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Rupa Ranjani Palanisamy
Local Volunteer
I am Rupa, pursuing my final year of PhD in the school of Chemistry, UCC.

Sena Güçer
Local Volunteer
I am a first-year PhD student at University College Cork and my current project explores how our gut microbiome can influence neuronal activity and brain circuits in health and Parkinson's disease.
Morgane Le Drean
Local Volunteer
Dr. Morgane Eileen Le Dréan earned her BSc from Rennes 1 University (France) and Aston University (UK) and a Master’s in Cellular and Integrated Neurosciences from Strasbourg University (France). Awarded a competitive doctoral fellowship in 2020, she conducted PhD research at Nantes University (INSE…

Ruth O’Connell
Local Volunteer
A recent graduate of Chemistry at UCC, and currently a first year PhD researcher with the School of Chemistry, UCC, in partnership with Research Ireland.

Jennifer Morael
Local Volunteer
I am a third-year PhD student working in UCC on the interaction between gestational microbiota alterations and neurodevelopment. My research focuses mainly on gut microbiota alterations during pregnancy and their effects on blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier permeability.

Michelle Dorgan
Local Volunteer
Michelle is the Communications and Public Engagement Manager at the INFANT Research Centre in UCC. INFANT specialises in maternal and child health research and she looks after all the communications, marketing and outreach activities for the centre.

Rory Fox
Local Volunteer
PhD Physics Student from Cork working on distributed acoustic sensors in Tyndall National Institute
Paddy O'Callaghan
Local Volunteer
My name is Paddy, and I'm a first year PhD student in University College Cork. My field of study is experimental condensed matter physics and so far my work has focused on emergent magnetic monopoles.

Tom Meade
Local Volunteer
I'm a recent convert to research. My career has mainly been in IT - starting in testing moving on into team lead and project management and ultimately to senior management. My work has generally been on the people management side as opposed to technical and I enjoy social interaction. In 2024, I mad…

Andrea Pignatelli Espejo
Local Volunteer
My name is Andrea Pignatelli Espejo, I'm from Spain, and I'm currently pursuing a Research Master at APC Microbiome, focusing on the gut-brain axis. My work investigates the microbial regulation of oxytocinergic cells in the hypothalamus.

Carla Viñola Renart
Local Volunteer
Originally from Spain, I'm currently pursuing a PhD in neuroscience and gut physiology in University College Cork. My research explores the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis, with a focus on how microbial modulation of oxytocin influences gastrointestinal function and behaviour.

Hugo Blair
Local Volunteer
Hi! I'm Hugo, a PhD student in UCC, where I research links between the gut microbiota and prenatal brain development. Outside the lab I love boardgames, video games, and doing poorly at pub quizzes.

Elisabeth O'Flaherty
Local Volunteer
Postdoctoral researcher at University College Cork exploring how we can use friendly gut microbiota to improve human nutrition and health. Happiest when swimming in cold water!

Cristina Rosell Cardona
Local Volunteer
Dr. Cristina Rosell Cardona is a postdoctoral researcher in the Microbiota-Brain-Gut Axis group at APC Microbiome Ireland. She was recently awarded the prestigious INSPIRE APC-Marie Curie Fellowship to explore the effects of microbial metabolites on depression using human-induced pluripotent stem ce…

David Zelaya Sierra
Local Volunteer
Master of Science in Cellular and Molecular Biology obtained at University College Cork. Currently working as a Laboratory Manager and Researcher at APC Microbiome Ireland focused in the Gut Microbe Restore.

Kristoff Nieves
Local Volunteer
Researcher at APC Microbiome Ireland studying the role of the gut microbiome in specific chronic conditions. In my spare time you can find me on a walking/hiking trail or glued to my kindle.

Michelle Todd
Local Volunteer
Michelle is a mature student in her second year of BSc International Development at UCC, she dabbles in both Arts and Alchemy during her free time

Meghan McDermott
Local Volunteer
I am beginning my PhD in the Microbiome- Gut- Brain- Axis lab in UCC investigating the interaction of the Endocannabinoid system and the gut microbiome. I am a passionate outdoors person, so outside of the lab you’ll find me running, cycling and hiking.