School of Microbiology UCC

Featuring speakers:
Dr. Jerry Reen (School of Microbiology, UCC)
Jill Dorgan (Vice-Chairperson, Board of Directors, Cystic Fibrosis Ireland)
Prof. Barry Plant (Director of the Adult CF Centre, Cork University Hospital)

As part of Cystic Fibrosis Week, UCC Biology Society and UCC Genetics Society are hosting a Speaker Evening tonight (Tuesday 10th March at 6pm in the Boole Library Creative Zone) in aid of Cystic Fibrosis Ireland.

🔬 Great to see Dr Jerry Reen judging at ESB Blas Éolaíochta at the RDS on March 5th. Primary pupils from Gaelscoileanna and Gaeltacht schools presented their science projects through Irish. Curious mindsand huge enthusiasm — the scientists of the future are already at work.

Congratulations to Dr Carlos Belloch Molina, who successfully defended his thesis yesterday. Pictured with Prof John Morrissey, Francisco Vitor Santos da Silva, Ph.D., Prof Maria Jose Sousa Gallagher and external examiner, Prof Petri-Jaan Lahtvee from Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia

Former colleague Rochak Mittal helped to organise this visit along with Seán O’Grady, Chief Operations Officer at IBF. Students had the opportunity to get an insight into the work being done there, informing their studies in Industrial Biotechnology and Biotechnology.

Last Friday, the MENIBB programme took to the road and toured the Irish Bioeconomy Foundation located on the National Bioeconomy campus, Lisheen, County Tipperary.

We were especially proud to see our colleague Lekha Menon Margassery serve as Co-Chair of the REAP Working Group — and take to the stage as one of the event’s magnificent performers. 🌟
Here’s to action, accountability, and a stronger, more inclusive future for all.

Today’s special launch event celebrated not only the plan itself, but the people behind it.
#UCC #RaceEquality #Inclusion #REAP2026

Developed through an extensive and collaborative process, REAP reflects the voices, lived experiences, and aspirations of staff, students, and partners across UCC. This is more than a policy document — it’s a shared vision for meaningful, lasting change.
#HigherEducation

📢 A Major Step Forward for Race Equality at University College Cork
The UCC Race Equality Action Plan (REAP) 2026–2028 has officially launched — marking a powerful milestone in our collective commitment to building a more inclusive, equitable university community.

Using Listeria innocua to model growth in spinach & chicken, her project highlighted the importance of refrigeration in reducing infection risk.

We were delighted to support #Stripe Young Scientist Caoimhlin Duggan (St Brogan’s College, Bandon) in her research on Listeria monocytogenes — with expert guidance from @uccmicrobiology.bsky.social T.O. Mary-Jane Lynch.

🔬 UCC School of Microbiology Seminar Series

Zoe Kampff (Mahony Group) presents:
Phage-host interactions of S. thermophilus bacteriophage P738

🗓 Thurs 26 Feb 2026
⏰ 13:00
📍 C_PHARM_LG51, UCC (In-person only)

Join us for insights into virus–bacteria dynamics. 🦠

Stable co-existence of Citrobacter rodentium with a lytic bacteriophage during in vivo murine infection | mBio Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that can either kill or persist inside bacteria. Current interests in phage biology are in part ignited by the fact that they could be used to treat infections…

New paper from Imperial College London and APC Microbiome Ireland
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
#bacteriophage #microbiome #ucc #teagasc #phage
@uccmicrobiology.bsky.social @colinhillucc.bsky.social @asm.org @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social

Check out the latest goings on from Sam Fenn of @masseylab.bsky.social

🚨REMINDER: Join us today at 1pm in the Cavanagh Pharmacy Building for our School Seminar Series.

