The Irish Laboratory Awards announce shortlist packed with ‘vibrant talent’

The shortlist has been announced for the sixth year of The Irish Laboratory Awards, which will celebrate the achievements and research of those working in laboratories across a range of different sectors throughout Ireland.

Teams and individuals from fields such as healthcare, agriculture and bio science – to a name just a few – have been notified that they have been shortlisted among the 22 different categories. Awards on the night include the likes of Commercial Laboratory of the Year, Academic or Research Laboratory of the Year, Young Leader of the Year and the Innovation of the Year Award.

P4 Medicine & Clinical Innovation have been nominated in two categories and PJ Moloney, Managing Director, is proud of their achievement; ““P4ML is delighted to be selected for this award. As Ireland’s first accredited genetic clinical reference diagnostic laboratory, we are bringing a wide variety of next generation sequencing tests to Ireland.”

Of course, while some awards focus teams and entire labs, there are also some categories which recognise the many individual achievements over the last 12 months Dr Stepan Kucera, from Nokia Bell Labs has been shortlisted for the Laboratory Scientist of the Year Award:

“I am delighted to be shortlisted for the Laboratory Scientist of the Year Award. It is an honour to be recognised by a panel of accomplished experts and share the nomination with world-class researchers living and working in Ireland. My colleagues and collaborators are equally excited as me - research is fundamentally a collective effort and each moment of success brings a new spark of energy to the whole team of Nokia Bell Labs. We all take pride in being part of the vibrant and enthusiastic research ecosystem in Ireland and look forward to the finals.” 

The judging panel is led by Director of BioPharmaChem Ireland, Matt Moran, who is already impressed by the standard of entries and spoke about the benefit he feels the nominees can bring to the Irish economy.

“As the coordinator of the judging panel for The Irish Laboratory Awards I was particularly impressed by the overall calibre of entries this year. There were excellent contributions from both public and private sector laboratories spanning both industry and basic research.

"What was obvious to me was the wealth of talent working in our laboratories here in Ireland- this bodes well for the future of our economy which depends on such a vibrant talent pipeline. I would like to congratulate Business River for doing such a fantastic job in bringing this event together.”

The Irish Lab Awards are supported by 10 bodies from within the scientific sector. Air Products is a Gold Sponsor, with their Vice President of Industrial Gases UK & Ireland, Tim Hulbert, saying “Air Products is very proud to be sponsor of the event and celebrating excellence.  The Awards are a great example of how important it is to us that we support the industry and its achievements.”

The awards take place on the 19th of April in the Ballsbridge Hotel, if you are interested in attending visit the website.   

To read about other Business River events visit their news hub.

The full shortlist is available below.

Commercial Laboratory of the Year

Sponsored by Air Products

The winner of this award will be announced on the night.

Academic or Research Laboratory of the Year

The winner of this award will be announced on the night.

Laboratory Scientist of the Year

• Dr. Stepan Kucera - Nokia Bell Labs
• Dr. Mahsa Naghshineh - Dairy Processing Technology Centre
• Dr. Saeed Shirazian - Bernal Institute, University of Limerick
• Dr. Andriy Temko - INFANT Centre, University College Cork
• Dr. Chuanfang Zhang - CRANN, Trinity College Dublin

Laboratory Team of the Year

• BioClin Research Laboratories
• Laboratory Services - Jazz Pharmaceuticals
• Marine Environment & Food Safety - Marine Institute
• Microbiology Laboratory - Tallaght Hospital
• Vascular Health & Dynamics Laboratory - DCU

Laboratory Staff Member of the Year

• Niamh Fitzgerald - Microbiology Laboratory, Tallaght Hospital
• Dr. Mahsa Naghshineh - Dairy Processing Technology Centre
• Dr. Grace O'Callaghan - Teagasc Food Research Centre
• Dr. Michael O'Byrne - Dynamical Systems and Risk Laboratory 
• Dr. Saeed Shirazian - Bernal Institute, University of Limerick
• Dr. Chuanfang Zhang - CRANN, Trinity College Dublin

