University of Limerick
49 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 months ago - ★★★★★ - 1 ratingThe UL Research Impact Podcast Channel features interviews and seminars exploring research that makes an impact beyond academia.
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Episodes
Episode 49: Sustainable high-performance batteries enabling the fight against climate change
January 31, 2024 00:00 - 38 minutes - 53.4 MBDr 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 proficiency of his research in his field. The central theme of Tadhg’s research revolves aroun...
Episode 48: Improving musculoskeletal and general health in chronic conditions and injured populations
January 31, 2024 00:00 - 38 minutes - 53.3 MBUp 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 feel like they are directed more towards medications and surgical opinions, sometimes due ...
Episode 47: Developing collaborative innovative healthcare models and improving outcomes for older adults
December 07, 2023 00:00 - 50 minutes - 69.7 MBThe 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 and family caregivers who share a common focus on ageing research. Research from the Ag...
Episode 46: Music and Movement for Health and Wellbeing of Older Adults
September 22, 2023 00:00 - 32 minutes - 44.8 MBArts-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 study was to examine the feasibility and acceptability of the study design and the Mus...
Episode 45: Creating bespoke breast prostheses for women post-mastectomy
August 14, 2023 00:00 - 27 minutes - 22.4 MBThis 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 Unit, in the University of Limerick, and one of the supervisors of the Breast Prosthesis ...
Episode 44: The Mathematical and Statistical Modelling Collaboration Guiding Ireland’s Covid-19 Response
February 15, 2023 00:00 - 36 minutes - 49.7 MBMarch 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-time information and forecast models to the Chief Medical Officer and NPHET. In this pod...
Episode 40: Covid-19 heroes, how the pandemic affected key frontline workers
December 14, 2022 00:00 - 33 minutes - 45.4 MBThe 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, emergency workers and those working across service industries and how the heroes tag was viewe...
Episode 43: Advanced materials to purify the worlds air and water
December 14, 2022 00:00 - 8 minutes - 11.8 MBResearchers 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 those fostering environmental sustainability.
Episode 42: Music therapy to support women’s perinatal wellbeing during pregnancy: Using music to nurture?
December 14, 2022 00:00 - 25 minutes - 35.6 MBUniversity 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 Department of Health have commended the innovative nature of this work awarding furthe...
Episode 41: Tackling the global energy storage challenge, one ion at a time
December 14, 2022 00:00 - 18 minutes - 25.7 MBGlobal 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 storage. Through advances in novel materials Dr Geaney’s research brings together disco...
Episode 39: “Nothing about us, Without us” President’s Research Excellence and Impact Award 2022 Winners
February 10, 2022 00:00 - 47 minutes - 65.6 MBHow 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 disability, those who care for those who are disabled, child carers, and those who are affected ...
Back pain: Treating the human - not the scan
June 08, 2021 00:00 - 34 minutes - 47.1 MBThe 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’Sullivan’s research has shed new light on why back pain is such an ongoing challenge and th...
Tackling multi-drug resistant infections through research collaboration
December 10, 2020 00:00 - 52 minutes - 72.2 MBA 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, paediatricians, respiratory specialists. Understanding infectious disease outbreaks and the...
Zero Hours and Low Hours Work in Ireland
November 27, 2020 10:09 - 12 minutes - 16.9 MBZero 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, their effect on employees and their social impact. She outlines how she and her colleagues carried o...
Technology in Education: Why content is key
May 07, 2020 10:27 - 21 minutes - 29.2 MBDr 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 review of a secondary school’s digital policy and how this resulted in its decision to reintr...
Engineering Physical Activity in Breast Cancer
October 18, 2019 14:54 - 10 minutes - 15 MBDr 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 Ireland grant 13/RC/2094 and co-funded under the European Regional Development Fund t...
Importance and challenges of getting the right wheelchair
October 03, 2019 15:04 - 39 minutes - 53.7 MBDermot 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.
Personalised medicine and the pharmacy of the future
July 19, 2019 15:12 - 5 minutes - 7.39 MBOisín Kavanagh is a pharmacist and PhD researcher with the Synthesis and Solid State Pharmaceutical Centre (SSPC), the SFI Pharmaceutical Research Centre, at the University of Limerick. He discusses how advances in the distribution and production of medicines might shape the pharmacy of the future and how these could help to alleviate the financial burden on the State while in turn easing the burden on patients, making drug delivery easier and more effective. He explores how 3D print...
