Bernal Institute, University of Limerick

"Breaking Barriers in Catalysis! 🚀 MACATAMO's groundbreaking research on palladium surfaces is now published in Advanced Materials. Insights shaping the future of electro catalysis! 🔬💡 Their study provides insights into #hydrogen-induced reconstruction processes on palladium surfaces during proton electroreduction. By combining advanced computational modelling with experimental techniques, we have made significant strides toward the design of highly active and selective electro catalysts. A special congratulations to group members, Apinya Ngoipala, Dr. Sousa JavanNikkhah, and Professor Matthias Vandichel, and heartfelt thanks to all their collaborators from the Technical University of Munich, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, and Ruhr-Universität Bochum. The MACATAMO group gratefully acknowledge the European Union's Horizon 2020 HERMES Project for funding support. 🗨️ "Palladium #cathodes restructure because of strain and hydride formation and not because of Pd dissolution or electrochemical surface reactions" - Professor Matthias Vandichel Explore their findings here 👉 https://shorturl.at/TLC7g #BernalNeighbourhood #ResearchImpact #Collaborations

Bernal researchers discover solution to eliminate ‘forever chemicals’ from drinking water! The researchers at Bernal, University of Limerick and TUM have now developed a new, efficient method of #filtering these substances out of drinking water. They rely on so-called #metal-organic framework compounds, which work much better than the materials commonly used to date. Even extremely low concentrations of #PFAS in the water can still be captured. Dr Soumya Mukherjee, member of the Bernal Institute and an Assistant Professor of Materials Chemistry at UL’s Department of Chemical Sciences, working with researchers in Technical University of Munich, developed the porous, sponge-like metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) that can filter these PFAS chemicals out of drinking water. The new #discovery has just been #published in the journal Advanced Materials. Discover their full story here 👉 https://shorturl.at/L4R1V #BernalNeighbourhood #ResearchImpact #StayCurious #Collaborations

Delighted to share that I successfully defended my PhD thesis on "Controlling Solid-State and Particle Properties of Pharmaceutical Materials by Spray Drying” last Wednesday. Thank you to my supervisors Prof. Emmet O'Reilly and Dr. Ahmad Ziaee, M.Sc., Ph.D. for their support and guidance throughout the last four years. Thank you to my research group members, I feel very lucky to have the most supportive people in my corner. Thank you to my examiners Prof. Abina Crean (UCC) and Prof. Luis Padrela (UL) and my chair, Prof. Yvonne Ryan (UL) for facilitating my Viva Voce Exam. Thank you to the Irish Research Council/Research Ireland for funding and SSPC for their support. The opportunity to spend five months working at Janssen (J&J) in Beerse, Belgium was an influential part of my PhD journey. Thank you to my J&J supervisory team and everyone who made my experience so rewarding. Thanks also to all of my collaborators, colleagues, friends and family for all their encouragement along the way. Looking forward to seeing some more parts of the world over the next few months before seeking an R&D opportunity for April 2025. Research Ireland SSPC, Research Ireland Centre for Pharmaceuticals ChemSci UL Bernal Institute, University of Limerick

Delighted to be presenting online at the Distinguished Lectures on Quantum Crystallography and Complementary Fields tomorrow evening alongside Sajesh Thomas, if you want to hear about our group's work across molecular modelling, crystallography, and piezoelectric devices, including a sneak peek at our new functional property database, you can register here: https://lnkd.in/efCjBbbw Bernal Institute, University of Limerick European Research Council (ERC) Research Ireland ChemSci UL SSPC, Research Ireland Centre for Pharmaceuticals

