Prof Orla Hardiman from Trinity College Dublin was named Researcher of the Year at the 2022 Science Foundation Ireland Awards.
The awards, which were held at the SFI Science Summit, celebrate the contribution researchers have made to our society and economy. SFI was joined by more than 500 members of the Irish research community for the awards, which were held in person for the first time in two years.
Prof Hardiman is a clinician scientist and a world authority on the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)/ Motor Neuron Disease (MND). ALS/MND. A professor of neurology and the head of the academic unit of neurology at Trinity College Dublin and leads the SFI Precision ALS Spoke, Prof Hardiman is a researcher at the FutureNeuro and ADAPT SFI Research Centres and the founder and director of the National ALS/ MND Clinical and Research Programme, and the HSE National Clinical Lead for Neurology
“I am greatly honoured to receive this prestigious award, which is a reflection of the hugely talented individuals with whom I have had the privilege of supervising, mentoring and collaborating over the years,” said Prof Hardiman. “I am also aware of the enormous benefits of being in a position to engage in international collaborations with like-minded clinician scientists. Understanding the processes that drive neurodegeneration is the “final frontier” in neuroscience. As clinician scientists, we seek to unravel the complexity of neurodegenerative disease in humans, and our work in Ireland has focussed on how best to enable the successful translation of laboratory discoveries to new drugs for those with different subtypes of disease.
“Our ultimate collective objective is to ensure that we provide the right drug for the right patient at the right time. I am particularly conscious of my privileged position as a female leader in science, and of the importance of mentoring from experience other younger women as they juggle careers, family life and research. I am enormously grateful to both SFI and the HRB in enabling my scientific career over the years, and of course to my husband Gerry and my children for their ongoing love and support.”
SFI Early Career Researcher of the Year went to Dr Claire Gillan, also of Trinity College Dublin. Dr Gillan is an expert on mental illnesses and was the first to show that patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have tendencies to form habits, a ground-breaking discovery in OCD that features in several undergraduate textbooks today.
Dr Alison Liddy from University of Galway took home the SFI Commercialisation Award. Dr Liddy and her team are developing a novel, disruptive, treatment for chronic pain without the usual addictive side-effects current treatments possess. This advancement has the potential not only for a transformative impact on the lives of those suffering from chronic pain but also has the potential to reduce the significant negative societal impact associated with prescription drug addiction.
In recognition of his long-standing association and engagement with international companies, researchers, and policy makers, Prof Morris is the winner of the 2022 SFI Best International Engagement Award. Prof Morris is a professor of Surface and Interface Chemistry at Trinity College Dublin and the director of AMBER, the SFI Research Centre for Advanced Materials and BioEngineering Research, who has spearheaded the facility for the last seven years.
Jackie Gorman, CEO, Midlands Science was granted the SFI Outstanding Contribution to STEM Communication Award. Gorman has been engaging and educating young people, parents, youth groups and leaders, schools, industry representatives, local government, and key stakeholders since 2008. Gorman has been steering Midlands Science, through impactful, creative, and innovative work in promoting STEM and impacts over 16,000 people directly every year and with specific efforts to engage with those from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
The SFI Industry Partnership Award 2022 went to NexSys, which is led by Prof Andrew Keane, University College Dublin. The core mission of NexSys, is to decarbonise our energy system. Importantly, NexSys brings together researchers from across the island, with key industry partners, policymakers and communities to resolve the challenges of a just transition to a decarbonised system. EirGrid and ESB have partnered with NexSys with a commitment to research and innovation for over 15 years.
Prof Walter Kolch, Director of the Systems Biology Group, University College Dublin was the recipient of the SFI Mentorship Award. Through Systems Biology Ireland (SBI), Prof Kolch has built a highly interdisciplinary and multinational research environment. Ever since its inception in 2009, SBI has hosted over 260 team members including 105 researchers, 63 postgraduate students, 12 clinician scientists, 36 management and admin staff, and 46 research support staff from over 35 countries.
Prof Kolch has supervised over 50 postdocs and over 40 doctoral students providing his team with the tools and infrastructure to develop their independence at early in their careers several of whom have secured various positions in academia and industry, some even starting their own companies.
The SFI Engaged Research of the Year Award went to Aoife Deane, public engagement manager and Prof Brian Ó Gallachóir, director, MaREI the SFI Research Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine Research, UCC and the Dingle Peninsula 2030 team.
MaREI’s transdisciplinary research group at UCC is harnessing the community spirit on the Dingle Peninsula to advance the Dingle Peninsula 2030 research initiative, which is co-producing solutions with the community to address critical energy and climate challenges while also building societal resilience and capacity.
SFI Research Image of the Year was awarded to PhD student Mariana Oliveira Diniz, SSPC, SFI Research Centre for Pharmaceuticals, University of Limerick for ‘A spring garden of griseoflowers’.
“The SFI Awards recognise exceptional achievements within our research community, and the ways in which research contributes to our wellbeing and our environmental, social and economic development and sustainability,” said Prof Philip Nolan, director general, Science Foundation Ireland. “These awards reflect the dedication and determination of our researchers as they work to discover new knowledge, to innovate, and to make the world a better place. The awardees are truly inspiring.
“I would like to congratulate Prof Orla Hardiman as the 2022 SFI Researcher of the Year. She has made an outstanding contribution to our understanding of, and the treatment and care of people with motor neurone disease. It is wonderful to acknowledge her achievements and the achievements of researchers across all in our Higher Education Institutions and the wider research ecosystem.”
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