May Two CÚRAM Investigators Admitted to Royal Irish Academy

Professor David Brayden and Professor Caitriona O’Driscoll are two of the 28 newly elected members officially admitted to the Academy recently, for their exceptional contributions to the sciences, humanities and social sciences, as well as to public service.

David Brayden is Professor of Advanced Drug Delivery at University College, Dublin, He has an international reputation in developing oral formulations of peptides. His recent research focuses on examining how to use nanoparticle technology to deliver drugs to different sites in the body. He is the coordinator of the EU Horizon Europe consortium BUCCAL-PEP and chief editor of Frontiers in Drug Delivery.  

Caitriona O’Driscoll is professor and Chair of the Pharmaceutics in the School of Pharmacy, University College Cork and director of Future Medicines, a research initiative. Originally a pharmacist, she has over 30-years’ experience is a drug delivery scientist. She has over 140 publications, and her research is focused on the design of RNA therapeutics for non-infectious diseases. She is coordinator of the €5.4m Horizon Europe funded GENE-GUT project (2022-26).

Professor Pat Guiry, President of the Royal Irish Academy, said: “Ireland should be immensely proud of these 28 women and men who have been elected by their peers and have brought international acclaim to our country through their distinct areas of research. As Members of the Royal Irish Academy they will support and strengthen our capacity to achieve our strategic goals and objectives as we look to the launch of our Strategic Plan 2024-2028 in the coming weeks.”

Election to membership of the Royal Irish Academy, established in 1785, is the highest academic distinction in Ireland.

As new members, Profs Brayden and O’Driscoll will support the RIA by engaging in activities that strengthen its international recognition and serve the public good through their knowledge and insight.