2023 Naughton Fellowships awarded to 31 students and faculty
The University of Notre Dame’s Naughton Fellowship program has announced 31 faculty members and students as awardees in its 2023-2024 cohort.
Funded by a gift from the Naughton family in 2008, 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 fellowship at a leading Irish research university.
Brian M. Baker, the Coleman Professor of Life Sciences at Notre Dame, said, “We are delighted to see the growth of the Naughton Fellowship Program. By bringing deeper levels of collaboration and exchange between our University and Ireland’s finest research institutions, it is having a greater impact each year.” Baker, who serves as the Naughton Fellowship Committee Chair, added, “We are grateful to the Naughton family for the ability to offer such a transformative opportunity to our students and faculty members, both at Notre Dame and in Ireland.”
Among the awardees are faculty members, graduate students, and undergraduate researchers from the University of Notre Dame, Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, Technological University Dublin, and the University of Galway.
Faculty
Faculty from leading Irish research universities and Notre Dame have come together to work on three different projects as a part of the Naughton Fellowship program.
Xin Lu, the John M. and Mary Jo Boler Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Notre Dame will be joined by Eva Szegezdi, an associate professor of biochemistry in the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences at the University of Galway. Claire Robinson, a senior researcher and honorary lecturer in cancer biology at the Apoptosis Research Centre within the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences at the University of Galway, will also serve as a principal investigator for the project. Their project, “Synthetic essentiality of TRAIL/TNFSF10 in VHL-deficient renal cell carcinoma,” will determine the role of TRAIL (tumor necrosis factor related apoptosis-inducing ligand) in the most common form of kidney cancer, clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC).
Pinar Zorlutuna, the Roth-Gibson Professor of Bioengineering in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at Notre Dame will be joined by co-principal investigator Michael Monaghan, an associate professor of biomedical engineering in the Department of Mechanical, Manufacturing, and Biomedical Engineering at Trinity College Dublin. Zorlutuna and McMonaghan will conduct a project titled “Engineering Innate Immunometabolism in the Maturation of in vitro Cardiac Models.” The project builds on a mission shared by both labs: to improve treatments for cardiac disease and develop the best models of myocardial infarction in vitro.
Chris Hinkle, the Bettex Collegiate Chair and professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Notre Dame will be joined by Brian Rodriguez, a professor in the School of Physics and Conway Institute of Biomolecular & Biomedical Research at University College Dublin. Hinkle and Rodriguez will use new tools and techniques coupled with machine learning data analysis to identify the materials necessary for creating the next generation of microelectronics.
Masters
From Notre Dame
Molly Doerfler, a mechanical engineering major, will complete a master’s degree in food and biosystems engineering at University College Dublin.
Elizabeth Jarocki, an environmental engineering major, will complete a master’s degree in environmental resource management at University College Dublin.
Julia McKenna, a sociology major, will complete a master’s degree in smart and sustainable cities at Trinity College Dublin.
Daniel Pronko, a civil engineering major, will complete a master’s degree in structural engineering at Trinity College Dublin.
From Ireland
Ciara Dillon, who majored in mechanical engineering at University College Dublin, will complete a master’s degree in engineering, science, and technology entrepreneurship excellence (ESTEEM) at Notre Dame.
Seán Roche, who majored in physics at University College Dublin, will complete the ESTEEM master’s degree at Notre Dame.
Tighernán Shaffrey, who majored in mechanical engineering at Technological University Dublin, will complete the ESTEEM master’s degree at Notre Dame.
Dylan Walsh, who majored in computer and electronic engineering at University College Dublin, will complete the ESTEEM master’s degree at Notre Dame.
Undergraduate
Sixteen undergraduate students have been awarded summer Naughton Fellowships as part of a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program.
From Notre Dame
Amanda Arnold, a biological sciences major, will study at the University of Galway with Eoin McEvoy, an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Arnold’s project is titled “Agent-based modeling of immune cell activity and myelin regeneration in Multiple Sclerosis.”
