Science and Health Research Opportunities
Details of potential PhD and Post-Doctoral research project opportunities within the DCU Faculty of Science and Health are outlined below. If you cannot find a project within your area of interest please contact science@dcu.ie with your curriculum vitae and we will refer your details onto the relevant member of staff.
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Cells within the body release extracellular vesicles (EVs) that can contain genetic material and signalling molecules. These EVs can mediate signalling to cells throughout the body, affecting major cell processes. One project in the lab focuses on the communication among cells of the neurovascular unit, a collection of cells that make up the blood-brain barrier (BBB), a unique characteristic of blood vessels in the brain. For instance, we are interested in changes in the microRNA content of EVs and how it changes in disease or following an injury. As microRNAs regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally, the changed EV content in disease may cause changes in BBB-related proteins, affecting barrier strength. Identifying these changes can help us understand how diseases such as epilepsy affect these cells and may represent viable therapeutic targets.
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Janosch Heller | janosch.heller@dcu.ie |
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MicroRNA function is disrupted in epilepsy and targeting microRNAs in neurons alleviates seizures. Another hallmark of epileptic tissue is astrocyte dysfunction which has not received much attention as a therapeutic target. Nanoscopic astrocytic processes contacting synapses and blood vessels contain the molecular machinery for microRNAs. We employ super-resolution microscopy to visualise astrocyte processes and microRNAs in rodent and human brain. Targeting microRNAs to influence astrocyte morphology, and increase local translation of ion channels, could allow the clearing of excess glutamate and potassium from the synaptic cleft and prevents seizure generation, offering a novel therapeutic strategy for epilepsy.
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Janosch Heller | janosch.heller@dcu.ie |
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Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterised by spontaneous seizures which can severely impact quality of life. A universal hallmark of epileptic tissue is astrocyte dysfunction in which ion channels and transporter deficiencies contribute to seizure generation. Of particular interest is the water channel aquaporin-4 (AQP4) which mislocalises in epilepsy. AQP4 is generally expressed in astrocytic endfeet where it facilitates detoxification of neural tissue through the glymphatic system. AQP4 operates in complex with the potassium channel Kir4.1, and their cell surface expression is mediated through the dystrophin-associated protein complex (DAPC) and the extracellular matrix. In this project, we use different microscopy techniques in a rodent model of epilepsy to visualise glymphatic system disturbance in epilepsy and to understand the molecular changes that affect this.
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Janosch Heller | janosch.heller@dcu.ie |
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Rheumatic diseases affect up to 60% of the 120-million EU-citizens, at an estimated cost of €240-billion with direct costs of 2% EU-GDP. Inflammatory Arthritis (IA), including Rheumatoid Arthritis(RA) and Psoriatic Arthritis(PsA) cause significant joint destruction, disability, increased mortality and are associated with co-morbidities leading to a severe impact on the productivity and quality of life of over 40.000 people in Ireland. While novel biotherapeutics have improved management of IA, there are no cures. Furthermore it is impossible to predict who will develop severe, erosive disease or who will respond to treatment thus patients are subjected to several rounds of “exploratory” treatments until the right treatment is identified. Importantly, this results in severe debilitating trauma for the patients. Identification of chemokine receptor repertoires associated with joint poly-T cells can lead to early targeted therapeutic interventions and improved patient stratification while, understanding the T-cell-synovial fibroblast crosstalk, will result in specific targeting of inflammatory pathways and novel therapies. CrossTalk will lead to significant advances in clinical practice and improved outcomes for patients. For further information please visit:
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Achilleas Floudas | achilleas.floudas@dcu.ie |
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Gene therapy for diabetic retinopathy: This project will optimise of a novel therapeutic (an engineered form of human angiopoietin-1, COMP-Ang1) for the treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy, a leading cause of blindness. It will employ (i) a tropism-broadening strategy to improve the ability of an adeno-associated virus (AAV) to deliver COMP-Ang1 into retinal cells and it will (ii) investigate cellular signalling mechanisms through which COMP-Ang1 may potentially repair damaged retinal capillaries.
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Philip Cummins | phil.cummins@dcu.ie |
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The interactions between artificial porous membranes and proteins govern several manufacturing and clinical treatment processes. The protein-membrane interactions can affect the separation efficiency of protein purification processes such as membrane filtration and membrane chromatography; they are also crucial to the haemodialysis where we would like to remove toxins including protein from the patient’s blood. Investigation of protein-membrane interactions will significantly contribute to those processes. In this project, the protein-membrane interactions with be studied at the molecular to macroscopic level by experimental and modelling studies: experimentally investigating the interaction behaviours under static and dynamic conditions; correlating the interaction behaviours to the protein structure and sequence and physiochemical properties of membranes.
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Yandi Lan | yandi.lan@dcu.ie |
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Investigation of the effects of semaglutide; a GLP-1 receptor agonist, on vascular function during diabetes mellitus. This PhD project will be based within the School of Biotechnology at DCU and will involve collaborating partners at Novo Nordisk and Beaumont Hospital. It will investigate the cardioprotective impacts of semaglutide (trade name Ozempic), a potent GLP-1RA therapeutic, using human multicellular vascular models (2D and 3D). Changes in cellular physiology and behavioural phenotype following direct (luminal) and indirect (abluminal) exposure to semaglutide will be profiled under both normoglycemic and hyperglycemic/diabetic settings
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Keith Rochfort | keith.rochfort@dcu.ie |
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Applying CRISPR-Cas technology to environmental DNA (eDNA) for biospecies monitoring. This project will involve the further development of our innovative new method for detecting specific species from eDNA https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com
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Anne Parle- McDermott | anne.parle-mcdermott@dcu.ie |
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The development of DNA based diagnostic assays to detect contaminating species that affect the brewing industry. This is a collaborative project with the Wicklow Hops Company to develop diagnostic assays for early detection of contaminating species such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae diastaticus and other relevant species using qPCR. The project will also explore the potential for applying our CRISPR-Cas based method as an alternative to PCR-based methodologies.