@pauldcotter.bsky.social, @jenswalter15.bsky.social, @colinhillucc.bsky.social,
@uccresearch.bsky.social, @teagasc.bsky.social, @uccmicrobiology.bsky.social, @anatneuroucc.bsky.social

🔬✨ Celebrating the women and girls of the College of Science, Engineering & Food Science at UCC this International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

We stand in solidarity with everyone who loves science — because science is for everyone. 💙

#WomenInScience #IDWGS #UCC #STEM

🧀🦠 Wood, microbes… and cheese!
Join us for the UCC School of Microbiology Seminar with Silvia Ruta (Univ. of Catania):

“Wood, microbes and cheese: the biofilms that shape fermentations”

📅 Thu 12 Feb 2026 | ⏰ 13:00
📍 C_PHARM_LG51, UCC (in-person)

#Microbiology #Fermentation #Biofilms #UCC

APC is recruiting two PhD students to investigate the molecular mechanisms underpinning preferential carbohydrate metabolism or the study of viability states, as relevant to selected human-associated bifidobacteria.
bit.ly/4bFYJK8
@uccmicrobiology.bsky.social
#bifidobacteria #jobfairy #ucc #phd

📣We are delighted to share that Jill O’Sullivan’s paper, “Host-microbe multi-omics and succinotype profiling have prognostic value for future relapse in patients with inflammatory bowel disease” (Gut Microbes), has been awarded the 2025 Professor Gerald Fitzgerald Research Award. 🎆

Good things come in small packages…including microbes 🧫
Get the latest from the School of Microbiology Right here, Right now!!

Congratulations on a well-deserved retirement. Thank you Alan for the impact you’ve made and the example you’ve set—wishing you all the best ahead.

Today we celebrate the legend that is Professor Alan Dobson as he begins a well-earned retirement 🎓✨
Thank you for the years of kindness and guidance you’ve given to so many.. Your wisdom, generosity, and dedication have left a lasting mark.. Wishing you a joyful and fulfilling next chapter! 👏📚

Huge congratulations to Dr Lisa Friess on passing her Viva exam today and earning her well-deserved title! An incredible milestone—well done! 👏🎓

Kickstart your 2026 by exploring your postgrad options at UCC’s Postgrad Expo. Here, you will have the opportunity to meet our academic and professional services staff to discuss our range of courses, as well as speak with current postgrad students.

Register now: www.eventbrite.ie/e/ucc-postgr...

Gut Microbes Play a Role in Early Brain Development | University College Cork Learn, Study and Research in UCC, Ireland's first 5 star university. Our tradition of independent thinking will prepare you for the world and the workplace in a vibrant, modern, green campus.

A new research study has uncovered a previously unknown role that our gut plays in regulating early brain development.

The study, led by researchers from @apcmicrobiomeirel.bsky.social @ucc.ie, is published in the prestigious international journal Advanced Science.

www.ucc.ie/en/research/...

Bacterial resistance and co-existence with temperate bacteriophages in the human gut Our understanding of the eco-evolutionary dynamics and consequences of bacteria-phage interactions in nature is limited. By combining longitudinal sampling and analysis of Enterobacterales and associa...

New year->New preprint showcasing mechanisms underpinning patterns of bacterial #resistance and #coexistence with #temperate #phages in the #human #gutmicrobiome www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... Thanks to all involved and @researchireland.ie @royalsociety.org for funding @uccmicrobiology.bsky.social

New insights into the microbiome of the deep-sea sponge Inflatella pellicula and the secondary metabolic potential of metagenome-assembled genomes and the wider microbiome Marine sponges are found in all of the world’s oceans, from the surface waters to the deepest abyssal zones. The marine sponge holobiont is a rich source of microbial and chemical diversity. Up to 63 ...

Delighted to share our latest publication as part of the MARBLES Project describing the metagenome, microbiome and secondary metabolic potential of the deep-sea sponge Inflatella pellicula. @cleverflick.bsky.social @uccmicrobiology.bsky.social

www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/jour...

Fantastic work here from Sam Fenn from @masseylab.bsky.social