Maynooth University postgraduate and postdoctoral research projects have been recognised and awarded funding under the Irish Research Council’s flagship Government of Ireland programmes.
In total, 17 Maynooth projects -- 14 postgraduate and three postdoctoral -- will receive funding under the Government of Ireland Programmes announced today by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD.
The following projects have been included in an overall national allocation of €28 million for 2021:
Maynooth University Postgraduate Research Projects
- Aaron Curtis, Biology - Uncovering host adaptation processes in Aspergillus fumigatus. (Postgraduate research project)
- Andrew Clarke, English - Describe the Problem Properly: Hybridity and Ambiguity in the work of Teju Cole.
- Ciara Finnegan, Law - A critical analysis of the use of weapons in Outer Space with a view to forming recommendations for regulation from the perspective of the principle of humanity in International Humanitarian Law.
- Colm McKeever , Chemistry - Electrochemical investigations into latent fingerprint enhancement on metallic surfaces using electrodeposited films and electrochromic materials.
- Duong Quoc Khanh, Sociology - The impact of globalization on the unemployment: an empirical study in Asia-Pacific countries.
- Eamonn Milliken, History - German-Austrian Officer Veterans of the Great War in Military Service, 1918-45.
- Emer Kavanagh, Early Irish - Signs and Wonders: Magic and the Supernatural in Medieval Ireland.
- Harriet Finnegan, Business - HISTORI (Health IT: Stories & Theories of Organisation and Innovation).
- Isaac Obour Mensah, Geography - Detecting Illegal Small-Scale Mines in Ghana Using Data Fusion Deep Learning Approach
- Joana Amoanab, Biology - Defining the role of transforming growth factor alpha in liver regeneration using 3D culture models.
- Keitumetse Mabole, Adult and Community Education - The impact of indigenous knowledge in enhancing lifelong learning amongst the marginalised communities: The case of the San communities in Botswana
- Laure de Tymowski, Geography - Whose environment, whose city? A critical assessment of environmental justice in South Dublin.
- Sze Ying Tan, Biology - Exploring the regulatory role of Pellino proteins in adaptive immunity.
- Thomas McGrath, History - An examination of the Irish in South Africa from the Irish Revolution to the declaration of the South African Republic.
Maynooth University Postdoctoral Research Projects
- Fiadh Tubridy, Geography - Climate change and managed retreat in Ireland: coproducing pathways for just adaptation with vulnerable communities.
- Edmund Chapman, English - The Language of Refuge: Transnational Writers, Antisemitism and Home.
- Grace Zhou, Anthropology - Theorizing Settler Socialism: Economy, Identity, and Power in Post-Socialist Central Asia.
This year, 330 awards in total were funded; 254 postgraduate scholarships and 76 postdoctoral fellowships.
Commenting on the announcement, Minster Harris said: “I am delighted to announce this investment of funding today to develop exceptional talent in our research system. I am particularly pleased to see the record number of awards being made this year under the two programmes combined.
“The programmes are unique in the Irish research landscape, supporting excellent individual postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers to develop innovative and creative ideas across the sciences, humanities and the arts. I would like to congratulate all the awardees on their success in the schemes and wish them well in their research endeavours.
“This year, my department allocated additional funding as part of a €7.5 million package to enable the Irish Research Council to enhance the number of postgraduate awards in the emerging technological university sector. I am pleased to see the first phase of this funding come to fruition today, with a total of 40 additional awards being made under the 2021 Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Programme to researchers based in our technological institutions.
“Now more than ever, the benefits of investing in research and innovation are clear, and this starts with fuelling the pipeline of excellent early-career researchers. Support for basic research and investment in cutting-edge expertise across different disciplines is vital for Ireland, and this will be key to ensuring that we can overcome national and global challenges now and in the future.”
Overall, IRC programme awardees will conduct research on a multitude of topics, ranging from bicycle-sharing systems to the susceptibility of young people to influence by social media influencers and the use of 3D printed scaffolds to enhance spinal cord regeneration. Several projects relating to COVID-19 and the impact of the pandemic are also being funded under the programme. A number of awards are funded by strategic partners, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Foreign Affairs, and Met Eireann.
Further information is available on IRC website