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Anne Parle- McDermott | anne.parle-mcdermott@dcu.ie |
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The anti-atherogenic potential of human mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes as novel vascular therapeutics. Human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) hold great potential for the treatment of several diseases, including arteriosclerotic vascular disease, with several clinical trials on mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based products currently under investigation. Their therapeutic effects are largely mediated by paracrine factors including exosomes, which are nanometer-sized membrane-bound vesicles with functions as mediators of cell-cell communication. MSC-derived exosomes contain cytokines and growth factors, signalling lipids, mRNAs, and regulatory miRNAs. Increasing evidence suggests that MSC-derived exosomes might represent a novel cell-free therapy with compelling advantages over parent MSCs such as no risk of tumour formation and lower immunogenicity.
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Paul A Cahill | paul.cahill@dcu.ie |
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Endothelial cell-derived exosomes and their putative control of vascular stem cell fate. Arteriosclerosis is the main cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Vascular endothelial cell dysfunction is a pivotal event in early intimal thickening and the progression of arteriosclerotic disease. Exosomes are bilayer membrane vesicles with cargos that contain a variety of surface proteins, markers, lipids, nucleic acids, and noncoding RNAs. Exosomes participate in the processes of cell migration, proliferation, apoptosis, hypertrophy and vascular regeneration.
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Paul A Cahill | paul.cahill@dcu.ie |
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Discovering new anti-inflammatory therapeutics.
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Christine Loscher | christine.loscher@dcu.ie |
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Shining a light on vascular phenotypes – single cell photonic fingerprints. Label-free technologies for probing distinct cellular phenotypes have attracted recent attention. Several different classes of label-free sensor detectors have been developed, including plasmonic, photonic, electrical and mechanical sensors. Light as a diagnostic and prognostic tool has several potential advantages including high sensitivity, non-destructive measurement, small or even non-invasive analysis and low limits of detection. The innate optical response comprises of scattering, absorbance, and auto-fluorescence signals. The combination of several fluorescence and/or absorbance bands together with scattering bands form a specific spectral response which is unique for each particular cell phenotype (photonic fingerprint).
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Paul A Cahill | paul.cahill@dcu.ie |
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Characterization of nanoparticle metabolite coronas and their biological impact using in vitro and in vivo systems and omics approaches. The increasing number of nanoparticles (NPs) present in consumer and industrial products elevate the risk of exposure for human health and the environment. Mechanistically a critical parameter for their toxicity is related to interactions of NPs which are mainly developed on their surface via the formation of coronas. So far, the interest is mainly focused on proteins adsorbed on NPs while there are only few studies focusing on the neglected parameter of the small molecule metabolite coronas. This PhD aims (a) to develop methods for aracterizing the composition of the metabolite/small molecule coronas using sensitive mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, (b) assess the physicochemical changes induced on NPs due to metabolite coating and (c) its impact using in vitro (cellular uptake and antimicrobial properties) and in vivo (daphniids) systems using metabolomic and proteomic analyses.
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Konstantinos Gkrintzalis | konstantinos.gkrintzalis@dcu.ie |
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Development of miniaturised approaches for assessment of the antimicrobial properties of nanomaterials. Engineered nanomaterials could provide novel alternative approaches that may be more potent to combat bacteria. Especially with bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics, nanoparticles and nanocoated surfaces could be the next generation materials against microbes. To estimate the antimicrobial effect of nanomaterials there is a challenge to move from large volume experiments to small-scale miniaturised approaches that would be cost effective and generate more reproducible results in a feasible experimental design. It is envisaged that this MSc project will generate a patented approach and commercial kit approach for antimicrobial assessment. It is proposed that interested students undertake this as a 4th year project to get familiar.
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Konstantinos Gkrintzalis | konstantinos.gkrintzalis@dcu.ie |
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Are functional genome-wide polymorphisms in DNA damage repair genes of pancreatic cancer patients associated with response to DNA damaging agents? Research performed by the Walsh lab (Walsh et al. 2018, JNCI) has identified key dysregulation in SNPs linked to the DNA damage repair pathway in pancreatic cancer patients. However, the role of these SNPs in response to therapeutic interventions that target DNA repair deficiency is limited. This study will use 3D pancreatic cancer organoids developed by the Walsh lab (Nelson et al. 2020, Sci Reports) and those generated as part of the MSCA-Horizon2020-ITN Precode to elucidate the role of genome-wide SNPs on facilitating DNA damage by clinical agents known to confer repair deficient phenotype (novel agents and established) in non-BRCA1/2 mutated pancreatic cancers.
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Naomi Walsh | naomi.walsh@dcu.ie |
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Uveal melanoma organoids as preclinical models to study the spatial and clonal genomic drivers of UM 50% of uveal melanoma (UM) will metastasise. Currently, there is no clinically-approved therapy for advanced/metastatic UM. UM has a very distinct genomic landscape; however the lack of appropriate preclinical models has hampered the identification of new therapies for this disease. The Walsh lab has developed a panel 3D UM organoids. We are currently performing NGS profiling of primary tissue and matched 3D organoids to identify the genomic clonality of this disease. This research will specifically establish CRISPR/Cas9 preclinical UM organoids based on the spatial and clonal genomic drivers of UM to identify novel therapeutic combinations to treat UM at all stages of genomic evolution of this disease.
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Naomi Walsh | naomi.walsh@dcu.ie |
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Genetic variation in the mitochondrial genome and its role in human healthspan and ageing. Common age-related chronic diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, coronary artery disease, diabetes and common cancers, present a huge socioeconomic burden, with an estimated one billion prevalent cases diagnosed globally. Mitochondria regulate a wide range of cellular functions, including multiple age-related processes. This project will assess the role of mitochondrial genetic variation in biological ageing and a range of chronic conditions, taking advantage of the genetic and phenotypic data on ~500,000 individuals from the UK Biobank.
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Denise Harold | denise.harold@dcu.ie |
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Integrating multidisciplinary geoscientific data into forecasting models to monitor and predict coastal change:Proof of concept in Dublin Bay.