🗨️ For his outstanding contribution in the field of composite structures and his supportive and inspirational mentoring of young academics and professionals. 👉 https://shorturl.at/8se9m The American Institute of American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and the American Society of Composites (ASC) has selected Paul Weaver as the recipient of the 2025 AIAA-ASC James H. Starnes, Jr. Award. Big Congratulations to Bernal Member Paul Weaver for being selected for this highly distinguished award. This award is presented to recognize continued significant contribution to and demonstrated promotion of the field of structural mechanics over an extended period of time emphasizing practical solutions, to acknowledge high professionalism, and to acknowledge the strong mentoring of and influence on colleagues. Paul M. Weaver has now distinguished himself by his contributions to the aerospace community, has earned this title based on those contributions, and is a visible credit to Bernal Institute, University of Limerick, and University of Bristol. This award will be presented during the AIAA Awards Recognition Ceremony, on Monday 6 January at the 2025 AIAA SciTech Forum, 6-10 January in Orlando FL.  We look forward to capturing Paul's success and accolades in the new year, stay tuned... #BernalNeighbourhood #ResearchImpact #Mentor #AerospaceCommunity

I am thrilled to share that I am a co-author of the newly published article “Preliminary Investigations of Plasma Lipidome and Selenium Levels in Adults with Treated Hypothyroidism and in Healthy Individuals Without Selenium Deficiency.” This study explores the intricate relationships between plasma lipid profiles, selenium levels, and thyroid health, shedding light on potential metabolic differences in individuals with treated hypothyroidism. I am grateful for the collaboration with an incredible team of researchers and for the opportunity to contribute to advancing knowledge in this critical area of health science. https://lnkd.in/e8HWjXdy #Hypothyroidism #Selenium #Lipidomics Bernal Institute, University of Limerick

Shoutout to Bernal member Professor Tofail. Syed and his valuable contributions to the work that shows electrical stimulation might be essential for tendons to maintain their health, offering fresh possibilities in tendon repair and regeneration! #RegenerativeMedicine #Collaborations

🔍 Discover the Power of X-Ray Diffraction at the Bernal Institute! At the Bernal Institute, we take pride in offering cutting-edge X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) services through our Bernal Enterprise Services Team (best@ul.ie). Whether you’re analyzing crystal structures, evaluating material properties, or exploring phase transitions, our world-class instrumentation and expert Dr. Matthew Snelgrove can provide industry-leading solutions tailored to your needs. But that's not all! For additional analytical services and comprehensive industry support, check out Attlas: Analytical Services, where precision meets innovation. 💡 Watch the video to learn more about how we’re solving real-world challenges for industries like pharma, electronics, and advanced materials through XRD. Ready to collaborate? Let's transform your material into actionable insights. 📩 Get in touch: best@ul.ie, https://ul.ie/bernal, https://attlas.ie #XRD #BernalInstitute #BernalEnterpriseServices #Attlas #MaterialsAnalysis #InnovationForIndustry

Bernal researchers develop new method of generating eco-friendly energy Big shoutout to Bernal member Sarah Guerin and her team from Bernal Suman Bhattacharya, Tara Ryan and Krishna Hari for their incredible and groundbreaking work here at Bernal ⚡ The team have developed a new method of growing organic crystals that can be used for #energy-harvesting applications. The energy that is being harvested as part of this research is being generated by squeezing amino acid molecules, the building blocks of proteins that exist in the human body. The research project Pb-FREE: #Piezoelectric Biomolecules for Lead-Free, Reliable, #Eco-Friendly Electronics is being funded by a European Research Council (ERC) starting grant awarded to Associate Professor Sarah Guerin. Bernal Institute member Sarah Guerin, who received the 2023 Research Ireland (SFI) Early Career Researcher of the Year award, expressed optimism about the potential impact of this latest advancement on the field of solid-state chemistry. 🗨 “We hope it will be a gamechanger for the whole field because there are many scientists trying to grow biological #crystals that are still behaving in a chaotic way. I am excited to see if this takes off as a methodology for other people working in sustainable piezoelectrics.” Discover their full story here ▶ https://shorturl.at/PKurI #BernalNeighbourhood #Health #Energy #researchimpact #staycurious

I am delighted to share details of this PhD Scholarship as part of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine funded PeatFor project. This is an excellent opportunity to work on a large interdisciplinary project with my research team in the University of Limerick and project partners Brian Tobin, Matthew Saunders, Junliang Zou and John Connolly. See below for details on the application process. Bernal Institute, University of Limerick UL Research