News
Welcome to our news page where we share our updates about our research group. Keep up-to-date with our latest news posts below.
January 2025: Promotion
We are delighted to announce that Dr Lorna Lopez has been promoted to Professor at Maynooth University! 🎉 This milestone is a testament to the incredible team that Lorna has had the privilege of working with throughout her academic career – both past and present. She is very grateful to all her students, mentors, colleagues, collaborators and team for their amazing support and contributions.
As Lorna herself says, "Research is truly a team sport, and I’ve been lucky to work alongside such talented individuals.” She is excited to continue leading the Family Genomics research team at Maynooth University and is looking forward to the exciting challenges and successes ahead.
Congratulations Lorna and thank you to everyone who has supported her on this journey! 💚🧬🥳
September 2024: Genetic Association training course in Berlin!
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From September 16th to 20th, Enya Nordon, a PhD student with the Family Genomics Research Group attended a Genetic Association training course at the Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin, Germany, as part of her bioinformatics training. The intensive five-day course covered advanced topics such as genetic epidemiology, population genetics, and statistical methods for analysing genotype data.
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The course provided hands-on learning on key areas including data quality control, trait analysis using regression models, and confounding control. Students also explored cutting-edge topics like population substructure detection, rare variant analysis, and solutions for the multiple testing problem through methods such as FDR adjustments.
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Additionally, the course introduced critical concepts such as genotype imputation, polygenic risk scores, and detecting gene-environment interactions. The skills gained will play a crucial role in advancing Enya's research, equipping her with tools to analyse complex genetic data.
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This training is a valuable addition to our ongoing efforts to support cutting-edge research in population genetics and human health.
September 2024: ISHG Conference
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We were honoured to attend the 27th Irish Society of Human Genetics (ISHG) conference, held in the Royal College of Physicians on September 19th, 2024. The Family Genomics Research Group Maynooth were well represented at the ISHG this year, with five poster presentations.
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PhD candidate Aung presented his poster on ‘Investigating the correlation of autism polygenic score with sleep traits of adults in the UK Biobank’. PhD candidate Jake presented his poster on ‘The (AB)C of Finding Short Tandem Repeats (STRs) in Short Read Sequencing (SRS) data: A Rapid Review of STR Search Tools and Approaches for Study Design’. Dearbhla, a Research Assistant in the group presented her poster on ‘FOXP2 and Beyond: Shared Genetic Variation Between Autism, ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia and Sleep-Related Phenotypes Uncovered Through Post-GWAS Analysis’. SPUR summer student Cal presented their poster on ‘The Complex Genetic Interplay between Autism and Sleep - The Role of Rare Genetic Variation’. Dr Marina Carpena, a researcher visiting the group from Brazil, presented her poster on ‘How sleep polygenic components interact with family income affecting sleep duration among children: evidence from The 2004 Pelotas Birth Cohort (Brazil)’.
Well done to everyone on your hard work. We look forward to attending the ISHG conference again next year!
September 2024: Future-Neuro 2 visit from Dr. Bahman Nasseroleslami
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The Family Genomics Research Group was delighted to host Dr. Bahman Nasseroleslami for lunch in Maynooth University on Wednesday September 18th. Dr. Nasseroleslami is the Fr Tony Coote Assistant Prof. in Neuroelectric signal analysis. His research is mostly focused in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) at Trinity College, Dublin. His research focuses on the contribution of motor sub-systems to neural control of human movement in health and disease, as well as neural control of human movement, EEG/EMG and other electrophysiological correlates of neuro-motor activity, diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in Motor Neuron Disease (MND), and neural engineering.
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Research assistants Aoife Brennan and Christiane O’Brien were delighted to discuss the FamilySleeps and Ambient-BD projects respectively as well as the other research being carried out within the group. PhD candidate Seán Farrell was also delighted to explore the potential capabilities of our newly acquired Polysomnography (PSG) system. Specifically regarding automatic scoring of sleep stages as well as processing and filtering protocols to ensure unpolluted electrophysiological signals are obtained from participants.
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We are incredibly grateful to Dr. Nasseroleslami for lending his experience and expertise to the group, as he has certainly inspired some ideas for future projects. We are also very appreciative of the platform provided by FutureNeuro to collaborate with such a diverse set of leading scientists. Onwards and upwards!
