Two Trinity faculty members have been awarded European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grants for their respective research projects.
Dr Johanna Vos and Dr Michael-John Dolan each secured grants designed for “talented early-career scientists” with up to seven years of post-PhD experience.
Dr Johanna Vos is an Assistant Professor at Trinity’s School of Physics and Dr Michael-John Dolan is an Assistant Professor at Trinity’s School of Genetics and Microbiology.
Vos’ project, Exometeorology: Probing Extrasolar Atmospheres (Exo-PEA), aims to investigate weather patterns on planets outside our solar system. As part of the project Vos will make use of the recently launched James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to gather crucial data for her research.
Upon being awarded, Vos expressed her excitement about receiving the grant and its potential impact on her research team and the understanding of exoplanetary atmospheres.
“I am honoured to have been awarded this ERC Starting Grant and for the opportunity to expand the breadth and scope of research in my group. This funding will allow me to build a team that will make use of ground-breaking data from JWST to provide key insights into the atmospheres of worlds beyond our solar system.”
Dolan’s Project, MICRODISSECT: Dissection of Microglial State Biology in Brain Repair, aims to create a detailed map of microglial states and explore their potential for therapeutic interventions in various neurological disorders. His research will focus on microglia, the brain’s immune cells, and their role in brain damage, disease, and repair.
Dolan thanked all of his mentors and trainees for their support in addition to Trinity’s Research Development Office.
“This award comes at a pivotal time for me, having just moved back to Ireland to start my group. This ERC grant will be the platform on which my lab will build and enable us to strike out in an ambitious new direction in neuroimmunology,” he added.
Provost Linda Doyle offered her congratulations to the awardees:
“Winning an ERC grant is an acknowledgement that their projects are not only scientifically excellent, but will break new ground for their disciplines. The focus of their efforts – understanding weather patterns in strange worlds in deep space, and how we might drive misfiring human brains to repair – also underline the extraordinary breadth of world-leading research that is nurtured at Trinity.”
Dean of Research Professor Sinéad Ryan said: “I congratulate Johanna and Michael-John on securing funding for these ambitious and exciting projects.”
“As they grow their research teams in Trinity, they will create focal points at Trinity for talented postdoctoral and PhD researchers, helping to establish the next generation of research leaders with the skills to impact their disciplines and wider society,” she added.
