Faculty Highlights Faculty of Science and Engineering
Department of Biology Publications highlights Research groups in the Department of Biology have published a total of 79 publications in the year, 55 of which were in peer-reviewed journals (research articles and reviews). Most of these publications were in peer-reviewed journals that are very well considered and respected in their fields of research (impact factors between 3 and 10; e.g. Infection and Immunity; Journal of Immunology; New Phytologist; Genome Biology and Evolution; Scientific Reports), with at least 3 publications in high-impact factor (>10) journals (Nature Communications; Nature Immunology; Nucleic Acids Research).
Funding highlights
Summary of external engaged research Several researchers have been involved in consultancy projects including public institutions and companies such as Teagasc (R. Owens) and an SME biotech in California (J. Masterson). In addition, contributions towards public policy include activities by Dr Fiona Walsh in relation to antimicrobial resistance (EPA and the European Centre for Disease Control DG-Sante). The Department also contributes to international organizations. For example, Dr Fiona Walsh contributes to the Expert committee on AMR in Food, crops and the environment, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. Members of the Biology Department engage in a large number of collaborations both nationally (e.g. with TCD and UCD) and internationally (e.g. other universities in Europe (Imperial College London, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Austria, INRA in France, Leibniz Institute in Germany) or with institutions in the U.S. (e.g. Denver & Children’s Hospital Colorado) and in Canada (McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada) as well as collaborative projects with industry (Nektr Technologies (J. Carolan), Clarins (K. Kavanagh), and Alltech (F. Walsh). The dynamic network established by members of the Biology Department is also visible in the authorships of many of the articles published in 2018.
Dr Eoin McNamee
> Dr Eoin McNamee; SFI Future Research Leaders Award; MicroRNA Control of Mucosal Inflammation; €1,207,251. > Dr Joanne Masterson: SFI Future Research Leaders Award; Transcriptional Mechanisms Controlling Epithelial Cell Fate Determination during Allergic Esophageal Inflammation in Eosinophilic Esophagitis; €1,572,600. > Dr Andrew Hogan; National Children’s Research Centre Crumlin; Childhood Obesity and Vaccine Responses; €234,459.
Contributions towards public policy The EU performed an audit of the activities of the Irish government bodies in relation to antimicrobial resistance. F. Walsh was invited by the EPA to present her research findings and discuss these with the European Centre for Disease Control DG-Sante. F. Walsh is also a member of the Expert committee on AMR in Food, crops and the environment, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. The report of the meeting held on the role of crops, biocides and the environment in food borne AMR was published this year (Expert committee member on AMR in Food, crops and the environment, Food and Agriculture Organization
> Dr Mark Robinson; Health Research Board; The liver neighbourhood watch: regulatory tissue-resident natural killer (NK) cells protect against liver decompensation in patients with chronic liver disease; €475,969.
(FAO) of the United Nations).
> 4 postgraduate scholarships:2 Irish Research Council, 1 Walsh fellowship, 1 Environmental Protection Agency (the last of these co-financed by The Kathleen Lonsdale Institute for Human
2018-2019 was another strong year for the Chemistry Department in terms of research. 30 research articles (recorded in Scopus) were published by 12.5 FTE academic staff in 2018, with an average of 2.4 papers per academic. In 2018, 20% of Chemistry Department research articles are in the 10% most cited worldwide, with 37% of articles in the top 10% of journals. The department continues to have a strong international profile, with 51.2% of articles (20162018) published with international co-authors. 7% of publications include an industry co-author.
Health Research).
Prizes > Dr Karen English was awarded the IRC Early Career Researcher of the year award in December 2018. > Professor Paul Moynagh was elected to the Royal Irish Academy.
42 Maynooth University Research and Innovation Report 2020
Department of Chemistry
