The UL Research Impact Podcast Series features interviews and seminars exploring research that makes an impact beyond academia.

University of Limerick

Atomic Action Movies - Revealing the world, one atom at a time

The untold story - understanding the Multinational Sector in Ireland

Prof Susan Coote - Improving the quality of life for people living with MS

Prof Ritsert Jansen - Achieving a research led university

Prof Helena Lenihan - Research with impact, why bother?

Dr Ronan Courtney - Ecologically engineered solutions to rehabilitate mining waste and mine sites

The pervasive occurrence of domestic violence and abuse poses many challenges to Irish society.  Dr Catherine Naughton talks about her PhD Research which was supervised by Prof Orla Muldoon and Dr Aisling O’Donnell in the Dept. of Psychology and Centre for Social Issues Research. Catherine discusses their research which explores the negative social and emotional consequences that growing up in a home where domestic violence and abuse occurred may continue to have on young people. www.ul.ie/researchimpact

Growing Up With Domestic Violence And Abuse The Impact On Young People

Phosphate is a limited resource vital for global agriculture. Dr Iain Moyles and Dr John Donohue discuss their work funded by Science Foundation Ireland on mathematical modelling of nutrient flow in soil. During the podcast Iain and John describe the phosphate crisis which acknowledges that phosphorus is a limited resource and only a few countries have significant reserves of it including Morocco, China, Algeria and Syria. During their discussions on sulphur, they touch on some surprising outcomes of emissions regulations. Other talking points include the various collaborators in their research programme, the importance of mathematical modelling in science, and advice for scientists interested in collaborating with applied mathematicians or pursuing a career in the field.

Phos"Fate": Where have all the nutrients gone?

The software industry in Ireland is well established with 9 of the top 10 global software companies located in the country. Prof Brian Fitzgerald, Director of LERO the Irish Software Research Centre, discusses agile methods in software development and the exponential growth in the development of software across all industries. With €30 billion worth of exports annually, the software industry is of huge importance to Ireland. 90% of software development uses agile methods to speed up the development process. LERO’s focus is on tailoring these agile methods to suit highly regulated industries and to further the reputation of the Irish software industry.

Scaling Agile Methods: improved software development

The world needs solutions for its rapidly growing energy consumption which is projected to double by 2050. The advancement of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology is vital to achieve environmentally sustainable progress.  Dr Micheál Scanlon, from UL’s Bernal Institute, UL is working on a pioneering experimental approach that seeks to imitate photosynthesis in the leaves of plants, with the goal of generating clean electricity or solar fuels. www.ul.ie/researchimpact

University of Limerick Research Office