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Brian Kelleher |
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The design and preparation of a new generation of water soluble near infra-red abosorbing fluorinated phthalocyanines for application in antibacterial photodynamic therapy and theranostics.
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Kieran Nolan |
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Molecular switches for light-controlled drug delivery. The study of new stimuli-responsive nano-devices is gaining great attention in the nanomedicine realm. The careful design of nano-carriers opens new opportunities for smart platforms responsive to different endogenous or exogenous stimuli. In this context the development of new light- controlled systems is a challenging and promising field of investigation for new applications in the biological and biomedical fields. The possibility of regulating systems with a low invasive tool like visible light is promising for photo-pharmacological purposes. Light stimuli can be controlled in space and time with high precision and can be easily modulated in terms of intensity and precise operation wavelength. Moreover, the assembly of coordination complexes of light-controlled scaffolds with particular ligands presenting intrinsic properties itself represents a new way to study multi stimuli-responsive materials for applications in the biological realm.
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Silvia Giordani |
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The post antibiotic era; new routes to target antimicrobial resistance (Microresist). The emergence of drug resistant bacteria, is limiting the treatment of infections, and alternative drug delivery systems are urgently required. In this project (between DCU and RCSI) innovative antimicrobial materials will be designed and assessed for antimicrobial activity.
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Mary Pryce |
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Using sustainable materials for hydrogen generation (SustainH2). Hydrogen has considerable potential, as a renewable energy source to address climate change. In this project, photocatalytic assemblies for Hydrogen generation will be designed and studied together with collaborators (in the UK).
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Mary Pryce |
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From benzamides to macrocyclic imides and beyond: experiences at the interface of synthetic chemistry, halogen bonding crystallography and molecular modelling. The synthesis of n x m isomer grids of halogenated benzamides and their physicochemical analyses facilitates in depth and comprehensive studies of their structures and interaction environments. New approaches/methods in the interaction landscape are being developed in collaboration with researchers at the University of Lorraine, Nancy, France.
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John Gallagher |
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Capture and utilisation of carbon dioxide through reaction with aziridines and epoxides under dual lewis acid catalysis. With increased concern over carbon dioxide emissions leading to climate change and ocean acidification, the development of new methods that utilise carbon dioxide as a C1 source for high value product formation has assumed great importance. The proposed catalytic methods will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide that is emitted into the atmosphere by converting carbon dioxide into high value products e.g. medicines and fine chemicals.
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Nessan Kerrigan |
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Harnessing radical oxidation/photocatalysis for the organocatalytic synthesis of bicyclic molecules. Green catalytic technologies that involve the use of an inexpensive organic catalyst, that is readily recyclable and reusable, represent a compelling new direction for organic chemistry. This project seeks to take advantage of readily available radical oxidants and photocatalysts and utilise them in a cooperative fashion with organocatalysts (amines and phosphines) in the development of a new approach to important bicyclic molecules (e.g. tetralones).
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Nessan Kerrigan |
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Catalytic asymmetric synthesis of gamma-lactones for pharmaceutical synthesis. This proposal is chiefly concerned with the development of efficient enantioselective methodologies suitable for the asymmetric synthesis of monocyclic gamma-lactones from simple, readily available or commercially available starting materials (carboxylic acids and vinyl sulfoxonium salts). We are interested in the development of these new technologies because gamma-lactones offer great promise as valuable building blocks for the efficient construction of pharmaceuticals (e.g. pregabalin, a treatment for epilepsy) as well as being drug entities themselves (e.g. pilocarpine, a 3,4-substituted gamma-lactone, a treatment for glaucoma and dry mouth).
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Nessan Kerrigan |
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Asymmetric synthesis of cyclohexanones through cooperative lewis acid-lewis base catalysis. This proposal is focused on the development of highly enantioselective methodologies suitable for the asymmetric synthesis of cyclohexanones from readily available starting materials (acid chlorides/ketenes and cyclobutanes). The importance of cyclohexanones stems from the fact that they are key intermediates in the synthesis of natural products such as steroids, and in addition they often possess interesting biological activity in their own right (e.g. (-)-Penienone, a plant growth regulator).
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Nessan Kerrigan |
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Development of novel centrifugal microfluidic platforms facilitating on-site sample preparation and analysis of emergent contaminants in water, soil and food. Microfluidic compact-disc (mCD) devices use centrifugal forces for fluid propulsion and can perform parallel and multiplex assays through radial replication of structures on the same disc. New mCD platforms integrating features such as stationary phases and stored reagents for sample preparation and analysis will be designed, fabricated (for example, via 3D printing), and characterised in terms of microfluidic channel size and reproducibility, transparency for optical detection, and platform analytical performance for on-site determination of emergent contaminants in water, soil and food samples.
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Mercedes Vazquez |
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Coupling of low-cost detection systems with microfluidic-based analytical systems for on-site environmental analysis. In order to build a simple, low-cost, portable system for on-site environmental analysis, colorimetric detection by means of a smartphone camera will be investigated for coupling with polymeric microfluidic chips. Validation of this low-cost analytical system in the analysis of common water pollutants such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals and heavy metals will be carried in fresh and marine waters. Further integration of this system with low-cost, sensitive ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) for simultaneous determination of inorganic cations and anions present in common fertilisers and road de-icing chemicals will be investigated.
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Mercedes Vazquez |
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Advancing drug development for salts with first-principles modelling. There is a significant drive in industry to use computational modelling to speed up the drug development process by predicting materials properties of active pharmaceutical early on in the development process, limiting time- and material-consuming experimental work. This project will benchmark state-of-the-art computational modelling approaches for predicting the stability and properties of salt forms of APIs, which dramatically improve properties such as solubility.
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Anthony Reilly |
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Integrating multidisciplinary geoscientific data into forecasting models to monitor and predict coastal change: Proof of concept in Dublin Bay. Coastal zones are threatened by forces such as climate change and sea-level rise that combine to drive increasingly intense storms, flooding, and erosion. Assessment and prediction of coastal vulnerability can only be achieved by systematic and sustained monitoring of physical, chemical and biological processes that occur in coastal zones. The objective of our project is a coordinated program of coastal observations that will be used to validate, calibrate and extract as much information as possible from satellite environmental data. We will integrate these datasets to generate forecasting models that can be used to predict environmental change and inform future planning. This role will involve the biogeochemical analysis of seawater and sediment. An aptitude for chemical analysis and maintenance of equipment would be desirable.
