Research Week 2024
Research Week 2024 was once again a really wonderful week with 30 events over five days showcasing excellent research across UL.
The passion for that research was so evident across the various events. What was also so evident is the range of research underway at UL, the many external groups across industry, the healthcare sector, other government agencies and community groups engaged in our research and the very strong interdisciplinary aspect to much of that research.
The week also provided a welcome opportunity for people across UL to meet and focus on the positive aspects of what we do so well at UL.
Research Week 2024 playlist on YouTube
Monday 29 April 2024
Early Career Researchers and the Research Ecosystem
An exploration of building a sustainable research ecosystem across the early career researcher continuum.
Watch Early Career Researchers and the Research Ecosystem on YouTube
Tackling Food Poverty and Food Insecurity
A critical engagement on the growing issue of food poverty in Ireland, including UL experts from the social sciences and human nutrition as well as speakers from organisations working to alleviate food poverty on a daily basis.
Watch Tackling Food Poverty and Food Insecurity on YouTube
The Physical Activity for Health Research Centre: An update on progress and activity
The Health Research Institute supported panel provided an update on the excellent and impactful research happening in this research centre.
Research Week Launch: Striving for Excellence with ERC
Professor Norelee Kennedy, Vice President Research UL in conversation with Professor Mike Quayle, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Health Sciences, UL.
Festival of Science: Emerging Breakthroughs Advancing Cancer Research
Introduced by Professor Aedin Culhane, Biomedical Sciences (Cancer Genomics), School of Medicine and Professor Ruth Clifford, Consultant Haematologist at UHL. The Limerick Digital Cancer Research Centre’s (LDCRC) multidisciplinary initiative dedicated to improving our understanding of the fundamental biology of cancer and using this new knowledge to find better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat the disease.
Academic Publishing, Open Science, and the UN's Sustainable Development Goals
The University of Limerick welcomed Dr Tiffany Straza from UNESCO and Dr Vincent Larievre (l’Université de Montréal) to this dynamic online event that explored the realms of academic publishing, communication research, and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Watch Academic Publishing, Open Science, and the UN's Sustainable Development Goals on YouTube.
Tuesday 30 April 2024
Music therapy for people with dementia
UL is an international and national leader in music therapy research in older age. This session will shared leading international research and practice in music therapy for people with dementia. The session also included very powerful and moving reflections from study participants, musical performances and the screening of ‘Who shall we tell?’, directed by Lisa Kelly, filmed and edited by Scott Robinson.
Watch Music therapy for people with dementia on YouTube.
Research Journey - Post Award Landscape
An interactive session with the Post-Award Support and Compliance team on research project management and the UL post-award landscape. Session led by Dr Cathal Linnane, Head, Post-Award Support and Compliance.
Participatory Research Methods - techniques and resources
This HRI-supported workshop will introduce engaging techniques and highlight resources to support participatory research. Workshop participants will have the opportunity to experience participatory techniques including Photovoice, Ketso tool kit and participatory facilitation skills. This will be followed by an overview of the participatory research resources available at the Glucksman Library.
Researching the Changing Landscape of International Higher Education Learning and Teaching: Challenges and Opportunities
Professor Nigel Healey, Vice President Global and Community Engagement, will provide an overview of research into international higher education learning and teaching, exploring the key themes and developments and discussing the key challenges and opportunities for researchers in this important field.
Impact of AI in Science and Engineering: Policy, Applications & Advancements
IEEE Student Branch event, a diverse panel including Project Coordinator, Professors and Researchers from Academia and Industry, working in the domain of AI. The panel includes Professor Ita Richardson, Lero and CSIS. Dr Ger Dooley, CRIS & ECE, Dr Pepijn van de Ven, D2iCE & ECE, Dr Bharath Sudharsan, Senior AI ML Data Engineer, General Motors.
Public Understanding of Hate Crime: Ireland, North and South
Presentation of data from the ground-breaking Irish Research Council-funded Public Understandings of Hate Crime Project, hosted by the European Centre for the Study of Hate. Speakers: Professor Amanda Haynes, Department of Sociology, Professor Jennifer Schweppe, School of Law and Dr Kevin Brown, Queens University Belfast.
Wednesday 1 May 2024
Achieving Impact in Ageing Research (HRI Event)
The Ageing Research Centre (ARC) comprises an interdisciplinary group of UL researchers, external academic collaborators, clinical collaborators and a Public and Patient Involvement panel of older adults and family caregivers. For this event experts from the ARC discussed their research which aims to improve the health, well-being and social inclusion of older people.
Watch Achieving Impact in Ageing Research on YouTube
Digitalisation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the Future of Work
Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence are rapidly transforming the very essence of work, organisations, and society. Against the backdrop of the increasing reach of digitalisation, and the rising capability of Artificial Intelligence, the Kemmy Business School brought together a panel of experts to present their research on this evolving field and discuss its shaping influence on our work, workplaces, and working lives.
Research-Led Practice in Enhancing Sport and Human Performance
The Sports and Human Performance Research Centre (SPHPRC), Department of Physical Activity and Sports Science at UL is dedicated to innovative, interdisciplinary and applied translational research in sport and human performance. SHPRC has extensive national and international collaborations and with five core themes. This interactive session showcased some of the cutting-edge research taking place within the five themes and the impact in enhancing sport and human performance.
Watch Research-Led Practice in Enhancing Sport and Human Performance on YouTube
Navigating Research Ethics
Led by the UL Research Ethics Committee (RECs) chairs, this session will highlight the value and importance of good research practice, the requirements of research ethics in a UL context, and what RECs can do for researchers to support the rigour and impact of their activity. This session will be of particular relevance to active researchers and those with an interest in incorporating surveys and interview activity into their research practice.
