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Treat yourself to a taste of what Irish science and technology has had to offer the world this week.
Award-winning research shows crystal-clear view of materials science
Dr Sithara Sreenilayam Pavithran (centre) receiving her SFI Research Image of the Year 2018 award. Image: Jason Clarke Photography
It has been a great week for Irish science research. Six Irish-based researchers secured €12m in a major European Research Council funding round and 33 Irish-based researchers were named among the world’s top 1pc highly cited researchers. Another researcher gaining recent recognition is Dr Sithara Sreenilayam Pavithran, who was awarded the 2018 Research Image of the Year award from Science Foundation Ireland. This winning image represents just one of many beautiful visions that Sreenilayam sees in her work with liquid crystal materials, which she explained to Dr Claire O’Connell.
‘We need to stop producing pollution and not go back to the dark ages’
Dr Marion McAfee is a lecturer in mechatronic engineering at IT Sligo and a researcher at the SFI advanced manufacturing research centre, I-Form. Image: James Connolly
The subject of our Science Uncovered profile this week, I-Form’s Dr Marion McAfee, originally had no intention of getting into research. Good thing she changed her mind, though, as she is now helping to produce 3D-printed implants that change people’s lives.
ESA and Irish start-up blast space AI chip with intense radiation
The Intel Myriad 2 AI chip for smart image processing being placed in the beam line of the Super Proton Synchrotron particle accelerator at CERN. Image: CERN/Maximilien Brice
And that’s not it for innovation coming out of Ireland. Colm Gorey looked into a project led by the European Space Agency (ESA) to test Intel’s new Myriad 2 artificial intelligence chip, which was originally developed by Irish start-up Movidius (since acquired by Intel). Working with Ubotica Technologies headquartered in Dublin, ESA put the Myriad 2 chips in the path of an experimental beam line fed by the Super Proton Synchrotron particle accelerator.
We need to start taking work-related stress seriously
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In Careers news this week, a report from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) found that work-related stress has soared in recent years. Our Careers editor Jenny Darmody had lots to say on this issue, on Siliconrepublic.com as well as in the Recruiters Review podcast.
5 case studies of companies trying to correct the gender gap
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Meanwhile, Careers reporter Eva Short took a look at five companies that have taken effective steps in bridging the gender gap, and how they did it.
Women entrepreneurs: Get out there and share your experiences – and be honest
Image: Sophie Feruch
We also heard from Sophie Feruch, co-founder of AnyGym, about the importance of networking and sharing experiences with other entrepreneurs. Feruch shared her insights with us following her appearance at the Dell EMC Supper Club in partnership with GirlCrew.
Nuritas lands €30m backing from European Investment Bank
Nuritas founder and chief scientific officer Dr Nora Khaldi with EIB vice-president Andrew McDowell. Image: Kieran Hartnett
One start-up offering lots of lessons in scale-up success is Nuritas, a Dublin-based life sciences company using artificial intelligence to unveil new discoveries. Following news of significant backing from the European Investment Bank, Siliconrepublic.com editor John Kennedy tracks back on the start-up’s string of achievements to date.
Draper Esprit’s Edel Coen: ‘I will hunt for the best start-ups in Ireland and Europe’
Draper Esprit’s Edel Coen. Image: Draper Esprit
Edel Coen, another woman making waves in the Irish start-up scene, also spoke to Kennedy following her appointment at Draper Esprit. The Irishwoman and former Silicon Valley resident says she is ready to find and invest in the best that European tech has to offer.
HubSpot EMEA head: ‘Customers are less tolerant of bad service than ever’
Christian Kinnear. Image: HubSpot
Kennedy also interviewed HubSpot CEO Brian Halligan, who name-checked the company’s EMEA managing director, Christian Kinnear, on the great job he’s doing here in Dublin. Kinnear gave us an insight into the leadership behind this success in our Leaders’ Insights Q&A.
Eir CEO Carolan Lennon: ‘We will be Ireland’s telecoms champion’
Eir CEO Carolan Lennon. Image: Chris Bellew/Fennell Photography
Finally, one last interview worth checking out before you check out for the weekend is this one with Eir CEO Carolann Lennon where she outlines her mission to transform Ireland’s digital future.
