Podcasts

The 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 relate to driving range, cost and recharge times by completely re-imagining the lithium ion battery with new and innovative materials.

Recorded by GK Media Ltd.

Dr 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 experiences as a female researcher working in STEM and the challenges and rewards that this can bring.
Recorded by GK Media Ltd.

Digital 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 Director at the European Factories of the Future Research Association (EFFRA), Dr Johan S Carlson, Director of the Fraunhofer-Chalmers Research Centre for Industrial Mathematics, Dr Joanna Jordan, Institute for Mathematical Innovation, University of Bath, Professor Barry O'Sullivan, Director of Insight the SFI Centre for Data Analytics, Prof James Gleeson, Co-Director of MACSI.

Researchers 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 Ghabhann, Course director of the MA Festive Arts Programme/Associate Dean Research Faculty of Arts, Humanities and the Social Sciences, discuss their research and experiences using this interdisciplinary approach.

Recorded by GK Media Ltd.

Many 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 victims of crime, while also informing public policy and legislative reform. By focusing their research on the place of victims within the criminal justice system, the team is giving a voice to underrepresented minorities including victims with disabilities. Recorded by GK Media Ltd.

Advanced 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, inventor and the David H. Koch Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a widely recognized and cited researcher in biotechnology, especially in the fields of drug delivery systems and tissue engineering. His publications have been cited approximately 220,000 times and his h-index is 233.