Research Ethics: Good Practice and Contemporary Challenges
Research Ethics specialist and UL Research Ethics Governance committee chair Paul Reynolds, Open University, will survey recent challenges to undertaking research with human participants, with particular reference to the problem of criminal disclosures in the course of data collection, participant issues from consent to co-production and web challenges from data scraping to ChatGPT. This session will be of particular interest to those looking for guidance in the area of good research practice in a shifting regulatory environment.
Implementation Research in Policy and Practice
The Centre for Implementation Research UL (CIRcUL) is a multidisciplinary centre aimed at enhancing the adoption of evidence-based research, policies, programmes, and professional practices for effective service delivery to public entities, industry collaborators and other established partnerships. The Centre for Implementation Research University of Limerick (CIRcUL) hosted a talk by Jane Lewis, Managing Director of the Centre for Evidence Implementation (CEI) UK titled “Implementation science in practice”. Jane was joined by the Centre leads Professor Alice Coffey, Department of Nursing and Midwifery, and Professor Sean Redmond, School of Law who delivered a short presentation on the journey to becoming a centre and future plans.
Watch Implementation Research in Policy and Practice
EU Knowledge Valorisation Policy and Its Role in Technology Transfer
A guide to the on recent policy developments at EU level, including European Research Area Action 7, Guiding Principles on Knowledge Valorisation, Codes of Practice (intellectual assets, standardisation, industry-academia collaboration) and how they affect KT/TT. Keynote speaker: Alessandra Baccigotti, University of Bologna Head of Knowledge Transfer Office and Innovation Funding - ASTP Chair of Europe Committee and consultant for EU matters
School of Allied Health Research Impact Showcase
School of Allied Health Research Impact Showcase, an event dedicated to highlighting the collaborative spirit and interdisciplinary synergies within the School. This event celebrated impactful research that has been enabled by meaningful connections between School of Allied Health researchers, practitioners, and the community at large. The event was opened by Associate Professor Aileen Wright, Head of the School of Allied Health, who presented an overview of the thematic areas of focus of research in the School of Allied Health.
3-Minute Thesis (3MT) Grand Final
The qualifiers are through and ready to present their research in just three minutes. Ten PhD candidates who qualified through their respective faculty heats, presented a summary of their research and its potential impact – all in just three minutes, using one slide, in front of a panel of judges. The winner of the Picture This! photo competition was also announced.
Thursday 2 May 2024
Bernal Institute - Revolutionising Sustainability for Real-World Application
Exploring innovations through policy and opportunities in waste recovery, valorisation, and the bio-economy for a greener future.
How crucial is relationship building in Youth Justice Work
Time spent building purposeful relationships accounts for a substantial proportion of the effort to divert young people from crime in Ireland. Those who work in youth justice often report that building professional relationships is key to the work they do with young people (DCYA, 2014). Despite the importance placed on these relationships by practitioners, few studies have revealed the extent to which they may help divert young people from crime.
Watch How crucial is relationship building in Youth Justice Work on YouTube
Research Trends in Electronic Music Culture
The Digital Media and Art Research Centre (DMARC) engages in a diverse range of activities investigating technology-enabled arts practice. Focusing on the creative process in the digital arts and the aesthetic possibilities of new technologies, DMARC fosters experimentation in a wide range of disciplines, including electronic music, visual media, installation art, virtual art, and performance. DMARC members presented a selection of live performances that explore current developments across electronic music performance paradigms and examined some of the research and cultural developments underpinning contemporary practice in these areas.
UL Citizens' Assembly
The UL Citizens’ Assembly provides UL researchers with the opportunity to access funding for their engaged research, get feedback on their projects from a panel of experts, hone their communication skills, and present to civically engaged, cross-sections of citizens from Limerick city and county.
Indigenous Criminology: A New Agenda for Europe
An inaugural public lecture by Dr Sindy Joyce, Human Rights Defender, sociologist and lecturer, Department of Sociology followed by a response by Professor Zoë James, Professor of Criminology, University of Plymouth and hosted by the European Centre for the Study of Hate.
Watch Indigenous Criminology: A New Agenda for Europe on YouTube
Interrupting the Discourse: Science and STEAM Initial Teacher Education in the Anthropocene
This research seminar by Professor Geraldine Mooney Simmie, Chair of STEM Education and Director of EPI•STEM National Research Centre for STEM Education in the School of Education, critically scrutinises the purposes of Science and STEAM Initial Teacher Education to interrupt the modernist discourse in relation to evidence-based policymaking, knowledge and ways of knowing in the Anthropocene.
Friday 3 May 2024
Injury Surveillance in Rugby: Enhancing Player Welfare
The Irish Rugby Injury Surveillance (IRIS) explores the profile and nature of injuries in Irish amateur rugby (male and female) and the school’s game. IRIS is a multidisciplinary research group led by Co-Principal Investigators Dr Tom Comyns and Professor Ian Kenny. It includes the first long-term surveillance of injuries in the women’s game globally. This workshop explored the IRIS project from the perspective of the research team, PhD scholars and the IRFU.
Showcase of UL’s Internal Research Centres
UL’s internal research centres bring together critical masses of expertise from across a variety of disciplines to proactively collaborate and conduct their focused research. This event raised awareness of UL’s internal research centre community and showcases six of UL’s internal research centres, from across its four faculties. The event was chaired by Dr Niall Keely, Research Institutes and Centres Officer and hosted by Post-Award Support and Compliance, Research Support Services, Office of the Vice President Research.
