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Research Group

PI: Prof. Alan Ryder

Brief Biography: ‌‌

‌Professor Alan G. Ryder has a B.Sc.(1.1) in Chemistry (1989) and Ph.D. in Inorganic chemistry (1994) both from the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG). After a stint as a postdoctoral researcher (organo‌metallic synthesis) in UCC, Cork. He re-joined NUIG as a postdoctoral researcher in the National Centre for Laser Applications (located in the School of Physics) in 1997 to work on developing quantitative Raman spectroscopy-based methods for measuring illicit narcotics.
From 2006 to 2022 he has was based in the School of Chemistry at the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG) and lectures mostly in spectroscopy and analytical methods/instrumentation. In 2003 he formed the Nanoscale Biophotonics Laboratory (NBL) a research group focused on the use of photonics and chemometrics technologies for life and physical science applications. In the Analytical Sciences, the primary emphasis is developing rapid, quantitative analytical methods for the analysis of complex materials with particular focus on biopharmaceutical manufacturing and he has collaborated with a range of global biopharmaceutical manufacturers on a variety of analytical research projects. Since 01/04/2022 he has rejoined Physics as part of the School of Natural Sciences.

He has authored >110 publications and generated 3 patents (2 licensed to an NUIG spin out company, Analyze-IQ).
To date he has secured >13 M€ of research funding (~3.3 M€ from industrial sources) and graduated 23 PhD & 5 MSc. research students.

Career History:

Personal Professor of Chemistry, Physics (School of Natural Sciences), University of Galway, April 2022 - present.
Personal Professor of Chemistry, School. of Chemistry, NUI-Galway,. Aug. 2016 -March 2022.
Honorary President, Microscopical Society of Ireland, Aug. 2008 - 2010.
Senior Lecturer, School. of Chemistry, NUI-Galway,. Aug. 2006 - Jul. 2016.
Science Foundation Ireland Investigator, National Centre for Biomedical Engineering Science, NUI-Galway. 2003-08.
Adjunct Lecturer, Department of Chemistry, NUI-Galway,. Sept. 2003 - July 2006.
Research Scientist, NCLA/ Department of Physics, NUI-Galway, 1997 - July 2003.
Post-doctoral researcher, Department of Chemistry, UCC, 1993-1995.
Ph.D. (Inorganic Chemistry) 1989-1993, University College Galway.
B.Sc. Hons. ( Chemistry) 1985-1989, University College Galway.

Postdoctoral Researchers:

Details of the current postdoctoral researchers can be found here.

Postgraduate Students:

Weixiao Guo, (2025-present):

Weixian joined the group in January 2025.
Project: High Conc. Protein Formulation (HCPF) Analysis by polarized Excitation Emission Matrix (pEEM) spectroscopy.
She will be investigating how pEEM spectroscopy can be used to evaluate protein-excipient interactions and then characterise high concentration formulations of biologics.

Project funded by Research Ireland.

More Details to follow.

Jared Zang, (2024-present):

Jared Zang PhD student Jared is from Amarillo, Texas, and holds a BSc in Biotechnology, and MSc in Biological and Biomolecular Science, and has worked in Bristol Myers Squibb focusing on monoclonal antibody process analytics prior to joining the research group in 2024.
Project: Polarised Fluorescence based Downstream Analytics.

Project Funded by Research Ireland.
More details to follow.

TBC, (2025-present):

M. A. will join the group in in June 2025.
Project: Use of polarized Excitation Emission Matrix (pEEM) spectroscopy for the quantitative analysis of protein-liposome interactions.

Project funded by Research Ireland.

Details to follow.

Huajie Wang, (2023-present):

PhD student Huajie joined the group in Sept. 2023 and is investigating how polarized Excitation Emission Matrix (pEEM) spectroscopy can be used to monitor and analyse the interaction between proteins and liposomes.
Huajie has been awarded a Chinese CSC Government scholarship for her PhD studies.

Summer & Visiting students:

2025: L. Cid (Spain) Erasmus+ placement working as a trainee technician; E. Wittkopf (Germany) Erasmus+ placement working as a trainee technician: A. Monacelli (Italy), Eramsus+ placement working on fluorescence analysis of polymers.
2024: F. Schlosser (Ireland) summer student working on Fluorescence analysis of biogenic materials.
2023: S. Delgao (Spain) Erasmus+ placement working as a trainee technician. F. Schlosser (Ireland) summer student working on Raman analysis of materials.
2022: M. Corrano (Italy), Erasmus student, analysis of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients by Raman Spectroscopy. D. Martinez Lino (Spain), Erasmus student working as a trainee technician.
2021: L. Ward (Ireland),working on the spectroscopic analysis of nano-materials.
2020: D. Hermann (Austria), worked on the use of pEEM for ADC synthesis reaction monitoring.

A detailed list of the visiting students from previous years is on the alumni page.

Undergraduate Physics & Chemistry students:

2024/25: E. Bielis (Physics): Raman analysis of nanoparticles, J. McGowan (Physics): Fluorescence analysis of polymer aggregation.
2023/24: A, McDonagh (Physics): Spectroscopic analysis of artifical urine.
2022/23: R. O'Comhaghan, M. Dineen (Physics).
2021/22: L. Ward, C. O'Farrell, R. Swaine, R. McGee-Kidd (Chemistry).
Details of other past students are available here.

Alumni:

Details of past graduate students and visiting students down through the years are available on the past members page, here.

Postdoctoral Researchers & Research Assistants:

Dr. L. L. (2025-....):

Dr. L. will join later in 2025. They will be working on the biophysical characterisation of biologics and polymers using a variety of fluorescence based techniques. More details to follow.

Dr. R. Sen (2024-....):

PDR Rajannya joined the group in June 2024 as a Post-doctoral Researcher to work on the fluorescence analysis of virus-like particles. She obtained her BTech degree in Optics and Optoelectronics from the University of Calcutta in 2015 and MSc degree in Photonics from the University of Eastern Finland in 2017. She was awarded her PhD in Biophotonics from University College Cork, Ireland, in 2023.