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June 2024: Maynooth University Biology Research Day
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The Family Genomics Research Group represented at Maynooth’s Biology Research Day which was held on the 14th of June this year. Research from over 15 groups was showcased, with 22 presentations and 25 research posters presented throughout the day. The research shown was diverse and multi-disciplinary, from talks on microbiology and immunology to sustainability and genetics.
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Our PhD students got to present and talk about their current research. PhD student Aung Myat Phyo presented his poster on “Investigating the genetic link between sleep and autism spectrum disorder using family-based research designs”. PhD student Enya Nordon presented her poster on “Explaining the genetic link between sleep and neurodevelopmental conditions: genome-wide analysis of rare tandem repeat expansions”. PhD student Jacob Kennedy presented his poster on “Short Tandem Repeats and Non-Coding Variation in Autism”. Well done everyone!
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This was also the first opportunity for the new members of our research group to represent us, get involved in networking and explore current research within the department.
June 2024: ESHG Conference
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On the 4th of June 2024, the Family Genomics Research Group was well represented by Dr Laura Fahey at the European Society for Human Genetics (ESHG) conference in Berlin! Laura presented her ERC FamilySleeps research on the Shared genetic links between sleep, neurodevelopmental, and neuropsychiatric conditions: a genome-wide and pathway-based polygenic score analysis. The FamilySleeps programme is funded by the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant no. 950010) awarded to Dr Lorna Lopez. Laura was invited to speak at this conference as part of her prize for best post-doc oral presentation at the 26th annual Irish Society of Human Genetics (ISHG) conference in September 2023. Special thanks to ISHG for sponsoring this visit. Laura’s presentation of her research was highlighted as a top news story and can be found here. Congratulations Laura on this great achievement!
June 2024: Fostering Curiosity and Innovation – Talented Summer Students Join the Group!
We have a busy and vibrant office this summer as we welcome new summer students to the team! We are delighted to welcome Cal De Nicolas, Danielle Farrelly, Ciara O'Connor, Dearbhla Brady and Nirakshana Prabakar, our undergraduate and postgraduate students who have joined the group to undertake exciting projects and roles this summer.
These opportunities are made possible by the Summer Programme for Undergraduate Research (SPUR), the Hamilton Institute, FutureNeuro and the European Research Council (ERC).​
We are grateful to have the student’s expertise join our group and we are looking forward to seeing where their research takes them!
Cal De Nicolas joins us from the Psychology Department here in Maynooth University. They have completed the first year of their undergraduate degree and have prior experience in genetic research and data analysis form their first year. Cal joins the group as a summer student to complete a research project. Their project, funded by the Hamilton Institute and SPUR, is titled ‘The complex genetic interplay of autism and sleep: a rapid review on the importance of tandem repeat expansions.’ His project is supervised by Dr Lorna Lopez and Enya Nordon, a PhD student in our group.
Danielle Farrelly, having just completed her third year of Biomedical and Biological Science, joins the team as a FutureNeuro Summer Student. Danielle’s research project is supervised by Dr Lorna Lopez and Jake Kennedy, a FutureNeuro PhD student from our group. Danielle’s project is titled, ‘The (AB)c of Finding Short Tandem Repeats in SRS data: A Rapid Review of STR Search Tools and Approaches for Study Design.’ This project is funded by FutureNeuro. Danielle has particular interest in how bioinformatic tools can be availed of to investigate and identify genetic disorders.
Nirakshana Prabakar is currently pursuing a MSc in Immunology and Global Health in Maynooth University. As part of her Master’s, Nirakshana joins the group to complete her research project, titled "Exploring Rare de Novo and Heritable Variants: Enrichment Analysis of NRF2-KEAP1 and mRNA Splicing Minor Pathways in Neurodevelopmental, Neuropsychiatric, and Sleep Traits." Her project is supervised by Dr Lorna Lopez and Dr Laura Fahey.
Ciara O'Connor received a B.A. in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Mod (Zoology) from Trinity College Dublin in 2024. During her degree, she completed a research project investigating the link between Animal Charisma and Conservation Status. Ciara joins the group as a summer student, shadowing Enya, our PhD student. Her research interests include genetics, physiology, behaviour, ecology and microbiology.
Dearbhla Brady just completed her third year of BSc Biological and Biomedical Science at Maynooth University and will begin her final year in September. Dearbhla has previously worked as a SPUR Research Intern in summer 2023 with the Family Genomics Research Group. She researched the genetic correlation between ADHD and sleep related phenotypes by comparing post-genomic wide association analysis (GWAS) results. This summer she rejoins the team as a Research Assistant. Dearbhla is working as a Research Assistant on the FamilySleeps Project. Her work is funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.
