Trinity researchers secure Frontiers for the Future funding to pursue cutting-edge projects

Posted on: 14 November 2025

Six of those, with a combined value of around €4.6 million, fall into the “Projects” category, while the remaining one, valued at around €1.3 million, falls under the “Awards” banner.

Tomás Ryan, Professor in Trinity’s School of Biochemistry and Immunology, and the Trinity College Institute of Neurosciences, will lead the latter. He and his team will explore how early-life memories are lost and how this process differs in autism and between sexes, with the aim of better understanding memory loss.

The six “Projects” span a number of disciplines, from ecology to genetics.

Chris Batchelor-McAuley, Assistant Professor in the School of Chemistry, aims to develop a more sustainable pathway for the development of pharmaceuticals via an “electro-organic synthesis route” that can be coupled with renewable energy supplies.

Gareth Brady, Ussher Assistant Professor in Clinical Medicine, aims to develop new therapeutic options to tackle Molluscum Contagiosum Virus, which has evolved to infect people and displays an extreme ability to suppress our innate immunity responses.

Maureen O’Sullivan, Clinical Professor in Paediatrics, seeks to better understand the development of a group of rare sarcomas that are currently hard to treat, with the overall goal being to unearth new, more effective treatments.

Plamen Stamenov, Assistant Professor in the School of Physics, aims to develop greatly improved algorithmic machine learning options to “mimic the human brain” in its level of connectivity and ability to deduce and learn.

Richard Nair, Assistant Professor in the School of Natural Sciences, will work to advance our understanding and predictive capabilities regarding “soil respiration” and its impact on carbon emissions as environmental conditions change in the future.

Shigeki Nakagome, Assistant Professor in Psychiatry, with co-PI Lara Cassidy, Assistant Professor in the School of Genetics and Microbiology, will sequence and analyse the ancient genomes of 1,200 Japanese individuals to better understand how evolution has shaped differences in disease risk for people living there (and in Ireland as a comparison).

Prof. Sinéad Ryan, Dean of Research at Trinity, said: “I offer my warmest congratulations to the eight researchers at Trinity leading, and co-leading, these research projects.

“Collectively, they will advance our understanding across a range of disciplines, creating new knowledge and benefiting society and humankind. The projects broadly address challenges in health, new technologies, and sustainability, and it is heartening to see excellence in fundamental and applied research supported by the Frontiers for the Future initiative.”

Dr Diarmuid O'Brien, CEO of Research Ireland, said: “Research Ireland’s Frontiers for the Future Programme has, at its core, the exploration of high-risk, high-reward ideas, and the building of collaborative teams that produce excellent research. We are proud to be partnering with Children’s Health Foundation, Breakthrough Cancer Research, and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, and supporting 66 PhD students, 47 postdoctoral researchers, and 13 other research positions.”

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