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Brian Kelleher |
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Holocene climates in Ireland. Coastal zones are threatened by forces such as climate change and sea-level rise that combine to drive increasingly intense storms, flooding, and erosion. Prediction of coastal evolution that is influenced by climate change is based on numerical climate models. However, extensive validation is required not only for improvement of model performance but also for accurately quantifying the errors and consistency of the predictions. Only by robustly reconstructing past regional and global climatic change can we understand natural climate variability, validate prediction models and interpret future scenarios. However, our knowledge of climate in the mid to late Holocene record in Ireland is patchy as there is variability in proxy data and significant uncertainties exist. Furthermore, there is very little data on early Holocene climates1. Our understanding of climate change in the Holocene is critical, as natural climate variations can disguise any human-influenced climate change. This project will reconstruct coastal climate records in Ireland through the analysis of organic geochemical indicators or “proxies” from cores taken from coastal areas in Ireland. The biological, physical, and chemical nature of these proxies make them very complementary to inorganic paleoclimate proxies widely used today, (e.g. oxygen and carbon isotopes) and have not been used in Ireland to reconstruct past climates.
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Brian Kelleher |
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Muscle architecture as a prospective risk factor for lower limb injuries in male and female collegiate athletes.
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Fearghal Behan |
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The efficacy of strengthening programmes in the primary and secondary prevention of lower limb injuries in collegiate athletes
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Enda Whyte |
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Does an innovative concussion multi-disciplinary specialised model of care system enhance outcomes following a concussion?
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Enda Whyte |
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Identifying running injuries using a single wearable sensor. While running is one of the most popular sports and physical activities with numerous health benefits, the prevalence rates of running-related injuries (RRIs) is very high. We recently completed one of the largest prospective biomechanics-based studies to identify the causes of RRIs. We now want to expand on this work by determining if a single wearable sensor on the runner’s lower back could be used to identify predisposition to injury, and if so, whether we can reduce the likelihood of that injury reoccurring. This project will involve working with biomechanists and therapists within the School of Health and Human Performance, as well as data analytical specialists within Insight SFI Centre for Data Analytics.
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Kieran Moran | kieran.moran@dcu.ie |
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This project would involve investigations into mathematics education issues that arise in post-primary or in third-level, with a possible focus on pre-service teachers. The exact topic could depend on your own particular interests, and as such, the project would be most appropriate for students who are completing a mathematics education qualification such as PE and Maths, or Science Education
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Eabhnat Ní Fhloinn |
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Gender differences in high-stakes mathematics assessments. In recent years, results in Higher Level Leaving Certificate Mathematics have shown the emergence of an alarming disparity in the number of females attaining the highest grades relative to the number of males. Reasons for this are poorly understood, but some international studies have claimed that different levels of risk-aversion and test anxiety among students can influence gender differences in outcomes. The aim of this project is to study gender differences in risk-averse/risk-taking strategies in high stakes mathematics examinations in the Irish setting.
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Brien Nolan |
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Gravitational collapse of collisionless matter. The key open problem in mathematical General Relativity (Einstein's geometric theory of the gravitational field) is to resolve Penrose's Cosmic Censorship Hypothesis: can gravitational collapse give rise to 'naked' singularities, or are such singularities always concealed by a black hole horizon? This project will address this question in the case of the Einstein-Vlasov system, which models the gravitational collapse of a cloud of collisionless particles.
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Brien Nolan |
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Proto-planetary disks - a turbulent planetary nursery? Over the past few years thousands of planets have been found orbiting other stars. Despite this, how planets actually form still remains a mystery. In this project, the existing world-leading astrophysical simulation code developed in DCU will be expanded to incorporate detailed physics to understand with unprecedented accuracy the structure of these proto-planetary disks so that we can understand the conditions within which planets form.
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Turlough Downes |
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Constructing quantum field theories in curved spacetimes. Quantum field theories form the most advanced framework for fundamental physics. In the presence of gravitational fields they display remarkable phenomena, such as black hole radiation. Unfortunately, a precise mathematical description of interacting theories, beyond perturbation theory, is quite challenging. The goal of this project is to try out and develop new methods, using techniques from the theory of operator algebras, that will help us to construct and/or classify such interacting theories in general curved backgrounds.
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Ko Sanders |
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Designing appropriate tasks for the new JC mathematics specification. Description: Reform of junior cycle at post-primary has seen a new specification for Mathematics recently introduced into schools. This specification outlines the importance of tasks which engage pupils in authentic problem solving and rich learning experiences. However, recent research on Irish textbooks highlights serious inadequacies in the textbook tasks available to teachers and pupils in this regard. This project aims to follow best practice to design tasks to address this disparity.
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Sinead Breen |
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Massive amounts of images and maps of the environment have truly changed the way one perceives the world and dramatically facilitated monitoring and development operations. Efficient reuse of the existing image data can substantially reduce the need for costly manual labour during mapping, planning and monitoring campaigns. This project aims at enabling automatic exploitation of heterogeneous data including street pictures (e.g., Google Street View), satellite images and existing maps. The work will focus on statistical modeling for information extraction and fusion, as well as deep learning for image processing.
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Vladimir Krylov |
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Ireland is in the fortunate and rare position of having the largest collection of medical folklore within Europe in the Schools Manuscript Collection 1937 – 38 which was collected by primary school children from oral histories given to the by family members and neighbours. This project seeks to examine the health beliefs, behaviours and practices in mid-20th Century Ireland and the role of ‘modern medicine’ within this time frame; focusing on healers, herbalism and supernatural belief of the lay population.
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Carol Barron |
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Improving NK cell function in prostate cancer through calcium channel manipulation. NK cell suppression is a key hallmark of cancer and associated with poorer patient outcomes. Intracellular calcium is known to regulate NK function and thus represents a potential novel target in “reactivating” NK cells towards cancer cells.