February 2024: Publication Success!
Congratulations to PhD student Shane Crinion who's paper 'Neuropsychiatric disorders, chronotype and sleep: A narrative review of GWAS findings and the application of Mendelian Randomisation to investigate causal relationships' was recently published in the journal Genes, Brain and Behavior!
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Please see our publications section for a short summary of the paper or read the full text here.
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October 2023: We're Hiring!
We are currently seeking highly motivated individuals to join our team in a number of research position opportunities.
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Please visit our Join page to see if you're the candidate we are looking for.
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Applications will be accepted until the 5th of November 2023, by 5pm.
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We look forward to hearing from you, and if you have any queries please contact us.
September 2023: Celebrating Achievements and Welcoming the Next Chapter
The FamilyGenomics Research Group would like to congratulate our most recent PhD graduates, Dr Fiana Ní Ghrálaigh and Dr Thomas Dinneen for the significant impact they’ve made during their time with us.
We find ourselves in a moment of transition, to both celebrate their remarkable accomplishments and to extend a warm welcome to our new PhD students Enya Nordon and Aung Myat Phyowho who are about to continue their academic journey with us.
Enya is focusing her research on rare tandem repeat expansions to investigate the genetic link between sleep and neurodevelopmental conditions. This research is under the supervision of Dr Lorna Lopez and Dr David Fitzpatrick and is funded by the Kathleen Lonsdale Institute for Human Health Research.
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Aung is set to commence his PhD research on the potential links between disrupted circadian rhythms and autism spectrum disorder. This project is funded by the European Research Council (ERC) and is under the supervision of Dr Lorna Lopez.
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Please visit our team page to get to know all our past and present team members.
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August 2023: We are Hiring!
​We are currently seeking a Research Fellow and Research Assistant to join the Family Genomics Research Group, in the Department of Biology at Maynooth University, to continue our work on the FamilySleeps research study, funded by a European Research Council Starting Investigator Award to Dr Lorna Lopez.
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To learn more about the positions and how to apply, please visit our Join page.
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Applications will be accepted until the 27th of August 2023, by 5pm.
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We look forward to hearing from you, and if you have any questions please contact us!
June 2023: Knowledge Never Takes a Holiday
We are delighted to introduce and welcome our summer intern students who are undertaking comparative research projects in post genome-wide association study results for various neurodevelopmental conditions and sleep related phenotypes with the Family Genomics Research group. These opportunities are made possible by the Summer Program for Undergraduate Research (SPUR), the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Centre for Research Training in Foundations of Data Science, the Health Research Board (HRB), and FutureNeuro. We are lucky to host their brilliance this summer and we wish them all the best in their research projects.
Enya has just completed her final year in BSc Biomedical Sciences at Maynooth University and has previously worked with the research group as a Summer Intern in both 2021 and 2022, and as a research assistant in 2021. This summer she joins the team as a Research Assistant. The research she has undertaken as part of the group has included an investigation on the quality of sleep and its' association with the common cold virus, and the evaluation of gene scoring systems. In October Enya will begin a PhD with the group where she will study the genetic links between sleep and neurodevelopmental conditions.
Christina Bermingham has just completed her third year of biomedical science at Maynooth University. Her research project investigates post genome-wide associations for epilepsy and sleep related phenotypes and is supported by funding from FutureNeuro. Christina is driven by the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in scientific research and has always been interested in a career in research.
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“Understanding the genomic cause of disorders such as epilepsy plays an important role in improving the quality of life of affected individuals. For this reason, I find the research of the Family Genomics Research Group highly rewarding and am very happy to be a part of it this summer.”
Dearbhla Brady will begin her third year of biological and biomedical science at Maynooth University in the fall. Her research project is supported by the Summer Program for Undergraduate Research (SPUR) and the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Centre for Research Training in Foundations of Data Science. The project is a comparison of post genomic-wide association analysis (GWAS) results for ADHD and sleep related phenotypes. Dearbhla is motivated to learn more about genomics and bioinformatics techniques that build an understanding of biological pathways to help improve treatments and therapies for specific conditions.
“I hope to gain more of an insight into my career interests and prospects, gain new skills and continue networking and learning from fellow students, staff, and alumni.”
Laura Kupisiak is going into her fourth year of biological and biomedical sciences at Maynooth University. She is part of the SPUR and SFI summer student program researching the post-genome wide association analysis results for schizophrenia and sleep related phenotypes.
