The University of Notre Dame’s Naughton Fellowship program has announced 31 faculty members and students as awardees in its 2024-2025 cohort.
Funded by a gift from the Naughton family in 2008, the Naughton Fellowships foster leadership through international partnerships and stimulate collaborative research efforts. Fellows from Ireland have the opportunity to study and conduct research at the University of Notre Dame. Fellows from Notre Dame complete their fellowships at one of Ireland’s leading research universities.
Brian Baker, the Coleman Professor of Life Sciences at Notre Dame, said, “We would like to thank all of the students and faculty members who applied to the Naughton Fellowship Program, and we would like to congratulate this year's fellows. Each one is contributing to a unique program that is bearing fruit, not just by bringing institutions together but also by fostering innovation and inspiring new solutions to major challenges facing our world.”
Baker, who serves as the Naughton Fellowship Committee Chair, added, “We are grateful to the Naughton family for supporting our students and faculty members and contributing to a culture of international collaboration for scientists and engineers at Notre Dame and in Ireland.”
Among the awardees are faculty members, graduate students, and undergraduate researchers from the University of Notre Dame, Dublin City University, Trinity College Dublin, University College Cork, University College Dublin, Technological University Dublin, and the University of Galway.
Faculty
Faculty from leading Irish universities and Notre Dame have come together to work on four research projects as a part of the Naughton Faculty Accelerator program.
Patrick Brewick, an assistant professor in Notre Dame’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering & Earth Sciences, will work with three professors from Trinity College Dublin on a project titled "Predicting and Reducing the Excessive Motion in Tall, Slender Structures." Brewick's collaborators are Brian Broderick, a professor in Civil, Structural, and Environmental Engineering and associate dean of research; Breiffni Fitzgerald, an assistant professor in Civil, Structural, and Environmental Engineering; and John Hickey, assistant professor in Civil, Structural, and Environmental Engineering,
Sharon Stack, the Kleiderer-Pezold Professor of Biochemistry and Ann F. Dunne & Elizabeth Riley Director of Notre Dame's Harper Cancer Research Institute, will collaborate on a project titled "Growing the Biseach Initiative: Improving Cancer Outcomes through International Collaborative Research." Stack will work with Michael J. Kerin, the chair of Surgery at the University of Galway and director of the Saolta University Cancer Network.
Thomas O'Sullivan, an associate professor of Electrical Engineering at Notre Dame, will work with Friedrich Wetterling, an assistant professor in the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at Trinity College Dublin, on a project titled "Smart and wireless optical sensors for intra-vascular monitoring of blood volume in congestive heart failure."
Olaf Wiest, the Grace-Rupley Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry at Notre Dame, will work with Gerard McGlacken, an associate professor of Organic Chemistry, and vice dean for research and innovation at University College Cork, on a project titled "InTeleCat Artificial Intelligence in Telescoped Catalysis." Abigail Doyle, the Saul Winstein Endowed Chair in Organic Chemistry at the University of California Los Angeles, will also contribute to the project along with Sofiya Evenko, a doctoral student at University College Cork, and corporate partner Eli Lilly.
Graduate Students
Notre Dame Students Traveling to Ireland
Kathryn Delaney Clark, a Notre Dame Mechanical Engineering major, will study at University College Cork, pursuing a master's degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Anna Falk, a Notre Dame Neuroscience major, will continue her studies at University College Dublin, where she will pursue a master's degree in Neuroscience.
Ciara Fay, a Notre Dame Biochemistry major, will go to Trinity College Dublin to pursue a master's degree in Global Health.
Tara Neufell, a Notre Dame Environmental Sciences major, will travel to Trinity College Dublin to pursue a master's degree in Biodiversity and Conservation.
Students at Irish Universities Traveling to Notre Dame
Laura Brady, who is currently studying Mechanical Engineering and Management at Trinity College Dublin, will go to Notre Dame to pursue a master's degree in Science, Technology, and Engineering Entrepreneurship (ESTEEM).
David Carr, who is currently studying Mathematics at Dublin City University, will study at Notre Dame, pursuing a master's degree in Science, Technology, and Engineering Entrepreneurship (ESTEEM).
Kate O'Farrelly, who is currently studying Economics and Econometrics at University College Dublin, will travel to Notre Dame to pursue a master's degree in Science, Technology, and Engineering Entrepreneurship (ESTEEM).
Lorcan O'Rourke, who is currently studying Electronic and Computer Engineering at University College Dublin, will pursue a master's degree in Science, Technology, and Engineering Entrepreneurship (ESTEEM) at Notre Dame.
Eoin Leonard, who is currently studying Building Services Engineering at Technological University Dublin, will study at Notre Dame in pursuit of a master's degree in Science, Technology, and Engineering Entrepreneurship (ESTEEM).
Undergraduate Students
The following Notre Dame students traveled to Ireland as part of a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program:
Emme Hemmerich, a Notre Dame Biological Sciences major, traveled to Trinity College Dublin to conduct microbiology research with Siobhán O'Brien, an assistant professor and group leader in Microbial Ecology & Evolution.
Mark Van Kirk, a Notre Dame Computer Science major, went to University College Dublin to conduct computer science research with Mark Scanlon, an associate professor in the School of Computer Science.
Maeve Mastri, a Notre Dame Neuroscience major, conducted neuroscience research with Ciara Egan, a lecturer in Clinical Neuroscience within the School of Psychology at the University of Galway.
Sarah Garas, a Notre Dame Biological Sciences major, headed to University College Dublin to conduct antibiotic resistance research with Tadgh Ó Cróinín, a lecturer in the School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science.
Mikayla Copley, a Notre Dame Biological Sciences major, researched ESKAPE pathogens with Siobhán McClean, an associate professor in the School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science at University College Dublin.
The following students at Irish universities traveled to Notre Dame as part of an REU Program:
Kayleigh Moran, a student studying medicinal chemistry at the University of Galway, spent the summer working with Brian Blagg, the Charles Huisking Professor and director of the Warren Center for Drug Discovery and Development at Notre Dame.
Stephen Hynes, a student studying physics at the University of Galway, spent the summer researching machine learning for fusion energy research with Ryan McClaren, a professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at Notre Dame.
Eoin Killian, a student studying chemistry at Trinity College Dublin, spent the summer conducting experiments on the synthesis of clerodane diterpene analogs as beta-lactam adjuvants for combating Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus with Christian Melander, the George & Winifred Clark Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Notre Dame.
Christopher McAleer, a student studying artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning at Dublin City University, spent the summer advancing research on trusted AI with Paul Brenner, senior associate director and professor of the practice at the Center for Research Computing at Notre Dame.
Cora Keogh, a student studying AI and machine learning at Dublin City University, conducted research on undulatory locomotion in bioinspired robotic systems with Yasemin Ozkan Aydin, an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Notre Dame.
Aoife McLoughlin, a student studying Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at University College Dublin, worked with Meenal Data, an assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at Notre Dame, to explore the role of vascular pericytes in the glioblastoma microenvironment.
Oisín Wade, a student studying Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering at University College Dublin, spent the summer exploring low-temperature thermal treatment of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) with Kyle Doudrick, an associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences.
Applications for the Naughton Fellowships, including undergraduate, masters, and faculty fellowships, will open for submissions in the fall of 2024. To learn more, please visit naughton.nd.edu.
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