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Paul Buchanan |
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Increased calcium mobilisation in prostate cancer promotes stem cell resistance through hypoxic signalling. Cancer stem cells are known to play a key role in cancer initiation, progression and treatment resistance and their proliferation/ differentiation is supported by calcium mobilisation. Increased calcium mobilisation has been shown to promote stem cells resistant to androgen deprivation therapy through hypoxic signalling, identifying responsible calcium channels could highlight novel targets for future therapeutics that leads to improved patient survival.
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Paul Buchanan |
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The Hearing Voices (HV) Movement is an international movement which aims to assist people to develop more helpful ways of coping with the experience of voice hearing. This study aims to investigate the impact of two key interventions in the HV approach, attendance at Hearing Voices (HV) Groups and participation in the Maastricht Interview, in Ireland.
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Mary Farrelly |
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Transnational healthcare in the EU. In the EU as well as globally, healthcare has moved from being solely a national affair to also being increasingly transnationalised. In parallel with the rising importance of multinational corporations in healthcare provision, European healthcare workers and patients have become more and more mobile. By adopting a social science perspective attentive to the larger social context, projects may look at topics such as: medical tourism and patient and healthcare worker experiences; medical deserts and mobile healthcare workers; experiences of patients' recourse to EU legislation in the area of cross-border care (e.g. Directive on patient's rights in cross-border care; European Health Insurance Card).
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Sabina Stan |
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Revealing the puzzles of gamma-ray binary systems. PSR B1259-63 is one of the very few binary systems visible from radio up to TeV energies. In this system radio pulsar is in the 3.4 year orbit with the massive young Be star. 2017 observations demonstrated GeV flares during 30 times more energetic than is provided by the pulsar. This project is devoted to the detailed modelling of this system and analysis of the new results that will come in 2022. Results of this modelling will be also important to explain the emission from other gamma-ray binaries which are also known to be extremely efficient in the release of the available energy.
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Masha Chernyakova |
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Self assembled monolayers for area selective deposition. Tuning the properties of self-assembled monolayers allows for selective deposition during atomic layer deposition (ALD) processes. We aim to develop a fundamental understanding of the interface chemistry during the SAM grafting and ALD steps that will inform the development of novel processes for selective deposition of a range of industrial relevant materials.
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Rob O'Connor |
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This physics education project concerns teaching and learning of physics at university level, possibly building on past projects that have investigated student difficulties with electric circuits, and mathematical tools such as graphing, integration, ODEs, and vector calculus in physics, as well as developing and implementing teaching and learning sequences designed to address these. The details of the project will be determined together with the student and will be tailored to their strengths and interests.
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Paul Van Kampen |
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Femtosecond Dynamics of Materials for Next Generation Extreme-UV (EUV) Lithography. Lithography is the key step in the so-called Moore’s Law of Semiconductor Miniaturisation, by which optical patterns are transferred to a wafer, which ultimately result in nanometer scale features and components, on-chip. The project will use a new, state-of-the-art, ultrafast (femtosecond) laser spectroscopy suite to explore and optimise nanoparticle based materials to meet the stringent requirements that moving from UV to EUV patterning will require.
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John Costello |
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Laser Ablation and Analysis for Improved Aerodynamic Performance. It has been well established that the aerodynamic performance, i.e., lift, drag and pitching moment (amongst others) of aerofoils for aircraft, wind turbines, etc. is critically dependent surface roughness and texture. The project idea is to use pulsed laser ablation (PLA) to remove contaminants in a gentle and controlled fashion using laser desorption/ablation while simultaneously analysing their chemical composition using fibre-optically coupled spectrometry (so-called LIBS) in situ at the turbine blade.
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John Costello |
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Isotopically enriched ZnO nanostructures: ZnO nanostructures are an important class of wide bandgap semiconductor nanostructure and tailoring the isotopic composition of both the Zn and O elements allows tuning of key materials properties such bandgap energy. This project will develop innovative methods for growth of such nanostructures and study the resultant materials properties in the resultant nanostructures.
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Enda McGlynn |
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Synthesis of ordered arrays of nanoshell structures for photon trapping: The use of nanostructures for light management is an area of importance for a range of photonic and renewable energy applications, including photovoltaics. This project will develop novel methods to synthesis ordered arrays of hollow nanoshells to tailor and enhance light absorption in thin layers of materials and will characterise the key properties of the nanostructured materials obtained.
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Enda McGlynn |
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The Origin and Evolution of Cosmic Magnetism. Uncovering the origin and understanding the evolution of cosmic magnetic fields is one of the key science goals in astrophysics. Magnetic fields are challenging to measure in intergalactic space because they are often very weak. This project will use data from the LOFAR (Low Frequency Array) radio telescope to measure the effect of weak cosmic magnetic fields with unprecedented accuracy (more than 100 times better than with other telescopes), and map their evolution with cosmic time.
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Shane O'Sullivan |
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The intended learning outcomes from Physics education has changed dramatically over the last 20 years – from a focus of acquisition of content knowledge towards development of competences across the domains of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values. New approaches to teaching, learning and assessment are required to bring about these changes. This project focuses on supporting pre-service and in-service teachers, to collaborate and communicate innovative approaches that address key issues of how to design learning, embed formative assessment and inclusive practices in physics education to improve physics for all those in and seeking to learn physics.
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Eilish McLoughlin |
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Understanding relativistic jets from supermassive black holes
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Shane O'Sullivan |
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The potential use of neuroscience evidence in the pre-trial, trial and sentencing process; with consideration for how neuroscience can impact mental health law, including the law of insanity.
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Lorraine Boran |
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The overall aims are to determine healthy and memory concerns in the elderly, in particular when it comes to financial and legal matters. Autonomy, driving independence and the capacity to manage one’s finances are pressing challenges facing older individuals. The latter focus on financial decisional capacity is important, as diminished capacity has been noted in older individuals with cognitive impairment and dementia. Where financial capacity is not assumed or challenged, it can leave the individual open to potential financial elder abuse. Such abuse is the most prevalent form of elder abuse in Ireland.