Laura is grateful to receive mentorship and guidance from respected researchers and is looking forward to establishing meaningful connections within the family genomics research network.
“As luck would have it, this research project explores all of my specific research interests which include the impact of sleep on human health and disease, genomics, and the study of neurological conditions.”
Shakira Browne joins us from University College Dublin where she is studying in her final year of psychology. Her research project looks at the comparison of GWAS results for autism and sleep related phenotypes and is supported by the Health Research Board. Shakira is fascinated by the importance of interdisciplinary research and is interested in examining GWAS, MRI and EEG data in order to gain a more complete understanding of the aetiology of neurodevelopmental disorders.
“I have already learned so much and it has confirmed how much I enjoy research.”
May 2023: Enhancing Research with Public and Patient Involvement
Continue your education journey with us!
​Apply today for a PhD position with our ERC FamilySleeps Project and explore the genetic link between sleep and autism.
Go to our Join page to learn more about the position and apply today.
April 2023: Don't sleep on this month's update from the Family Genomics Team
We're Hiring!
​We are currently seeking a highly motivated PhD student to join our team and help us tackle one of the most important questions in psychiatric genomics research.
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Go to our Join page to learn more about the position and apply today.
Applications will be accepted until 30th April 2023.
Read our most recent blog:​
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Learn about how Daylight Saving Time has evolved in Ireland in our latest blog post.
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We would like to introduce and welcome our new research assistant, Laura Rudderham, and PPI contributor, Claire Hayes to the Family Genomics group. Please visit our team page to get to know all our team members.
February 2023: The Circadian Mental Health Network
The Family Genomics team are pleased to be a part of the Circadian Mental Health Network, a new research collaboration between researchers, clinicians, charities, patients, carers and the public launched on February 1st. The network is led by Professor Danny Smith at the University of Edinburgh and funded by the MRC Network Grant. We look forward to working with our chronobiologist, psychiatrist and lived experience colleagues across the UK to further understanding of how circadian timing affects mental health.
January 2023: Autism Policy Committee meeting in the Oireachtas
Dr Lorna Lopez joined the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Autism to discuss Autism Policy with Science Foundation Ireland on 31st January 2023. A recording of the meeting can be watched here, Oireachtas Joint Committee meeting on Autism.
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October 2022: Public patient involvement (PPI), research engagement, and our new team members
Please view our two latest blogs published this month:
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Our first blog, Maynooth University Research Week 2022, discusses an upcoming public patient involvement (PPI) event that is taking place where Dr Fiana Ní Ghrálaigh will be presenting our video series 'An illustrated exploration of autism genomics research processes' at this event.
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Our second blog, Establishing an Irish Autism Research Network, describes our recent published letter to the editor of the Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine. Please see this blog or our publications page for more details.
We would like to introduce and welcome Post-Doctoral Researcher, Dr Laura Fahey, and MSc Research Student, Luna Alvarado Añon, to the Family Genomics Research Group. Please visit our team page to get to know our new team members.
September 2022: Our most recent publication and blog
Dr Cathy Wyse, Dr Lorna Lopez and Research Summer Interns undertook research last year to investigate the susceptibility of the common cold. They discovered associations between daylength, disease risk and infection risk.
In recent weeks their work was published. To read the highlights and main findings of this research paper, please see our blog 'When are you most likely to catch the common cold?.' The detailed summary of these findings and full text of the research article can be found on our publications page.
August 2022: We are now recruiting for a study to investigate the effects of Daylight Exposure and Vitamin D on Circadian Rhythms, Mood, and Sleep.
Please see our participate page to find out more. We include information about the aims of this study, who is eligible to take part, and what is involved.
July 2022: Meet this year's Research Assistants
Aoibhin Woods, Enya Nordon, Giulia Guasoni and Hannah Walsh (from left to right) were successfully awarded positions within the Family Genomics research Group this summer to assist with and conduct research within the context of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric conditions.
Read their blog, 'Biology of Brain Disorders Conference: Our Interns' Perspectives', to gain insight into their experience of their first biological neuroscience conference.
June 2022: Science Communication at the "Maynooth Supports Ukraine" Community Day
Last month, the summer students and research assistants from the Family Genomics Research Group helped out at the "Maynooth Supports Ukraine" community day on the 15th of June. The team engaged in science communication with children and families in attendance, to share the values and research interests of the Family Genomics Research Group, additionally sharing information regarding any research opportunities available.
