Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN) at TCD
discovery of a form of lymphoma named after him,
Vincent Barry’s cure for leprosy in 1954, and the
development of a prototype for the nicotine patch in
1990. These have been magnified in recent times by,
for example, breakthroughs in alzheimer’s disease,
malaria and multiple sclerosis, as well as the recent
identification of the first three human-specific genes
in 2009.
You can get a sense of what is happening today in
Trinity by browsing through our new strategic plan.
Contrary to many universities across the world,
teaching and research hold equal respect. You will
find that freshman students are taught by the most
senior academics on the basis that it is at this stage
that students need to be exposed to the passion and
wisdom of the most experienced and inspirational
teachers. Trinity expects a lot of its students in
terms of critical and imaginative thinking, as well
as mastery of a discipline. All students are expected
to engage in a research project before they finish
their studies so that teaching, in effect, is strongly
research-driven. It is not easy to get into Trinity
but those that do, emerge with the capacity and
confidence to be leaders and innovators. Trinity
has also made a special effort to make its educational
experience accessible to talented students from
disadvantaged backgrounds as well as to students
with intellectual disabilities.
Trinity made a conscious decision, a number of
years ago, to prioritise areas of research on the basis
that no university can do everything well. This
strategy has proven effective, since it can now boast
of having critical mass and quality in several areas
of research which in turn have a direct impact on
the curriculum and the creation of intellectual
property. It has done this by recruiting only the best
in the world but also by encouraging connections
across disciplines as well as with industry, policy
developers, and cultural institutions.
Immunology is a case in point. Ireland is ranked
number three in the world by citations and this is
mostly down to Trinity researchers like Professors
Luke O’Neill, Kingston Mills, Dermot Kelleher
and their colleagues. They transcend disciplinary
boundaries, working with industry and spin off
companies such as Opsona Therapeutics. These
researchers and others from medicine, pharmacy,
chemistry, bioengineering, and biochemistry will
shortly move into a state-of-the-art Biomedical
Sciences Institute which represents a new paradigm
of research, and is the biggest single development
in the history of this University. Close in terms of
excellence of research is neuroscience, involving
many disciplines from psychology to genetics.
Trinity originated the field of genetics in I &V??@??B?&V??Bv2&V6V?F?&??VBf?'7B??WW&?R???F?R&6?2?b6?FF???2????F?W"W???R?2???66?V?6R??BF?R6V?G&P?f?"&W6V&6???FF?fR???7G'V7GW&W2?@????FWf?6W2?5$???BG&???G??2?6???v???&??VB?F??2?&vR???F?F?fR7????r6WfW&??F?66???W2??VFVB'?6?V?7B?&?fW76?"?????&???B??2fW'?7G&??r6???V7F???F???FV??? ??B?F?W"6????W2?B?2??W6VB??W'?6P?'V??B?7FFR??b?F?R'Bf6??G????GW7G'?&W6V&6?W'0?v?&?6?FR'?6?FRv?F?6FV?726?F?B7GVFV?G0?&RW??6VBF?v?FR'&??bf?Ww???G2?@???FW&W7G2?F?W?7V'6WVV?F?f??BF?RW?W&?V?6P?fW'?V?vv??r?B7F??V?F??r???FF?F????6WfW&??6?W26????W2?fR&VV?7&VFVB?c0??