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Dr. Goljanek-Whysall

Biography

Dr. Goljanek-Whysall is a Senior Lecturer at NUI Galway. She obtained her PhD at the University of East Anglia, UK. During her PhD, she studied the role of microRNAs in skeletal muscle development. This has led to a discovery of microRNA-based mechanisms controlling Pax3 expression during embryonic development of skeletal muscle. She then characterised novel microRNA:chromatin regulators interactions during muscle development. In 2013, she moved to the Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, University of Liverpool and set up her research group studying the role of epigenetic changes in musculoskeletal ageing and disease. Her research has shown the critical role of microRNAs in the regulation of muscle mass and function during ageing. This led to a prestigious Korenchevsky Award for the most promising Early Career Researcher in the field of ageing awarded by the British Society for Research into Ageing.

She has published multiple articles on the role of microRNAs in muscle development and ageing. She served as an Executive Committee member of the British Society of Research into Ageing and an Editor for Biogerontology. Dr. Goljanek-Whysall also serves on the editorial boards of Scientific Reports and Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine.  

Since moving to NUI Galway in 2018, she has expanded her research program to studying the therapeutic potential of microRNAs, as well as oxidised microRNAs, against muscle loss during ageing and disease, such as cachexia and ALS and more recently critical illness. Her research is funded by IRC, SFI and HRB. 

Please see here for research publications. Furthermore, for details on our current research endeavours please see our research group page here.