University of Limerick

Associate Professor Triona Mc Caffrey, joint winner of the Presidents Research Excellence and Impact Early Career Researcher – Starting Award 2025 In this episode we hear from Triona Mc Caffrey, Associate Professor of music therapy, at the Irish world academy of music and dance, a member of the Participatory Health research Unit, and the Health Research Institute here at the University of Limerick...

Associate Professor, Bar Mosevitzky Lis, President's Research Excellence and Impact Early Career Researcher – Starting Award Winner 2025 In this episode Associate Professor Bar Mosevitzky Lis Department of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering and a member of the Bernal Institute, discusses his research which is driven by examining catalysts, using in situ techniques, capturing cat...

Professor Karen Mc Creesh, President's Research Excellence and Impact, Early Career Researcher Consolidator Award Winner 2025 In this episode we hear from Professor Karen Mc Creesh, Professor of Physiotherapy at the School of Allied Health, a Member of the Ageing Research Centre and the Health Research Institute at the University of Limerick. Karen discusses her research, which is driven by the go...

The European Centre for the Study of Hate is an interdisciplinary research hub committed to deepening our understanding of hate in all its manifestations In this episode Professor Jennifer Schweppe, School of Law and the Director of the European Centre for the Study of Hate, and Professor Amanda Haynes, Department of Sociology who co-founded the Centre, will discuss leading a pioneering interdisci...

Established in 2019 through funding received from the Health Research Institute in UL, the Physical Activity for Health Research Centre is, the first of its kind in Ireland, with a vision is to become “ World Leaders in physical activity research that demonstrates real-world impact in policy and practice ”.   In this episode Professor Catherine Woods, Director of PAfH Research Centre, Health Resea...

Professor Hilary Moss, the winner of the Presidents Research Excellence and Impact Early Career Researcher – Consolidator Award 2024 . Hilary is Professor at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance and a member of UL’s Health Research Institute.  Hilary’s interdisciplinary research integrates humanities, health sciences and other areas including computer science. Her research is an important sc...

Daragh Bradshaw, the winner of the Presidents Research Excellence and Impact Early Career Researcher – Starting Award 2024. Daragh is Associate Professor at the Department of Psychology and a member UL’s Centre for Social Issues-research. Daragh’s research specialises in the application of theory and method to address real-world issues. Focusing on the creation of ambitious applied projects increa...

Damien Thompson is Professor of Molecular Modelling in the Faculty of Science and Engineering, and Director of SSPC, The Research Ireland Centre for Pharmaceuticals. He leads a research team, in computational design of structured materials at the Bernal Institute at the University of Limerick. In this episode Damien discusses the importance of research collaboration and the impact of his research,...

Dr Tadhg Kennedy, Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Bernal Institute – winner of the Early Career Researcher – Consolidator Award 2023. Since 2016 Tadhg has established a well-funded group, securing  more than €5 million in funding. Notably, €2.14 million has been granted directly to Tadhg as the principal investigator, highlighting the...

Up to 45% of us will get knee osteoarthritis in our lifetime, yet it is often not prioritised, people with joint disease are being under-served in terms of delivery of evidence-based rehabilitation in the form of exercise and education, particularly for hip and knee osteoarthritis. Evidence suggests that exercise and education is very effective for people with osteoarthritis but often patients fee...

The Ageing Research Centre members are winners of the UL Presidents Research Excellence and Impact Outstanding Research Collaboration Award for 2023. The Ageing Research Centre (ARC) comprises an interdisciplinary group of academic researchers across the University of Limerick, external academic collaborators, clinical collaborators and a Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) panel of older adults...

Arts-based health programmes that combine arts with science can enhance the physical and psychosocial health and wellbeing of older people. This podcast discusses the benefits of music and dance for older adults and in particular their experience of the Music and Movement for Health study which examined the feasibility and potential for benefit of such programmes in Ireland. The primary aim of the...

