Congratulations to the winners of the Trinity Research Doctorate Awards 2025-26

Project 1 Abstract

Context and Gap
Lewy Body Dementias (LBDs) affect 20% of individuals with dementia and are underdiagnosed and under-supported. It causes physical and mental health symptoms resulting in frailty, disability, and diminished quality of life.. Unlike Alzheimer's, LBD presents with more complexity, a worse prognosis, and higher healthcare costs. There is currently no cure. The lived experience of those with LBD remains poorly understood. Therefore, our interdisciplinary training program, the Entangled Lewy project, will explore this topic through innovative methods that extend beyond traditional biomedical approaches. The project, supported by external advisors J. Kane(Belfast) and H. Eyre(European Brain Council), is hosted by Trinity College Dublin’s Global Brain Health Institute(GBHI). The program is committed to set an example of how interdisciplinary research work should be practiced, positioning Trinity as a leader in neuroscience education and research.

The “Entangled-Lewy” Project
The Entangled Lewy project will be led by four PhD students, each representing a distinct academic discipline. Supported by a dedicated program coordinator, they will use interdisciplinary methods to explore the lived experience of LBD as it affects (1) individuals, (2) families, and (3) society. Through this approach, they will develop a cohesive understanding of LBD’s impact and the skills and leadership necessary to tackle its complexity in the real-world.

• PhD#1: Using biomedical approaches, this PhD will examine how mental health changes in LBD affect
individuals’ daily lives, their caregivers, and their societal interactions.

• PhD#2: Will apply health economics methods to improvise decision-making for individuals with LBD,
ensuring their voices are heard in healthcare decisions.

• PhD#3: Using applied theatre practices, this PhD will explore the nuanced aspects of living with LBD,
providing a platform for individuals to share and understand their experiences

• PhD#4: Using mathematical and health policy models, this project will unravel the complexities of LBD
management within the Irish health system, aiming to improve care pathways and address underdiagnosis of
the disease.

The program will be supported by the HRB-funded EMERALD-Lewy research program (2024-2028), which will
provide access to study participants, data, expert clinicians, and ethical guidance.

Impact
By advancing our understanding of less common dementias, the Entangled Lewy project supports Trinity’s vision of responsible global citizenship and social sustainability. This interdisciplinary consortium will contribute to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for improving health and quality education. It will also advocate for gender equality, reducing inequalities, and fostering global partnerships.

Project 2 Abstract

Project 3 Abstract

The heritage of Trinity East is uniquely complex, a combination of tangible and intangible, and requires an interdisciplinary study. Our proposal is for interdisciplinary research into the built, cultural, commercial, and natural heritage of the Trinity East site and the larger Grand Canal Dock area. Our aim is to understand how the historical complexity and legacy of human-environment interactions have shaped the unique challenges and possibilities of this site and how the globalisation of Dublin has affected local communities and their natural and built environments. 

Our study will provide Trinity College with a valuable resource to assess how and for whom future design problems are identified and formulated at Trinity East. This resource is especially important given that these are likely to be so-called ‘wicked’ problems, that is, design problems that are complex, contested, and, crucially, social in nature rather than simply techno-scientific. Our study will, firstly, guide nature-based, design-led experiments at Trinity East toward exemplifying the New European Bauhaus principles of ‘beautiful, sustainable, together’, to assist the College in building its social foundations within its ecological ceiling, and secondly, promote more interdisciplinary research on integrating heritage to inform nature-based, historically-aware design solutions in flood-prone, overdeveloped coastal cities such as Dublin. This study will assist in ‘re-earthing’ the Trinity East site, which would make a bold statement of what else a city can be in the midst of an overdeveloped industrial and residential zone in which civic space, community flourishing, and biodiversity have been, at best, supplementary concerns. 

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