Research Soapbox
July 18, 2019 11:41 - 57 minutes - 79.1 MBThe Research Soapbox event highlighted how research can make a real difference. The lunchtime showcase event took place in the Fab Lab in Limerick’s city centre and involved researchers from PhD to Professor with voices from the University of Limerick Thesis in 3 Competition as well as the Research Impact Podcast Series. The event was moderated by Prof Helena Lenihan, Chair of the UL Research Impact Committee. The range of topics varied from match fixing in sport to designer medicine...
Using psychology and the power of collective identities to combat adversity
July 08, 2019 20:08 - 11 minutes - 15.6 MBPsychology has traditionally focused on biological, genetic or personality factors to explain why some people cope better or worse than others in adverse situations. However such a focus can lead to a therapeutic dead end as it is very difficult to change a person’s temperament or genetic predispositions. In the first of a series of guest host podcasts, Psychology Masters student Ilyana Keohane introduces Prof Orla Muldoon as she discusses the research carried out at the Centre for S...
Creating a Positive Energy City Centre in Limerick
July 03, 2019 20:57 - 28 minutes - 38.7 MBIn 1900, only 14% percent of the world’s population lived in a city. Today, for the first time in history, more than half the planet’s population reside in urban areas. These urban centres are now racing to become the smart cities of the future. Limerick has received a major boost in the race to become a smart city through its designation as Ireland’s first ‘Lighthouse Smart City’ through the Positive City Exchange Project. Rosie Webb, Senior Architect, Limerick City & County Counci...
Music Festivals, Inclusion and Public Spaces
April 26, 2019 10:06 - 17 minutes - 24.4 MBEthnomusicologist, Irish traditional musician and lecturer at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick, Dr Aileen Dillane talks about her research project FestiVersities: European Music Festivals, Public Spaces, and Cultural Diversities. This research is supported through Humanities in the European Research Area (HERA), European Commission.
Cracking the code for personalised medicine
March 04, 2019 17:00 - 9 minutes - 12.4 MBPersonalised medicine is the next great global challenge for the pharmaceutical industry. The vision of the pharmacy of the future is one which employs disruptive technologies to enable on-demand manufacture of drugs designed to individual needs. Central to this vision is the concept of continuous processing. The Bernal Chair in Pharmaceutical Powder Engineering, Prof Gavin Walker, discusses how continuous processing is a key enabler to impact on global health through delivering more...
Why involve the public and patients in research?
February 19, 2019 18:14 - 15 minutes - 21.3 MBAnne MacFarlane, Professor of Primary Healthcare Research at the Graduate Entry Medical School, University of Limerick and member of UL’s Health Research Institute talks about her research in the area of Public and Patient Involvement in Research, specifically participatory health research with socially excluded communities. Recorded by GK Media Ltd.
A Europe-wide approach to combatting tax fraud and evasion
February 04, 2019 17:48 - 11 minutes - 16.2 MBTax fraud and tax evasion affects us all. Within the European Union, huge sums of revenue for public investment are being lost due to tax evasion and avoidance with estimates in the region of 1 trillion euros. Prof Sheila Killian of the Kemmy Business School talks about her research as part of the EU funded project called COFFERS - Combatting Fiscal Fraud and Empowering Regulators. The team at the Kemmy Business School are focusing on the role of expert professional networks, tax adv...
Research Week - Open Science in The Netherlands
December 20, 2018 21:20 - 48 minutes - 111 MBLecture as part of Inaugural UL’s Research Week by Prof Karel Luyben, former Rector Magnificus of TU Delft and an expert on Open Science. During his lecture Prof Luyben poses questions such as; What concrete conditions should be met first, for your organisation to embrace Open Science? What do you hope that your organisation will gain from open science? What is the number one prerequisite for you personally with respect to Open Science implementation? What role are you willing to tak...
