Royal Irish Academy Honours Five Trinity College Dublin Academics with Membership
Posted on: 05 June 2014
Trinity College Dublin academics, Andrew Bowie, Padraic Fallon, Rose Anne Kenny, Mani Ramaswami and Ciaran Brady were recently admitted as members of the Royal Irish Academy continuing a 229 year Academy tradition of public recognition of outstanding academic achievement. Royal Irish Academy membership is keenly competed for as the highest academic honour in Ireland.
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Andrew Bowie is Professor in Immunology and Head of Immunology in the School of Biochemistry and Immunology. He heads an active research team working on anti-viral immunity. He is internationally recognized for his work on how the innate immune system senses viruses and how viral components can modulate signalling pathways in innate immune cells.
Padraic Fallon leads the Inflammation and Immunity Research group at the Trinity Institute of Molecular Medicine. Previously, Professor Fallon was a Wellcome Trust Fellow in the University of Cambridge, UK, investigating immune modulation by schistosomes. In 2008, he was a recipient of a prestigious Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Stokes professorship and appointed Professor of Translational Immunology in the School of Medicine at Trinity.
Rose Anne Kenny is Professor of Medical Gerontology where she established the Trinity Ageing Research Centre and the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA). She leads a large multidisciplinary group investigating the ageing process and common age related disorders. The research informs health and social policy in Ireland. She is internationally recognised for her expertise on syncope and neuro cardiovascular function.
Mani Ramaswami is Professor of Neurogenetics. He is widely recognized for work in multiple areas of neuroscience. His early research on the cell biology of neurotransmitter release was recognised by a McKnight Foundation Scholars award. His laboratory has outlined neural systems mechanisms used for cognitive filtering of unimportant stimuli and documented molecular pathways necessary for neuronal maintenance in aging brains.
Ciaran Brady is Professor of History at Trinity. He is widely acknowledged as a leading authority on early modern Irish history and the author of the definitive study of Tudor viceroys. His recently published biography of the Victorian intellectual, James Anthony Froude, reflects his further interest in Irish historiography and the theory and practice of history writing.
“There is a major onus on researchers to ensure that Europe remains a world leader in the twentieth first century. But the emphasis on research that yields a return, in the form of patents, company formation or new drugs, tends to deny researchers the necessary breathing-space, the time to reflect, to allow for the wrong turns, the brilliant idea that collapses, or the unexpected lines of inquiry that might ultimately deliver something different to the original proposal, but something that is much more exciting,” stated President of the Royal Irish Academy, Professor Mary E. Daly at the ceremony admitting the new members.
“When the Royal Irish Academy elects members, it does so, on the basis of a candidate’s publications and research record – the sole criterion is quality. This research may help in the treatment of disease, or it may enhance our understanding of a past civilisation. Members of the Academy should not shirk from their responsibility to tell people that basic research is important and that government support for fundamental research is a hallmark of a civilised society.”