This project creating bespoke breast prostheses for women post-mastectomy, using state of the art digital manufacturing aims to roll out this year and to be available nationally in all symptomatic breast clinics. Research Team Dr Lorraine Walsh, Consultant Radiation Oncologist, Mater Private Network Limerick, and collaborator on the project; Siobhan Meaney, Clinical Lead at the Rapid Innovation Un...

March 2020 changed the lives of everyone around the around. We were all worried about the spread of COVID-19, fascinated with R number and hoping lockdowns would not last long. Working in the background was the UL team from MASCI (Mathematics Applications Consortium for Science and Industry) who as part of the Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group (IEMAG), provided expert advice, real-tim...

Researchers at University of Limerick are designing advanced materials which can purify the air and our water. Meet Dr Soumya Mukherjee, President’s Research Excellence and Impact award winner who has established his own research group, “NanoSorb,.  With funding from Science Foundation Ireland,  NanoSorb is at the forefront in the development of energy-efficient porous materials, particularly thos...

University Maternity Hospital Limerick is the first in Ireland to offer music therapy within its maternity care services. Meet the team behind this innovative approach to supporting wellbeing during pregnancy, Dr Mas Mahady, Consultant Psychiatrist, Dr Tríona McCaffrey, lecturer in Music therapy and Pui Sze Cheung, PhD researcher.     Based on feedback from women who took part in this study, the D...

Global energy crisis has never been more critical in the race to deploy more electric vehicles, better utilise wind, solar and alternative energy solutions, many challenges emerge. Among them is the need for faster, smaller, and environmentally friendly battery technology. Meet Dr Hugh Geaney, President’s Research Excellence and Impact Award winner who is, taking on the global challenge of energy...

The term heroes have been widely used to describe those working in the frontline during the global Covid-19 pandemic. Dr Elaine Kinsella, President’s Research Excellence and Impact Award winner at University of Limerick and Dr Rachel Sumner, Cardiff Metropolitan University discuss their survey of these key workers, focussing on the wellbeing and attitudes of those working in the frontline, emergen...

How do social and cultural changes occur, and how can policy be influenced to encourage these changes, particularly in terms of aiding people who are marginalized and stigmatized in our society? The award-winning research team from the University of Limerick's Centre for Social Issues Research is collaborating with government and advocacy groups to help those who are directly affected by disabilit...

The personal, societal and economic costs of low back pain are enormous, and the likelihood of being disabled by back pain has worsened in recent decades. Prof Helena Lenihan, Chair of the UL Research Impact Committee is joined by Dr Kieran O’Sullivan, Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy, School of Allied Health and winner of the President’s Research Excellence and Impact Early Career Award. Dr O’Sul...

A 10 year partnership between UL and HSE has benefited patients dealing with multidrug-resistant infections, patients with cystic fibrosis and those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Winner of the 2020 Outstanding Research Collaboration, President’s Research Excellence and Impact Award, the collaboration involves microbiologists, designers, engineers, nurses, physiotherapists, pae...

Zero hours work is work with no guaranteed hours. Researchers at the Kemmy Business School, have been examining the prevalence and impact of zero hours work and low hours work amongst Irish employees. Dr Lorraine Ryan, lecturer in Employment Relations & Human Resource Management in the Department of Work & Employment Studies at the KBS discusses the prevalence of these work contracts, thei...

Dr Ann Marcus-Quinn, a lecturer in Technical Communication and Instructional Design at the University of Limerick asks whether the move from book to tablet is the right one for the education system. She discusses how digital teaching and learning resources can be used, developed and shared in order to enhance teaching and learning in Irish education. She also talks about her involvement in a revie...

Dr Michelle Norris shares how her project, ‘BREASTech’, is working to better understand how software and technology can impact the physical activity levels of breast cancer patients and survivors. She also discusses how her training as an ALECS Marie Curie COFUND fellow is helping her to share the impact of her research with a wider audience. This work was supported, in part, by Science Foundation...

Dermot Hayes, disability community activist from Ennis in conversation with Dr Rosie Gowran, School of Allied Health, UL and Leigh Gath, disability rights campaigner on the importance and challenges of getting the right wheelchair nationally and globally and the difficulties that wheelchair users face when proper supports are not available.