Research Newsletter - Issue 62: Spotlight

The National Centre for Sensor Research is a state of the art research facility hosted on the DCU Glasnevin campus and which was established by our former President Prof. MacCraith in 1999. The NCSR has received in excess of €100 million in research funding to date where its real track record in success has been in the incubation and growing of successful large scale research initiatives including the Biomedical Diagnostics Institute and the Irish Separations Science Cluster. Today, the Centre boasts over 3000 sq.m. of research laboratory space and works closely with the NRF at DCU to provide its researchers with access to high-end instrumentation. Sensor research is multidisciplinary and requires a host of expertise across a range of sciences e.g. biotechnology, chemistry, materials science, physics and engineering. As such, the NCSR currently plays host to over 20 DCU academics from across several Faculties to undertake research linked to chemical and biochemical sensor platform development and application. These academics and their extended research teams work together and enjoy the benefits of NCSR membership.

One of the overarching aims of the NCSR is to leverage our critical mass of expertise in sensor research across the Centre to realise a concerted, collaborative research effort. Beneficiaries of this effort include the PIs themselves who leverage collaborative Centre links to grow their own research, the host institute DCU, and nationally funded research initiatives such as the SFI Research Centres who are positioned to realise the impact of sensor research across a host of application spaces. PI-led research in the NCSR starkly intersects with the research of the SFI Centres where NCSR PIs are current Investigators in many of these Centres including FutureNeuro, I-Form, Insight, MaREI, CÚRAM and IPIC.

Sensors play a central role in society and it has become more evident than ever before during this COVID-19 pandemic that sensors that provide accurate and early detection can reduce the spread of viruses and infection and save lives. The NCSR mission to develop sensors and sensing technologies for societal benefit holds more significance than ever and Dr. Morrin very much looks forward to working with the Centre’s members on this grand challenge.

Dr. Morrin and the NCSR Executive Committee are actively seeking new members working in sensor-related research to join the NCSR. The NCSR is committed to supporting its members in growing their research in a highly collaborative environment, hosting PI-led research in its research facility, supporting grant proposal planning and preparation, and offering seed funding mechanisms to initiate collaborative research.

For more information on the NCSR and its new membership offering, please contact Dr. Aoife Morrin (aoife.morrin@dcu.ie).