Next generation battery technology for electric vehicles
December 15, 2018 18:43 - 10 minutes - 14.2 MBThe advent of the electric car heralds a new era of environmentally friendly transport. However, battery cost could put a brake on the rollout of electric vehicles (EVs) for a mass market. Prof Kevin M Ryan, Chair in Chemical Nanotechnology, at the Bernal Institute, University of Limerick and his team are co-ordinating European research projects, Si-Drive and NEILLSBAT looking at next generation battery technology for EVs. This team are tackling the major barriers to EV uptake, which...
Sepsis, a worldwide problem crying out for a solution
September 12, 2018 20:07 - 8 minutes - 11 MBDr Jakki Cooney, co-founder of UL spinout Cala Medical, based in the Nexus Innovation Centre in UL discusses her research. Cala Medical have designed and patented a unique device containing a specific immobilized enzyme which treats the excessive inflammatory response in the blood of sepsis patients. The treatment could dramatically cut the death rate from sepsis which is a highly prevalent and often fatal illness requiring intensive medical care. Jakki also discusses her experience...
Maths for the Digital Factory
July 16, 2018 16:24 - 47 minutes - 43.8 MBDigital transformation impacts many areas of our lives and has given rise to a booming digital economy. This new commodity of data is continually growing and changing. The challenge however, is how this digital transformation can be harnessed to do what we already do, but much better. Mathematics Applications Consortium for Science & Industry (MACSI) and Confirm, the SFI Research Centre for Smart Manufacturing hosted a panel of experts to tackle the topic: Chris Decubber, Technical ...
The good fight – breaking down barriers to create better policy and practice
June 26, 2018 21:12 - 17 minutes - 24.6 MBResearchers at the University of Limerick are developing skills in interdisciplinary working and using this to inform policy and practice. The model involves multiple stakeholder engagement where ideas are expressed early and often, and are open to critique and contribution from other voices of interest. This model allows the group to fail faster by getting ideas tested and thrown out to find solutions quicker. Dr Annmarie Ryan, Lecturer in Business Marketing and Dr Niamh Nic Ghabha...
Giving a voice to victims in the Irish criminal process
May 23, 2018 11:29 - 19 seconds - 29.5 MBMany of us will become a victim of crime at some point in our lives, yet many victims chose not to report these crimes to the police. Ultimately, a large number of victims in Ireland are not engaging in the criminal justice system. Prof Shane Kilcommins, Dr Susan Leahy & Dr Eimear Spain from the Centre for Crime, Justice and Victim Studies (CCJVS) and the School of Law have sought to better understand this phenomenon with a view to understanding how best to engage with and support vi...
Biomaterials and Biotechnology: From the discovery of the first angiogenesis inhibitors to the development of controlled drug delivery systems and the foundation of tissue engineering
May 08, 2018 21:09 - 58 minutes - 79.7 MBAdvanced drug delivery systems are having an enormous impact on human health. new drug delivery technologies including nanoparticles and nanotechnology are now being studied for use in treating cancer. Approaches for synthesizing new biomaterials, which can be used in fighting brain cancer and new approaches for engineering tissues are being developed that may someday help in various diseases. Robert Samuel Langer, Jr. is an American chemical engineer, scientist, entrepreneur, inven...
Nutrition supports for age related muscle mass loss
April 09, 2018 15:19 - 28 minutes - 39.1 MBIn Ireland, only 30% of women and 45% of men over 65 remain disability-free for life. Dramatic changes in cells start in our 30s, while in our 40s, health and functionality are impacted by increasing weight gain, decreasing bone density and loss or weakening of muscle. People with low lean tissue or muscle mass are classified as sarcopenic. Conservative estimates predict that the incidence of sarcopenia will increase by 50% over the next 30 years, making it a major public health issu...
Mathematics and the identification of ‘superspreaders’
March 13, 2018 14:39 - 8 minutes - 12.2 MBIn the world of social networks, “superspreaders” are users whose retweets can make information travel faster than everyone else. Prof James Gleeson from the Mathematics Applications Consortium for Science and Industry (MACSI) explains how his latest SFI funded project is using mathematics to help identify these superspreaders. He outlines how a better understanding of how information spreads through social influence will help us find ways to spread important information more quickly...