Lauren Beede, a psychology and statistics major, will study at Trinity College Dublin with Vinny Cahill, a professor and chair in the Department of Computer Science. Beede’s project is entitled “The ClearWay Project.”
Declan Creaney, a biochemistry major, will study at Trinity College Dublin with Matthias Senge, professor and chair in the Department of Organic Chemistry. Creaney’s project focuses on porphyrin-based singlet oxygen carrying materials.
Emma Laboe, a physics and gender studies major, will study at Trinity College Dublin with Michael Coey, a professor in the Department of Physics. Laboe’s project focuses on the influence of magnetic fields on the evaporation of water.
Madeline Laude, a chemical and biomolecular engineering major, will study at the University of Galway with Eimear Dolan, a research fellow in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Laude’s project is titled, “Development of Biomimetic Cell Cargo for Macroencapsulation Devices for the Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes.”
Nicholas Johannes Nufer, a mechanical engineering major, will study at University College Dublin with Daniel McCrum, an assistant professor in the Department of Civil Engineering. Nufer’s project focuses on cold-formed steel (CFS) modular construction.
Aryanna Maria Perez will study at Trinity College Dublin with Michael Gibbons, an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Perez’s project focuses on a flexible heat pipe for waste heat recovery.
Caroline Rose, a civil engineering major, will study at University College Dublin with Daniel McCrum, an assistant professor in the Department of Civil Engineering. Rose’s project focuses on cold-formed steel (CFS) modular construction.
From Ireland
Maria Corcoran, a student at Trinity College Dublin, will spend the summer studying with Ningyuan Cao, an assistant professor in Notre Dame’s Department of Electrical Engineering. Corcoran’s project is titled “In-sensor data security via advanced algorithm/circuit co-design.”
Ultan Fallon, a biomedical engineering major at the University of Galway, will spend the summer studying with Margaret Coad, an assistant professor in Notre Dame’s Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. Fallon’s project is titled “Soft Robots for Confined Space Exploration or Human Assistance.”
Alexander Farren, a student at Trinity College Dublin, will spend the summer studying with Ragnar Stroberg, an assistant professor in Notre Dame’s Department of Physics & Astronomy. Farren’s project is titled “Isospin Symmetry-Breaking in Ab Initio Nuclear Theory for Tests of the Standard Model.”
Aisling Hanrahan, a biomedical engineering major at the University of Galway, will spend the summer studying with Donny Hanjaya-Putra, an assistant professor in Notre Dame’s Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. Hanrahan’s project is titled “Designing Biomaterials for Stem Cell Morphogenesis.”
Brian Lawlor, a cell and molecular biology major at University College Dublin, will spend the summer studying with Meenal Datta, an assistant professor in Notre Dame’s Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. Lawlor’s project is titled “Exploring the role of vascular pericytes in the glioblastoma microenvironment.”
Darragh McAndrew, a biomedical engineering major at the University of Galway, will spend the summer studying with Edgar Bolívar-Nieto, an assistant professor in Notre Dame’s Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. McAndrew’s project is titled “Estimation of socket-stump pressure in transfemoral amputees combining electronic fabrics and pressure models.”
John McElroy, a mechanical engineering major at University College Dublin will spend the summer studying with Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin, an assistant professor in Notre Dame’s Department of Electrical Engineering. McElroy’s project is titled “Sea Turtle Robot Locomotion in Complex Environments.”
Bethany McKittrick, a student at Trinity College Dublin, will spend the summer studying with Kaiyu Fu, an assistant professor in Notre Dame’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. McKittrick’s project is titled “Biocompatible membrane coated nanoelectrode for sweat analyte measurements.”
Applications for the Naughton Fellowships, including undergraduate, masters, and faculty fellowships, will open for submissions in the fall of 2023. To learn more, please visit naughton.nd.edu.
Contact:
Brett Beasley / Writer and Editorial Program Manager
Notre Dame Research / University of Notre Dame
bbeasle1@nd.edu / +1 574-631-8183
research.nd.edu / @UNDResearch
Originally published by at naughton.nd.edu on July 13, 2023.