Young Leader of the Year

• Dr. Tara Battersby - Agrihealth Laboratory Services
• Dr. Conor Feehily - Teagasc Food Research Centre
• Dr. Russell McLaughlin - Trinity College Dublin
• Dr. Shourjya Sanyal - Think Biosolution 
• Dr. Saeed Shirazian - Bernal Institute, University of Limerick
• Dr. Chuanfang Zhang - CRANN, Trinity College Dublin

Pharmaceutical Laboratory of the Year

• BioClin Research Laboratories
• Biotechnology TS/MS Laboratory - Lilly
• GMP Laboratory - PPD
• Laboratory Services - Jazz Pharmaceuticals
• QC Laboratory – AbbVie

Healthcare Laboratory of the Year

• Analytical Services Laboratory - Medtronic Galway
• Microbiology Laboratory - Tallaght Hospital
• Stanton Laboratory - Teagasc Food Research Centre
• Think Biosolution 
• Thoracic Oncology Research Group - St. James's Hospital & Trinity College Dublin
• Transfusion Laboratory - Portiuncula Hospital

Medical Laboratory of the Year

• Analytical Services Laboratory - Medtronic Galway
• Microbiology Laboratory - Tallaght Hospital
• Think Biosolution 
• Transfusion Laboratory - Portiuncula Hospital

Chemical Laboratory of the Year

• Dairygold Co-Operative Society Central Laboratory
• Laboratory Services - Jazz Pharmaceuticals
• Mylan Damastown

Bio Science Laboratory of the Year

• Avectas
• BioClin Research Laboratories
• Biotechnology TS/MS Laboratory - Lilly
• Pfizer Grange Castle
• Stanton Laboratory - Teagasc Food Research Centre
• Vascular Health & Dynamics Laboratory – DCU

Food Laboratory of the Year

• Dairygold Co-Operative Society Central Laboratory
• Stanton Laboratory - Teagasc Food Research Centre
• Vision I Food Research Laboratory - Teagasc Food Research Centre

Agricultural Laboratory of the Year

• Beotanics Laboratory
• Dairygold Co-Operative Society Central Laboratory
• Irish Equine Centre 
• Vision I Food Research Laboratory - Teagasc Food Research Centre

Engineering Laboratory of the Year

• Dynamical Systems and Risk Laboratory
• Embedded.Systems@UCC
• LotusWorks
• Think Biosolution

Veterinary Laboratory of the Year

• Agrihealth Laboratory Services
• Irish Equine Centre 
• Westway Health 

Calibration or Testing Laboratory of the Year

• Accuscience
• Anecto
• Complete Calibration Management Solution - LotusWorks
• Electrical Test Laboratory - Compliance Engineering Ireland

Research Laboratory of the Year

• Embedded.Systems@UCC
• Stanton Laboratory - Teagasc Food Research Centre
• Systems Biology Ireland
• Thoracic Oncology Research Laboratory - St. James's Hospital & Trinity College Dublin

Education Laboratory of the Year

• Coláiste Choilm
• Medical Device Decontamination Laboratory - School of Biological Sciences, DIT
• Suite Science

Start-up Laboratory of the Year

• Agrihealth Laboratory Services
• Laboratory Services - Jazz Pharmaceuticals
• P4 Medicine & Clinical Innovation
• Think Biosolution

Laboratory Supplier of the Year

• BioClin Research Laboratories
• Waters Chromatography Ireland

Innovation of the Year Award

• EOLAS Prenatal Test - P4 Medicine & Clinical Innovation
• Mylan Damastown
• Novel Antimicrobial Technologies - Westway Health
• PATrol - Lilly
• QuasaR - Think Biosolution 
• TUCSSTM Safety Valve - Class Medical

Collaboration Achievement

• Almac Group & Arran Chemical Company
• Draper Group, TCD Chemistry & Dalian University
• DSRL, Capacities, TCD, UCC & University of Nantes
• Embedded.Systems@UCC, INFANT Centre & Tyndall

---