Towards a cleaner carbon fibre future
February 27, 2018 15:08 - 5 minutes - 7.7 MBCarbon fibre is a key material in a range of industries from automotive to wind energy. Dr Maurice Collins is leading a €4.9m EU wide project called LIBRE to create a cleaner and cheaper alternative means of carbon fibre production using lignin, a polymer found in wood and bark, rather than current petroleum based methods. He discusses the environmental and financial benefits of this enhanced production method and the future direction for his research. This project has received fundi...
Fix the Fixing – Defeating match fixing in sport
December 19, 2017 20:11 - 11 minutes - 15.2 MBMore than 12% of athletes have played in a match that was fixed and nearly 15% suspect they have, according to the findings of a European survey. Dr Deirdre O’Shea and Dr Tadhg MacIntyre are two psychologists who have been involved in a pan-European Erasmus+ project called Fix the Fixing. Their research seeks to tackle this global phenomenon, and understand its impact on the athletes involved, the supporters and the overall reputation of sport. Recorded by GK Media Ltd.
Growing up with domestic violence and abuse: The impact on young people
November 27, 2017 17:54 - 13 minutes - 17.9 MBThe pervasive occurrence of domestic violence and abuse poses many challenges to Irish society. Dr Catherine Naughton talks about her PhD Research which was supervised by Prof Orla Muldoon and Dr Aisling O’Donnell in the Dept. of Psychology and Centre for Social Issues Research. Catherine discusses their research which explores the negative social and emotional consequences that growing up in a home where domestic violence and abuse occurred may continue to have on young people. www...
Phos"Fate": Where have all the nutrients gone?
October 28, 2017 21:00 - 21 minutes - 30.2 MBPhosphate is a limited resource vital for global agriculture. Dr Iain Moyles and Dr John Donohue discuss their work funded by Science Foundation Ireland on mathematical modelling of nutrient flow in soil. During the podcast Iain and John describe the phosphate crisis which acknowledges that phosphorus is a limited resource and only a few countries have significant reserves of it including Morocco, China, Algeria and Syria. During their discussions on sulphur, they touch on some surpr...
Scaling Agile Methods: improved software development
October 11, 2017 11:31 - 6 minutes - 9.6 MBThe software industry in Ireland is well established with 9 of the top 10 global software companies located in the country. Prof Brian Fitzgerald, Director of LERO the Irish Software Research Centre, discusses agile methods in software development and the exponential growth in the development of software across all industries. With €30 billion worth of exports annually, the software industry is of huge importance to Ireland. 90% of software development uses agile methods to speed up ...
The untold story - understanding the Multinational Sector in Ireland
September 05, 2017 14:58 - 17 minutes - 23.5 MBIreland’s economy is highly dependent on multinational investment with MNC’s employing well in excess of 160,000 people. Prof Patrick Gunnigle & Dr Jonathan Lavelle, Kemmy Business School discuss the influence that multinationals have on the Irish economy and our society as a whole and how the landscape of MNC involvement in the economy may evolve in the future. www.ul.ie/researchimpact Recorded by GK Media Ltd.
Generating clean energy by imitating plant photosynthesis
July 04, 2017 16:04 - 11 minutes - 15.6 MBThe 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/researchimpact Recorded by GK Med...
Autonomous cars, a game changer for the future of the motor industry
June 29, 2017 14:46 - 10 minutes - 14.6 MBThe 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 ...
Atomic Action Movies - Revealing the world, one atom at a time
June 19, 2017 14:14 - 14 minutes - 20 MBDr 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). ...
Achieving a research led university
April 12, 2017 17:14 - 46 minutes - 63.5 MBThe 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 Rank...
A nation of couch potatoes?
March 27, 2017 10:10 - 16 minutes - 22.8 MBLow 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 ...
Improving the quality of life for people living with MS
March 22, 2017 16:47 - 11 minutes - 15.8 MBTwenty 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....
Research with impact, why bother?
March 22, 2017 16:43 - 15 minutes - 21.3 MBThe 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. Drawi...
Ecology to rehabilitate mine sites
March 18, 2017 14:42 - 11 minutes - 15.7 MBMore 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. H...
Helping voters to make an informed choice
March 18, 2017 14:32 - 13 minutes - 18.8 MBElections 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, ...