Bioenergy Research Group

vincent.oflahertynuigalway.ie

Prof. O'Flaherty is the director of the Microbial Ecology Laboratory and has over 15 years experience in the area of anaerobic biofilm and microbial ecology research, focused on:  anaerobic biofilm reactor technology for energy production and wastewater treatment; and the microbial ecology of anaerobic biofilms and soil ecosystems. He has consistently secured research funding from Irish and EU programmes to a total value of €6.2m.  He is a Science Foundation Ireland Investigator Fellow and has published over 200 scientific communications, including 55 papers in international, peer-reviewed journals.  He played a fundamental role in estabishing the ERC, and is the centre's first Director.

henry.currannuigalway.ie

Dr. Curran is director of the Combustion Chemistry Centre, which is engaged in fundamental  research on the combustion of fossil and biofuels. Combustion is the ultimate interdisciplinary field: it requires knowledge of chemistry, physics, fluid dynamics, thermodynamics and mathematics.  In addition, combustion science has a well defined purpose in society today, facilitating the study and analysis of problems associated with the generation of air pollutants.  We are concerned with the application of combustion research to the design of energy-efficient engine and gas turbine combustion systems and the impact of their use on toxic and greenhouse gas emissions, thus helping address the problem of climate change.

donal.leechnuigalway.ie

Dr. Leech is the Director of the Biomolecular Electronics Research Laboratory.  Research in the laboratory focuses on the preparation and characterisation of electron-transfer catalysts and modified electrode surfaces. The research programme is aimed at developing eventual applications in bioelectrochemical diagnostics and sensors, biomolecular interaction platforms, biofuel cell prototypes,  bio- and electrochemical bleaching methodologies, and trace metal monitoring systems in ocean environments.

gavin.collinsnuigalway.ie

Dr Collins is Director of the Microbial Ecophysiology Research Group, which was established at NUI Galway in 2008.  Microbes are the hidden powers on planet Earth. They are by far the most abundant life form. Yet, our knowledge of microbial diversity and function is still only limited. The Microbial Ecophysiology Research Group is concerned with linking the identity (ecology) and in situ function (physiology) of yet-to-be cultivated microbes.  We focus on populations from natural systems and from engineered biofilms, by adopting a Systems Biology approach. One of our main foci is the microbial populations underpinning waste-to-bioenergy systems. Understanding the ecophysiology of those populations is vital for the optimisation of environmental technologies. Equally, however, the bioreactor technologies used by our colleagues provide ideal conditions for our group to completely control environmental conditions and to characterise the response and development of microbial communities.

Dr Collins is a Science Foundation Ireland-funded researcher and has published over 35 peer-reviewed papers in international journals.

Dr. Maria Tuohy
Lecturer in Biochemistry
Tel: (091) 49 2439
Email: maria.tuohynuigalway.ie
Website: http://www.nuigalway.ie/biochemistry/staff/academic_staff.html

Dr. Tuohy is director of the Molecular Glycobiotechnology Group and has over 15 years experience in the Enzymology, carbohydrate biochemistry, plant biomass conversion and microbial fermentation. Our aim is to harness the full potential of fungi to recover the full energy and biorefinery potential of plant biomass and carbohydrate-rich wastes. Bioenergy and biorefinery research themes in the group are focused on developing novel thermostable enzymes (including cellulases and hemicellulases) and enzyme systems from fungi for the conversion of carbohydrate-rich marine and terrestrial plant biomass and wastes to bioenergy feedstocks. The group also investigates the use of enzymes for the recovery of high-value biochemicals and plant carbohydrate-derived bioactives (’Glycobioengineering’). We are involved in collaborations with the other research teams in the ERC to develop novel eco-friendly, innovative technologies and green chemistry applications.