University Of Limerick

The world needs solutions for its rapidly growing energy consumption which is projected to double by 2050. The advancement of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology is vital to achieve environmentally sustainable progress. Dr Micheál Scanlon, from UL’s Bernal Institute, UL is working on a pioneering experimental approach that seeks to imitate photosynthesis in the leaves of plants, with the goal of generating clean electricity or solar fuels. www.ul.ie/researchimpactRecorded by GK Media Ltd.

The advent of autonomous cars provides a number of challenges from a technological and design point of view and also raises interesting legal, liability and ethical questions. Dr Finbarr Murphy from the Kemmy Business School discusses his involvement as Principal Investigator in two European projects VI-DAS and Cloud-LSVA which aim to solve these challenges while contributing to reducing accidents, increasing economic growth, and stimulating more innovation in the autonomous vehicle area. www.ul.ie/researchimpactRecorded by GK Media Ltd.

Dr Andy Stewart is joined by PhD Students Kalani Moore and Eileen Courtney to describe the atomic action motives brought to life through microscopy. Since their discovery in 2004, 2D materials have sparked a worldwide race to discover new materials with stunning new properties. UL has been part of this drive for discovery through the Bernal Institute which is now home to one of the world’s most powerful aberration-corrected microscopes, the Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). Recorded by GK Media Ltd.

The Research Office was delighted to welcome Prof Ritsert Jansen, Dean of Talent Development and Head of Bioinformatics Centre, University of Groningen to the University of Limerick. Prof Jansen gave a talk entitled Achieving a research-led university, detailing the University of Groningen’s experiences in developing young research talent and maximising the potential of researchers. The University of Groningen is ranked 80th overall in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings and is home to 2016 Nobel Prize Winner Professor Ben Feringa. www.ul.ie/researchimpact

Low levels of physical activity are attributed to 6-10% of coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, breast and colon cancer and over 20% risk of Alzheimer’s disease in Europe. In their research Prof Alan Donnelly & Dr Ciaran Mac Donncha seek to objectively measure the health risk behaviours of physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour (time sitting, lying down) and also understand the impact on health and why individuals make these behaviour choices. This work is helping Ireland and Europe develop policy, guidelines and identify the most effective strategies for combatting these ever-increasing threats to health, and thus to promote health for citizens of all ages. www.ul.ie/researchimpactRecorded by GK Media Ltd.

Twenty years ago people living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) were advised to “take it easy”. Today, there is a growing body of evidence showing that exercise is beneficial for a number of key symptoms like walking and fatigue. Prof Susan Coote and her team at the University of Limerick are making significant contributions to this U-turn, her research has had direct positive impacts on the health of thousands of people, and on clinical practice and national programmes of care. www.ul.ie/researchimpactRecorded by GK Media Ltd.

The University of Limerick has long had a tradition of translational research, meaning research which has impact in the real world. In this podcast, Prof Helena Lenihan provides insights and tips to achieve real impact in your research and how it is achievable across all disciplines. For Prof Lenihan, there is no trade-off between doing excellent research and research that makes a real difference to society. Prof Lenihan argues that you can be the designer of your own impact. Drawing from her own experience of enterprise policy evaluation she explains the great possibilities from collaboration to ambition achievable through the research impact ethos. www.ul.ie/researchimpactRecorded by GK Media Ltd.

More than 30 million jobs in the EU and many key economic sectors are dependent on a sustainable supply of raw materials, such as aluminium and zinc. However, the extractive operations to process and refine such raw materials generate approximately 300 million tonnes of potentially hazardous waste per annum. In this podcast Dr Ronan Courtney, Bernal Institute, University of Limerick talks about how his research applies ecological solutions to rehabilitate mine waste and mine sites. His research has had significant impacts on the environment, standards and industry practice and sustainability. www.ul.ie/researchimpactRecorded by GK Media Ltd.

Elections are about many things, but arguably their most important function is to give voters a say in how their country is governed. In this podcast, Dr Rory Costello, Department of Politics and Public Administration, University of Limerick talks about why elections often do not perform this function very well, as many voters are not sufficiently informed about the policy choices on offer. He also discusses how his research seeks to improve the quality of democratic representation, particularly for young voters. www.ul.ie/researchimpactRecorded by GK Media Ltd.