Research Ireland recently announced €27.5m in funding for 290 projects under the Government of Ireland postgraduate scholarship and postdoctoral fellowship programmes.

The funding schemes support exceptional early-career researchers to pursue cutting-edge research with world-class potential in any discipline across the sciences, engineering, arts and humanities

Higher education minister Patrick O’Donovan said: “Following the establishment of Research Ireland earlier this year, I am delighted to announce this very significant investment in top research talent.

“Ireland has a strong reputation for research and innovation and it is vital that we continue to invest in future research leaders who, together, can play a key role in addressing the many challenges we face and the opportunities open to us.

“The ability to attract and retain excellent researchers within Ireland is key to the success of our knowledge economy for the long-term, and the government of Ireland programme supports this aim. I wish the many researchers supported under the 2024 programme every success with their projects.”

The Tyndall awardees

Postgraduate Fellowship Programme

Barry Lynch. Project title: Tailoring non classical light emission from quantum dot microcavity systems – from fundamental electronic structure to novel excitation schemes.

Diarmuid O’Sullivan. Project title: Modelling, fabrication, and characterisation of novel photonic integrated circuits for broadband optical communications and supercontinuum generation.

James Brown. Project title: Multiscale Simulations and Development of Machine Learning Interatomic Potentials to Predict Ferroelectric, Piezoelectric and Pyroelectric Properties of Doped Aluminium Nitride. 

Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme

Dr Eoin Russell. Project title: Optical Frequency Comb Source for Greenhouse Gas Sensing Based on Silicon Microring Resonators

Dr Ayse Ozcan Atar. Project title: Innovative Single Chip Optical Transmitter Enabled by New, Vertically Stacked, Laser and Modulator, High Performance, Single Integrated module – VMode.

Dr Luiza Wasiewska. Project title: EndoSensor – Endolysin-based sensor for highly sensitive detection of multiple clinically relevant pathogenic bacteria. 

Dr Michael Nolan, chair of the Research Committee at Tyndall National Institute, said: “Postgraduate students and early career researchers, who are the next generation of future research leaders, are critical to developing our research excellence at Tyndall as well as providing a pipeline of the highest quality research talent.

"These awards, spanning PhD and postdoctoral researchers, are highly competitive and highlight the breadth and quality of research and the research environment at Tyndall, allowing the successful awardees to tackle critical questions in materials, sensors and photonic semiconductor technologies.

I congratulate all the awardees and look forward to seeing how they and their research develop through the course of their research programmes.”