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

The judging panel of the Irish Lab Awards are delighted with the ‘vibrant talent pipeline’ which make up the shortlist for the sixth instalment of the event

Fri, Mar 23, 2018, 06:00 Updated: Wed, Oct 13, 2021, 11:25

Sponsored by Business River

Conor O'Brien, President of the Irish Science Teachers Association presented the Young Leader of the Year award to Dr. Colin Clarke - NIBRT. Irish Lab Awards, 2017.

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