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Lorraine Boran |
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The 'Caught Being Good Game as a pre-school classroom management tool. The Caught Being Good Game (CBGG) is a positive gamified intervention that has been used to teach good classroom behaviours through a team game which is based on principles of positive behaviour support. Research has demonstrated its efficacy mainly with primary school age children and additional research is needed to explore that adaptations needed to use the game with younger children.
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Sinéad Smyth |
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Assistive technologies in the higher education setting. The aims of this project are to 1) explore current practices and attitudes regarding assistive technology usage among third level students, 2) assess the use of off the shelf technologies to support students with specific needs. The scope and focus of the project can be refined in consultation with the student.
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Sinéad Smyth |
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Holistic approaches to understand the neurochemical mechanisms underlying Fragile X syndrome. The Fmr1 knock out mouse is a commonly used model for the X-linked disorder Fragile X and shows many of the behavioural and neurophysiological symptoms associated with the disorder. In particular, Fmr1 knock out mice are an excellent model for seizures associated with Fragile X as it is possible to induced audiogenic seizures by playing a loud auditory tone (avoiding seizure-inducing drugs) or procedures that could affect the brain (e.g. cannula implantation). These audiogenic seizures respond to pharmacological interventions, including ganaxolone. Using a series of interventions (i.e. ketogenic diet, cannabinoids, ganaxolone, antioxidants) we will focus on the metabolic pathways and networks that could effectively provide new knowledge over the neural mechanisms of different types of seizures.
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Stella Vlachou |
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Holistic approaches to understand the cause of epilepsy and means for prevention of epileptic seizures using cannabinoids. Epilepsy describes a group of neurological disorders characterized by unpredictable seizures resulting in physical injuries. Currently, clinical research is focusing on understanding what triggers seizures, as well as the means to decrease their occurrence. In the current era of revolutionizing approaches in healthcare, novel fields of biological sciences have emerged to aid towards better understanding of molecular pathology of diseases and medical conditions. In this context, research focusing on metabolic pathways and networks could provide new knowledge over the neural mechanisms of different types of epilepsy and identify potential targets for future treatment of them. Taking into account that currently there is neither a therapy for epilepsy nor extensive knowledge over its mechanisms, the proposed research focuses on the use of the cannabinoid compound cannabidiol in an animal model of epilepsy to determine whether it can act protectively against epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures will be induced in mice to study the metabolic changes in the brain which is the source and locus of epilepsy, aiming to determine the key molecular pathways which could be translated to humans for drug target development. Based on data from the proposed study, future directions will focus on the potential therapeutic use of cannabinoid compounds for specific types of epilepsy, such as the Dravet syndrome.
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Stella Vlachou |
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The GABA-B Receptors as a therapeutic target for substance use disorders; links with cognitive function and personality traits. Preliminary and published studies by Vlachou, as well as published studies by other research groups have shown that GABA-B receptors play an important role in various addiction stages for drugs of abuse, such as cocaine, alcohol and nicotine. This project will aim to extend these findings through behavioural studies and animal models in rats by further linking cognitive aspects and personality traits to addiction stages. The aim is to collaborate with chemists and pharmacologists for the development of novel GABA-B receptor modulators and test them behaviourally in our lab (collaborations to be confirmed).
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Stella Vlachou |
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Assessment of benefits and risks of co-administration of caffeine with dopamine-enhancing drugs in rats.This project aims to investigate in rats the acute behavioural, pharmacological and neurochemical effects of caffeine intake in combination with drugs that enhance dopaminergic signaling. It will focus on the study of the effects of caffeine co-administration with three different psychotropic drugs that are used either for recreational or medical purposes in humans.
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Stella Vlachou |
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Cannabis use in Ireland; a full behavioural and cognitive assessment in adolescence and early adulthood. Collaborators: Hugh Gallagher, Psychiatrist, HSE Ballymun; Ray Walley, GP; Mary Cannon, Psychiatrist, Beaumont Hospital/RCSI; Bobby Smith, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, TCD (discussions initiated, collaborations to be confirmed)
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Stella Vlachou |
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Uncovering the neural mechanisms mediating age-related decline in human perceptual decision-making. Older adults have been shown to be slower and less accurate at making basic decisions; however identifying the neural mechanisms underlying this decline in decision-making behaviour represents a considerable challenge since even elementary choices rely on a multitude of sensory and cognitive processes. To parse out the different processes contributing to the age-related decline in decision-making, this project will leverage recent developing brain imaging methods that allow for the measuring of signals associated with these different processes coupled with coupled with computational 'sequential sampling' models.
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David McGovern |
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Target learning interventions for the treatment of age-related visual decline. This project will aim to establish the key underlying causes of visual decline in older adults and use these findings to develop new rehabilitative strategies for improving the main visual difficulties encountered by elderly populations.
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David McGovern |
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Supporting assisted decision making for people with cognitive impairment.
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Louise Hopper |
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The efficacy of social prescribing interventions for people with dementia and their family carers. The aim of this PhD will be to identify and test the efficacy of suitable social prescribing interventions for people with dementia and their family carers. ‘Social Prescribing’ is a model of care where individuals work with healthcare professionals to co-produce a personalised care plan that includes available community-based supports as well as formal services and family supports. People are typically referred to these interventions from a GP or community health worker and they particularly suit people who are lonely or isolated, have long-term conditions, complex social and/or psychological needs or are caregivers. Models of SP include arts, books, education/information or exercise on prescription; green gyms, healthy living initiatives, social enterprise schemes and time banks. They have been shown to increase self-esteem, confidence, empowerment, mood, well-being and quality of life.