Our summer students created engaging ways for the children to interact with science, through the use of 3D DNA helix models, weighted brain bean-bags, neuron teddy bears, and DNA-themed colouring activities. The day was a great success, and our team appreciated the opportunity to give back to the community.
April 2022: New video series, 'An illustrated exploration of the genomics of autism.'
This month, the Family Genomics Research Group has launched a video series for members of the autism community in Ireland to coincide with World Autism Month. If you are an autistic individual, a family member, a clinician, an educator, or a researcher, our new series may be of interest to you.
Fiana Ní Ghrálaigh and Dr Lorna Lopez were awarded a grant called 'Impact through dissemination support fund 2021.' They recognize how important it is to keep the community informed about research and related processes that are ongoing and underway. With this in mind, they planned a dissemination project to communicate to the community what our research team does during certain stages of autism research in the form of illustrations through stop-motion videos. These videos were created by Laura Finnegan.
Please see our engagement page to view the latest video from this project.
First update of 2022: Autism genomics recruitment closing, successful publications and Irish women in STEM in Ireland and Sweden
We would like to say a huge thank you to the families that are involved in the autism genomics research project. Families have been amazingly helpful over the last few months by providing biological samples and taking the time to keep in contact with our research study recruiters.
Without the active participation of families that are interested in and eligible for this study, we would not be able to undertake our research to uncover more discoveries of genetic variants associated with autism that can be present in families with two or more autistic individuals. We are very grateful for your continued involvement.
Recruitment of new families to this study is closing at the end of February as we need to progress to the next stage of our research. If you are a family with autism and/or have an interest in autism genomics, please visit our autism genomics page and participate page to find out more.
PhD candidates, Fiana Ní Ghrálaigh and Thomas Dinneen, have recently written research articles associated with the genetics of neurodevelopmental conditions which have been successfully published in academic journals, the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders and Trends in Genetics. Please see our publications page for further information on the contents of these articles.
Dr Lorna Lopez was among women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) from different scientific and clinical backgrounds that discussed their varying experiences as women in science. This recorded webinar was hosted by the Irish embassy in Sweden in honour of St Brigid's Day. Please see the full video on our engagement page if you wish to know more about Irish Women in STEM from the Karolinska Institutet and Maynooth University.
November 2021: Calls for the Health Research Board Summer Scholarships are now open!
During the summer of 2021, the Family Genomics Research Group worked with final year Biomedical Science student, Alexandra Keogh. This year, Alex was awarded this excellent scholarship and worked under the supervision of Dr Cathy Wyse and Dr Lorna Lopez. Alex discusses her experience of the scholarship and working with the Family Genomics Research Group in our most recent blog, 'Summer scholarship: My HRB Research Experience.' Please read to find out more about how Alex's experience has shaped her perspective as an aspiring researcher. Contact us if you are interested in applying for the HRB Summer Student Scholarship 2022 and working with our team.
October 2021: Joint-winner of SPUR Undergraduate Research Virtual Symposium
We congratulate Ava Clarke on her recent achievement. Ava showcased her summer research project that she conducted with the Family Genomics Research Group at the SPUR Undergraduate Research Virtual Symposium and received joint first place for her excellent presentation of her research.
Ava discusses her SPUR experience and her time spent with the Family Genomics Research Group and fellow SPUR awardee, Enya Nordon, in our recent blog post "SPUR: Research interns join the Family Genomics Research Group". Please see our Blogs page to read more about the SPUR experience.
September 2021: Newsletter article feature in the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland
Research Group Lead, Dr Lorna Lopez, as well as Professor Cathal Seoighe and Professor Walter Kolch were interviewed for this month's 'Think Tank' newsletter from the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland by Dr Eimear O'Neill. Lorna is featured in the 'Research Series: A New Understanding, the Future of Genetic Research in Ireland'.
Lorna discusses current techniques and research being conducted by the Family Genomics Research Group. In particular, she provides her perspective on genetic architecture of psychiatric conditions, including the how such research in psychosis genetics has informed psychosis research. Lorna gives research advice and talks about the future directions of how neuropsychiatric genomics can impact in autism can impact other fields within neuropsychiatric research areas.
August 2021: We are now recruiting for a genomics study
Please see our participate page to find out more. We list what's involved in this study, who can take part and the benefits of the study.
July 2021: Meet our new Research Assistants
We welcome Enya, Ava, Collette and Aoife to The Family Genomics Research Group. To find out more about our new members, please visit our Team page
