Research Boost Programme 2021
Trinity’s Research Charter commits the University to a set of core principles that are central to our research philosophy. The Charter’s goals aim to enable researchers to work on their own ideas and to excel at what they do. In line with the principle to ‘Foster and grow research talent’ and in light of the unprecedented challenges researchers have faced since March 2020, the Dean of Research, the Associate Deans of Research, and Trinity’s Research Committee announced a Research Boost Programme in September 2021.
Researchers operate in what can often be an intensely competitive environment. For many, a relatively modest amount of financial support can make a huge difference to the success of a project. Designed to provide small amounts of funding to boost research activity, the Research Boost Programme will help researchers who have seen their work impacted by the restrictions of the last 18 months to get their research back on track. The programme was open to researchers in all disciplines and at any career stage and had a total fund of €500,000. This was further augmented by a contribution from Professor Mani Ramaswami’s Wellcome Trust Institutional Strategic Support Fund to provide cofounding for research projects broadly in the biomedical and neurohumanities areas. In total, 64 proposals – spread across all three Trinity faculties – received support from the programme. The full list of funded projects is below.
A programme of this nature, which was created with the intention to provide funding to researchers as quickly as possible, could only work with the support of the wider research community in Trinity. We are very grateful to the reviewers who so graciously gave of their time and expertise at a busy time of year, the Research Committee for its support of the programme, and colleagues in Finance who have assisted with the administration of the awards.
Researcher |
Trinity Affiliation |
Project |
Achilleas Floudas |
Medicine |
Cell interactions that trigger pathogenic polyfunctional T cell responses in the joint of |
Aisling Dunne |
Biochemistry and Immunology |
The Heme Oxygenase System as a therapeutic intervention for inflammatory bowel disease |
Aisling O'Halloran |
TILDA |
COVERAGE-TILDA: COVid-19 immunE Responses and AGEing in The Irish LongituDinal Study on |
Andrew Murphy |
English |
Cambridge University Press edition of Shakespeare's 'Henry V' |
Ann Monaghan |
Medicine |
Technology Assisted Solutions for the Recognition of Objective Physiological Indicators of Post- |
Ann Nolan |
Medicine |
Engaging Adolescents in |
Anthony Quinn |
Engineering |
Optimal transport in machine learning: metaphors in fully probabilistic design |
Bronagh Catibusic |
Linguistic, Speech & Communication Studies |
CommuniTELLI (Community-based, Technology-Enhanced Language Learning for Integration) |
Carlo Aldrovandi |
Religion |
An Engagement with the National-Religious Dispute over Temple Mount & Haram al-Sharif (Jerusalem) |
Christine Morris |
Histories and Humanities |
Healing on the Mountain: archaeological approaches to ritual in prehistoric Crete |
Ciaran Kenny |
Linguistic, Speech & Communication Studies |
Validity and Reliability of the Voice-Vibratory Assessment (VALI) with Laryngeal Imaging using Flexible Stroboscopy |
Cormac McGuinness |
Physics |
Synchrotron radiation based investigations of electronic structure of one-dimensional graphene/porphyrin-like nanoribbons |
Daniela Tropea |
Medicine |
Understanding the cellular pathways that underlie IGF-1-related improvements in brain function in |
David Caffrey |
Physics |
Growth of p-type Beta phase Gallium oxide via bismuth and copper codoping |
David Finlay |
Biochemistry and Immunology |
Regulation of cytotoxic lymphocytes via Dendritic cell produced 27-hydroxycholesterol |
David Hoey |
Engineering |
Identifying mechanically activated EVs and associated miRNAs as new therapies for bone repair |
Deirdre Daly |
Nursing & Midwifery |
The Maternal health And Maternal Morbidity in Ireland (MAMMI) 10-year follow-up study |
Elaine Moriarty |
Social Sciences and Philosophy |
EU mobiles social rights during the Covid-19 pandemic in Ireland |
Fáinche Ryan |
Religion |
Prudentia – Responsible and wise decision-making |
Fiona Smyth |
Education |
Acoustical Sparks: Architecture, Music, and the History of Science |
Gaia Narciso |
Social Sciences and Philosophy |
Auditors’ conflict of interest: does random selection work? |
Giovanni Di Liberto |
Computer Science and Statistics |
Investigating natural speech communication with multivariate neural data |
Jean Quigley and Elizabeth Nixon |
Psychology |
Parent-child interaction in the context of developmental trauma and disabilities |
Joan Cahill |
Psychology |
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE Safe, SFI, Rapid Response) |