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Louise Hopper |
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Understanding the meaning of 'Quality of Life and Wellbeing' for people living with dementia. There is no consensus on the optimal approach for outcome assessment in dementia research, yet suitable outcome measures are needed in order to support the comprehensive evaluation of the impact of interventions; particularly psychosocial interventions. The aim of the PhD would be to explore the understanding of well-being and quality of life with people with mild cognitive impairment and all stages of dementia, with family caregivers and with formal caregivers with a view to identifying the key psychosocial constructs that should be captured when measuring each,
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Louise Hopper |
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Assistive technologies and older adults: understanding and measuring the impact of Digital Literacy. There is a large potential market for assistive technologies that work for older adults. Although concepts such as acceptability and usability, and contact and familiarity with technology are often measured in assistive technology projects, a clear understanding of the definition and impact of 'Digital Literacy' is missing. Digital Literacy refers to an individual's ability to find, evaluate, and compose clear information through writing and other mediums on various digital platforms. This PhD will define, model and develop a mechanism for measuring digital literacy in an adult or specifically older adult group.
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Louise Hopper |
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The effectiveness of augmented and virtual reality to reduce loneliness and support social well-being of older adults. As we age, developing meaningful relationships with others and maintaining a social network to overcome loneliness is critical. Most augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) studies focus on physical and psychological well-being of older adults. This PhD would explore the effects of AR and VR on loneliness and social well-being of older adults.
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Louise Hopper |
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Effectiveness of and age-related differences in augmented and virtual reality technology use for memory retrieval. Despite the reported benefits of head-mounted display (HMD) technology, results of previous studies are not conclusive in terms of the advantages of HMD in assessing cognitive performance nor in its usability with older adults. To date, a clear investigation into the differences in virtual reality performance based on age is also missing. This PhD would investigate age-related differences in virtual and augmented technology use for memory retrieval including episodic and prospective memory.
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Louise Hopper |
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Developing CORE outcome measures for digital behaviour change interventions. There is proliferation in eHealth or digital behavioural change interventions for health outcomes. While these interventions prove to be efficacious across many health related behaviours, as yet there is no standardised way to record and measure participant engagement in the context of digital interventions. The aim of this research is to develop via consensus methods an agreed set of measures to be used in eHealth or digital behaviour change interventions. It is envisaged that this CORE outcome set will then be used by researchers when conducting digital behaviour change interventions.
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Brian Slattery |
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EMPATI: ecological momentary assessments for pain and just in time. Interventions to support pain management. Ecological momentary assessments (EMA) delivered via a smartphone app and prompt a participant in their natural environment to complete an assessment. The aim of this research is to use EMA’s to develop a behavioural phenotype for pain, and predict pain related experiences. Using this information we will use just-in-time adaptive interventions to deliver personalised support for people living with pain.
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Brian Slattery |
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Risk factors associated with alcohol and substance abuse in young adults. Poor insight represents a major impediment to treatment in a number of clinical disorders, including in individuals who abuse alcohol and substances. This study uses objective measures of insight (eye-tracking) to investigate the degree to which poor insight may leave young people at risk of developing alcohol and substance use disorders.
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Catherine Fassbender |
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COVID-19 has led to the closing of many health and social care supports and services and community-based activities that people with dementia and their family caregivers depend on. This PhD will explore the impact of these lost supports and services on quality of care, quality of life and wellbeing of people with dementia and their family caregivers, and the burdensome aspects of care for those supporting people with dementia. It will recommend how those living with dementia can be better supported in pandemics such as COVID-19. There are opportunities to approach this question from a policy perspective and/or from an intervention design perspective.
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Louise Hopper | louise.hopper@dcu.ie |
National Institute for Cellular Biotechnology
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Determination of the functional impact of germline Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in ERBB-family genes associated with clinical resistance of HER2-positive breast cancer to trastuzumab.
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Alexander Eustace |
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In vitro Assessment of Calcium Channel Modulation in breast cancer cell lines with acquired trastuzumab response. HER2-positive breast cancer is one of the most aggressive breast cancer subtypes and is classified by cancer cells that either overexpress or have amplification of the tyrosine kinase (TK) pathways. Calcium is known to play a role in supporting tyrosine kinase signalling and thus contribute to cancer progression. Determining the impact of calcium on promoting TK resistance could identify novel targets to improve patient responses to existing treatments.
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Alexander Eustace and Paul Buchanan |
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Manipulation of autophagy to inhibit cancer cell growth in autophagy-addicted cancers. Inhibiting autophagy has had limited success in cancer except where the cancer cells are autophagy-dependent. This project will investigate a selection of cancer cell types (lung, colorectal and pancreatic cancer cells) including those addicted to autophagy, to evaluate combination therapy with autophagy inhibitors.
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Joanne Keenan |
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Zinc supplementation: impact of source on intestinal epithelium and absorption under normal and inflammatory conditions. Zinc is an essential micronutrient that can be deficient in diets, especially the elderly. In this project, using intestinal in vitro models, several sources of Zinc will be analysed to determine absorption and the impact on the intestinal epithelium. The protective role of zinc in the intestinal epithelium under inflammatory conditions will also be investigated.
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Joanne Keenan |
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Mechanisms of action and resistance of FOLFIRINOX in pancreatic cancer. FOLFIRINOX, a combination of chemotherapies, is standard of care therapy in pancreatic cancer. It gives a greater response in patients compared to gemcitabine + abraxane combination. However, FOLFIRINOX is not prescribed to all pancreatic cancer patients, only those with a sufficiently high performance score, that is, those well enough to withstand the therapy. The side effects associated with these treatments can be severe. The aim of this project is to establish the precise mechanism of action of the combination treatment, assess the benefits of changing the scheduling of these agents to reduce side effects and increase the anti-cancer effect, as well as understand the mechanism surrounding innate and acquire resistance to these agents.
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Sandra Roche / Martin Clynes |
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Understanding the mechanism of metastases in pancreatic cancer. Only 25% of pancreatic cancer patients are legible for potentially curative surgical resection. Surgical resection is only available to patients whose tumour have not metastasised. Using a biobank of adjacent normal pancreatic tissue collected at the time of surgical resection, this project will explore the mechanisms by which the tumour influences the adjacent normal tissue to allow for local advancement of disease.
