely to intend to be a successor than females, and to feel a significantly higher degree of ‘psychological ownership’ of the business. New research on the aviation industry was launched in the shape of a new publication Air Traffic Management - Principles, Performance, Markets. The collection explores an area of the sector that is significantly under-researched area, providing insights into the fundamental principles, performance, and market dynamics that define the domain of air traffic management in the current context.
Spotlight on Schools
Research and initiatives emanating from DCU Institute of Education made a significant impact during the year. An extensive literature review undertaken by more than 40 members of the Institute informed Ireland’s new Literacy, Numeracy and Digital Literacy Strategy. The 10-year strategy will influence the Irish education system and learners from birth to young adulthood. Researchers in the Institute also published a landmark report examining outcomes from the Creative Schools Programme, which was introduced in a selection of Irish primary and post-primary schools in 2018. Participants in schools and centres were overwhelmingly positive about their experience. In many instances, changes to how students perceive their place in the school, as well as improvements to the physical face of the school, can be directly attributed to the programme.