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Prof. Ciaran Morrison

PhD opportunities

We are interested in supporting applicants to University and external funding agencies for PhD studentships on the topics below (among others). To be competitive, candidates should have 1st class honours Bacherlor’s/ Master’s degrees in appropriate disciplines. Interested students should contact Ciaran Morrison (ciaran.morrison

nuigalway) for further discussion.
1. Interaction analysis of centrosome proteins. We have generated a suite of novel monoclonal antibodies to centrosomal components and would like to explore the interactors of these proteins during the cell cycle and after DNA damage. We also plan to further characterise centrosome ultrastructure using these antibodies.
2. Interplay between the centrosome and the DNA damage response. We have several cell biology projects underway that explore how the centrosome is affected by DNA damage and how centrosomes respond after genotoxic stress caused by radiation or chemotherapeutic drugs.

Career history:
Professor at NUI Galway, 2011.
SFI Principal Investigator awards 2002, 2008, 2011.
Senior Lecturer, NUI Galway Biochemistry, July 2005.
Postdoctoral fellowship (EMBO), Edinburgh University 1999-2002.
Postdoctoral fellowship (JSPS), Kyoto University 1997-1999.
PhD (Dr. rer. nat.) 1997, University of Vienna (IMP).
MSc 1993, NUI Galway. BSc (Hons) 1991, NUI Galway.

Research interests (click for more information):

DNA damage responses and the centrosome.
How centrosomes duplicate during the cell cycle.
Roles of the Smc5/6 complex in chromosome maintenance.
Activities of Mcph1 microcephalin in DNA damage responses.

Key recent publications

Kliszczak, M., Stephan, A.K., Flanagan, A.-M. and Morrison, C.G. (2012) SUMO ligase activity of vertebrate Mms21/ Nse2 is required for efficient DNA repair but not for Smc5/ 6 complex stability. DNA Repair, in press.

Conroy, P.C., Saladino, C., Dantas, T.J., Lalor, P., Dockery, P. and Morrison, C.G. (2012) C-NAP1 and rootletin restrain DNA damage-induced centriole splitting and facilitate ciliogenesis. Cell Cycle, in press.

Dantas, T.J., Wang, Y., Lalor, P., Dockery, P. and Morrison, C.G. (2011) Defective nucleotide excision repair with normal centrosome structures and functions in the absence of all vertebrate centrins. J. Cell Biol., 193: 307-318.

Stephan, A.K., Kliszczak, M., Cooley, C., Dodson, H. and Morrison, C.G. (2011) Roles of vertebrate Smc5 in sister chromatid cohesion and homologous recombinational repair. Mol. Cell. Biol., 31: 1369-1381.

Inanc, B., Dodson, H. and Morrison, C.G. (2010) A centrosome-autonomous signal that involves centriole disengagement permits centrosome duplication in G2 phase after DNA damage. Mol. Biol. Cell, 21: 3866-3877.

Brown, J.A., Bourke, E., Liptrot, C., Dockery, P. and Morrison, C.G. (2010) MCPH1/ BRIT1 limits ionizing radiation-induced centrosome amplification. Oncogene, 29: 5537-5544.

Bourke, E., Brown, J.A., Takeda, S., Hochegger, H. and Morrison, C.G. (2010) DNA damage induces Chk1-dependent threonine-160 phosphorylation and activation of Cdk2. Oncogene 29: 616-24.

Full publication list

Current Lab members

Lab retreat in Delphi, October 2011. Note the absence of rain!

Postdoctoral fellows:
David Gaboriau (M.Sc., Ph.D., Cambridge University)
Alicja Antonczak (M.Sc., Ph.D., Cardiff University)
Sandra Cuffe (B.Sc., Ph.D. University College Dublin)
Suzanna Prosser (B.Sc., Ph.D., University of Leicester)

Graduate students:
Pauline Conroy (B.Sc., Biotechnology, NUI Galway).
Yi-fan Wang (B.Sc., China Pharmaceutical U.; M.Sc., Shanghai Inst. Biochem, CAS).
Loretta Breslin (B.Sc., De Montfort University; M.Sc. NUI Galway).
Lisa Mullee (B.Sc., NUI Galway).
Owen Daly (B.Sc., Trinity College Dublin).
Anne-Marie Flanagan (B.Sc., NUI Galway).
Maurice Barrett (B.Sc., Trinity College Dublin).

Research Assistant:
Sinead King (B.Sc., M.Sc., UCC)

Previous lab members
Dr. Thomas Wenner (2003-2005) now at Université de Lyon, France.
Dr. Virginie Faure (2005-2007) now at CNRS UPR3081, Marseilles, France.
Dr. Liam Jeffers (2003-2007) now 'in industry' in Ireland.
Mr. Seamus Stack (2005-2007) now a PhD student in Glasgow, UK.
Dr. Barry Coull (2006-2008) now at the University of Maastricht.
Dr. Carol Cooley (2004-2009) now at the GDSC, University of Sussex, UK.
Dr. James Brown (2007-2009) now at NUI Galway.
Dr. Helen Dodson (2003-2010) now a lecturer in Anatomy at NUI Galway.
Dr. Emer Bourke (2003-2010) now a lecturer in Pathology, NUI Galway.
Dr. Chiara Saladino (2006-2010) now 'in industry' in the UK.
Dr. Maciej Kliszczak (2007-2011) now at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen.
Dr. Burcu Inanç (2008-2011) now at the Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam.
Dr. Tiago Dantas (2008-2012) now at Columbia University, New York.

Lectures/ courses
Course co-ordinator, 2nd Year Biochemistry (BI205)
4th year Biochemistry course on ’Chromosome organisation and dynamics’.
4th year Biochemistry course on 'Research paper analysis' .
4th year Biochemistry course on 'Experimental design and planning'.
2nd year Biochemistry course on 'Cell signalling'.

Please contact me about any queries regarding PhD positions.
Email: ciaran.morrisonnuigalway.ie
Phone: 353 91 492056

Biochemistry, School of Natural Science.
National University of Ireland, Galway, University Road, Galway, Ireland.
Phone: +353 (0)91 492420
E-mail: Biochemistry
This page was last updated Wednesday, September 19, 2012