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Sandra Roche / Martin Clynes |
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miRNAs in Pancreatic Cancer. Survival rates are very poor in pancreatic cancer, partly because early stages of the disease are asymptomatic, so that when diagnosed it is usually quite advanced and has invaded locally and often metastasised. The core concept of this project is to use differential expression of miRNAs as a tool to further understand the biology of human pancreatic cancer. Identified miRNA targets from microarray analysis, will be integrated in established pancreatic cancer cell lines using stable vector manipulation after which phenotypic analysis will be undertaken.
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Martin Clynes / Fiona O'Neil |
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Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer using Radiation therapy. Pancreatic cancer patients receive both chemotherapy and conventional radiotherapy involving small sequential daily doses of radiation. Based on recent developments in imaging for tumour localisation and treatment delivery technology, new regimes utilising hypo-fractionation ablative radiotherapy, including stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) and intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) have been established.While a significant amount of radiation biology knowledge exists in relation to resistance by conventional therapy affecting cancer cells, there is limited information on mechanisms of resistance to newer regimes such as SABR and IMRT hypo-fractionated ablative radiotherapy.The rationale of this research project is to gain a better understanding of the molecular pathways and key genes in pancreatic cancer cells models made radio-resistant by exposure to the new high-dose hypo-fractionated ablative radiotherapy regimes.
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Fiona O'Neill / Michael Moriarity |
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Metabolic optimisation of skeletal muscle mitochondria: The aim of this project is to investigate the effect of contraction and nutrient efficacy on mitochondrial biogenesis and function in skeletal muscle. The overall outcome will be identify combination strategies that metabolically enhance cell energy metabolism that can be used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes and (ii) offset the negative impact of physical inactivity and ageing.
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Donal O'Gorman |
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Proteomic characterisation of drug resistance in cancer: Drug resistance is a well-known phenomenon that results when diseases become tolerant to pharmaceutical treatments and is a major challenge in cancer treatment. This project will focus on characterising drug resistant models of human cancers that have been rendered resistant by repeated pulse exposure to combinations of biological and small molecule therapeutics most relevant to each cancer type. Cross-resistance patterns and mechanisms of resistance will be studiedat the proteomic level using advanced LC-MS/MS technology and state-of-the-art protein/peptide mass spectrometry instrumentation. The outcomes of the project will lead to an improved understanding of drug resistant mechanisms in cancer that has the potential to develop new therapeutics to treat or prevent drug resistance in cancer cells.
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Paula Meleady |
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Identification and characterisation of post-translational modifications in recombinant Chinese hamster ovary cell lines. The Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line is the dominant mammalian expression system for the production of biopharmaceuticals. Improving the efficiency of production of these biologics will be critical in controlling costs to healthcare systems as more of these drugs come to market. We have previously carried out a number of studies concentrating on the analysis of the phosphoproteome of recombinant CHO cells. This project will concentrate on the application of advanced mass spectrometry (using state-of-the-art Orbitrap Fusion Tribrid mass spectrometry) to the identification, characterisation and quantitation of other regulatory post-translational modifications that have not been studied in recombinant CHO cells. The outcome from this analysis will be a set of proteins and post-translational modifications that correlate with growth and/or productivity, and progression of the culture. Validation of targets of interest (e.g. through cell line engineering) will then be carried out to improve the performance of CHO cells in bioprocess cultures.
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Paula Meleady |
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Are functional genome-wide polymorphisms in DNA damage repair genes of pancreatic cancer patients associated with response to DNA damaging agents? Research performed by the Walsh lab (Walsh et al. 2018, JNCI) has identified key dysregulation in SNPs linked to the DNA damage repair pathway in pancreatic cancer patients. However, the role of these SNPs in response to therapeutic interventions that target DNA repair deficiency is limited. This study will use 3D pancreatic cancer organoids developed by the Walsh lab (Nelson et al. 2020, Sci Reports) and those generated as part of the MSCA-Horizon2020-ITN Precode to elucidate the role of genome-wide SNPs on facilitating DNA damage by clinical agents known to confer repair deficient phenotype (novel agents and established) in non-BRCA1/2 mutated pancreatic cancers.
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Naomi Walsh |
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Uveal melanoma organoids as preclinical models to study the spatial and clonal genomic drivers of UM 50% of uveal melanoma (UM) will metastasise. Currently, there is no clinically-approved therapy for advanced/metastatic UM. UM has a very distinct genomic landscape; however the lack of appropriate preclinical models has hampered the identification of new therapies for this disease. The Walsh lab has developed a panel 3D UM organoids. We are currently performing NGS profiling of primary tissue and matched 3D organoids to identify the genomic clonality of this disease. This research will specifically establish CRISPR/Cas9 preclinical UM organoids based on the spatial and clonal genomic drivers of UM to identify novel therapeutic combinations to treat UM at all stages of genomic evolution of this disease.
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Naomi Walsh |
CfAR Centre for Astrophysics and Relativity
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Gravitational collapse of collisionless matter. The key open problem in mathematical General Relativity (Einstein's geometric theory of the gravitational field) is to resolve Penrose's Cosmic Censorship Hypothesis: can gravitational collapse give rise to 'naked' singularities, or are such singularities always concealed by a black hole horizon? This project will address this question in the case of the Einstein-Vlasov system, which models the gravitational collapse of a cloud of collisionless particles.
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Brien Nolan |
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Proto-planetary disks - a turbulent planetary nursery? Over the past few years thousands of planets have been found orbiting other stars. Despite this, how planets actually form still remains a mystery. In this project, the existing world-leading astrophysical simulation code developed in DCU will be expanded to incorporate detailed physics to understand with unprecedented accuracy the structure of these proto-planetary disks so that we can understand the conditions within which planets form.
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Turlough Downes |
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Constructing quantum field theories in curved spacetimes. Quantum field theories form the most advanced framework for fundamental physics. In the presence of gravitational fields they display remarkable phenomena, such as black hole radiation. Unfortunately, a precise mathematical description of interacting theories, beyond perturbation theory, is quite challenging. The goal of this project is to try out and develop new methods, using techniques from the theory of operator algebras, that will help us to construct and/or classify such interacting theories in general curved backgrounds.
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Ko Sanders |