John Dingliana |
Computer Science and Statistics |
Occlusion-capable Optical See-Through AR Display |
Joseph Clarke |
Histories and Humanities |
The Burning of Bédoin: Terror and Memory in Revolutionary France |
Joseph Roche |
Education |
Ensuring public engagement excellence in Trinity’s Horizon Europe research projects |
Juan Diego Rodriquez-Blanco |
Natural Sciences |
CARbonate BIOmineralization in Stromatolites: a crystal-clear mechanistic view (CARBIOS) |
Juliette Hussey |
Medicine |
Pre operative Exercise to improve fitness in patients undergoing complex surgery for Cancer of |
Kristin Hadfield |
Psychology |
Ameliorating stress impacts during pregnancy: A multisystemic resilience approach |
Laure Marignol |
Medicine |
Linking sEx to dAmage Formation (LEAF) |
Lewys Jones |
Physics |
Research Infrastructure: Minimising the Environmental Impact - Proof of Concept Study |
Lisa Corrigan |
Medicine |
Physiological impact of pregnancy yoga |
Lorraine O'Driscoll |
Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences |
The Oncobiome: our Gut-Feeling about Cancer |
Louise Doyle |
Nursing & Midwifery |
A survey of self-harm, suicidal behaviour and help-seeking in TCD students. |
Lucy Norris |
Medicine |
Activated protein C pathway in ovarian cancer -a novel prognostic marker? |
Lucy-Ann Behan |
Medicine |
The Effect of Time-restricted Eating on Insulin Levels and Other Metabolic Abnormalities in |
Mairéad Hurley |
Education |
SySTEM 2020: Science Learning Outside the Classroom |
Marie Hanscom |
Biochemistry and Immunology |
Role of HMGB1 in Mediating Ulcerative Colitis-Induced Exacerbation of Long-Term |
Marie-Victoire Guillot Sestier |
Medicine |
Harnessing the immune system to resolve Alzheimer’s Disease |
Mark Faulkner |
English |
Making Twelfth-Century English Texts Visible |
Marvin Suesse |
Social Sciences and Philosophy |
Ensuring Food security and distribution in Sub-Saharan Africa: A market integration approach |
Michael Monaghan |
Engineering |
Electrogenic organ-derived electrocytes as biological pacers of tissue engineered cardiac |
Niamh O'Boyle |
Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences |
RADICAL: Redefining Allergic Contact Dermatitis – Interactions Between Contact Allergens and Lipids |
Nicola Fontana |
Social Sciences and Philosophy |
Impact of short term renting in European cities |
Nollaig Bourke |
Medicine |
Investigating how ageing impacts type I interferon anti-viral responses |
Oliviero Gobbo |
Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences |
A new therapy for adiposopathy based on applications of alternating magnetic fields on iron oxide nanoparticles |
Patrick Walsh |
Medicine |
Developing a next generation approach for treating psoriatic skin inflammation |
Peter Murphy |
Psychology and TCIN |
Common mechanisms for decision-making and working memory in health and old age |
Richard Porter |
Biochemistry and Immunology |
The Proinflammatory Effect of Fructose on Human Macrophages; Implications for Obesity, Type 2 |
Robert Baker |
Chemistry |
Automating workflows in actinide research: EU meets E-Notebook |
Ronan Lyons |
Social Sciences and Philosophy |
Housing, Health & Politics - The case of Ireland's Labourers Cottages |
Ross Byrne |
Genetics and Microbiology |
Exploring finescale population structure and confounding in the UK Biobank |
Russell Mc Laughlin |
Genetics and Microbiology |
Development of a novel quantitative method to accurately genotype neurologically important |
Sarah Sheridan |
Centre for Deaf Studies |
The Performance of Language and the Psychology of the Sign Language Learner |
Seamus O'Shaughnessy |
Engineering |
A Novel Battery Cooling Method for Electric Vehicles |
Shuo Yin |
Engineering |
Novel 3D printing of bioinstructive ceramic scaffolds through digital light processing for next-generation bone implantation |
Simone Mc Caughren |
Social Work and Social Policy |
Silence in the courtroom, silence in the street? An exploratory study of women’s experiences of the Irish family law system in parental separation and divorce. |
Siobhan O'Brien |
Genetics and Microbiology |
How is P. aeruginosa virulence driven by multispecies interactions in the cystic fibrosis lung? |
Stephanie Holt |
Social Work and Social Policy |
Domestic Violence and Disability: An Irish Exploratory Study |
Stephen Maher |
Medicine |
Multi-omic profiling of pancreatic cystic lesions and serum for stratifying pancreatic cancer |
Thaina Da Costa |
Genetics and Microbiology |
Reducing Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) without antibiotics; testing |
Tom Walker |
English |
Yeats and the Writing of Art |
Vincent Kelly |
Biochemistry and Immunology |
Oocyte freezing to optimise transgenic services for researchers in Trinity and universities |