Trinity researchers receive €1.3 m from HRB for postdoctoral research fellowships

Posted on: 04 October 2023

The new HRB awards will support post-doctoral researchers who are pursuing academic careers and those from clinical backgrounds who wish to further enhance their research experience while remaining embedded in the health service.

The successful Trinity College awardees are:

Dr Robert Briggs, Medical Gerontology for the project: DEFINED: DEtermining Falls burden to INform carEwhich will address the inadequate access to appropriate assessment for older people following a fall, which places them at risk of further falls and a loss of independence. The study will determine the current and future demand for falls care and demonstrate that by addressing this demand, we can impact positively on the health of the older person.

Dr Cilian Ó Maoldomhnaigh, Clinical Medicine, for the project: Targeting immunometabolism to protect children from Tuberculosis infection which will examine the immune response to tuberculosis (TB) infection in children over the course of their illness in order to understand how this response changes from infancy to adolescence. Children are disproportionately infected with TB, with an increased risk of both getting the disease following exposure and of severe disease that spreads from the lungs causing issues such as meningitis.

Trinity College's Dean of Research Sinéad Ryan commented:

"I congratulate Cilian Ó Maoldomnaigh and Robert Briggs on their success in securing Clinician Scientist Fellowships from the Health Research Board. These two awards will enable excellent research that will have a positive impact across the life stages, to protect children from TB infection and to inform care delivery for older people affected by falls."

HRB Chief Executive, Dr Mairéad O'Driscoll, said:

“This framework provides a coordinated, coherent approach to building the capacity and capability of academic researchers and health and social care practitioners to respond to current and emerging health research needs. These awards enable our next generation of talented researchers to consolidate their scientific and professional skills and to progress towards research independence while at the same time enhancing the overall capacity to conduct applied health and social care research in Ireland.”

The 2023 awards were selected via a rigorous application and assessment process, which included international peer review, public review, and interviews by an international panel of experts for shortlisted candidates.

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