Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin

We are the business school of a world renowned university located in a new state-of-the-art building at the heart of an historic campus in the centre of Dublin; an international capital city and a hub for global business. Our range of masters are designed to develop well-rounded and highly capable business graduates in order to enhance their careers and the performance of organisations in which they are engaged. We are AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS accredited which places us in the top 0.6% of business schools globally.
Our global community of students learn cutting-edge real world management techniques from both leading researchers and high performance business executives. We also seek to produce graduates who are a force for good in the world – using their skills to put in more than they take out of any situation in which they are involved. We are Ireland’s leading study destination for students interested in Business Analytics, International Management, HRM, Marketing, Digital Marketing Strategy, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Financial Risk Management or an MBA.
In 2019, we opened our new state-of-the-art home, a near zero energy, six storey building that includes an innovation and entrepreneurial hub, a 600 seat auditorium, smart classrooms and the latest digital technology; and it remains in the heart of Trinity’s campus.
More than a degree
We bring in class learning to life with our strong emphasis on experiential learning through the use of case studies, team work and professional development modules. The competencies developed here are what employers continually endorse as a much valued feature of our graduates. Our students are in the centre of a University that is vibrant and diverse with over 200 clubs and societies and a global community of students from over 120 countries. Some of the most dynamic societies in Trinity College are business focused including TES (Trinity Entrepreneurial Society) and DUBES (Dublin University Business & Economic society)
Your Career
Our dedicated career development team will help you identify your ideal career path and provide tailored advice on how best to achieve your goals. Ireland is European HQ for many of the world’s top Finance, Tech, Export and Pharmaceutical multinationals and Dublin is home to various energetic start-ups based in Silicon Docks. For this reason many international students choose to stay in Ireland and work after graduation, with students from outside the EU availing of the two-year graduate work visa.

The School of Computer Science and Statistics has a very active Ph.D. programme, with about 200 students currently enrolled. The objective of the programme is that its Ph.D. students undertake world-class research that will have a demonstrable impact on society at large and, in so doing, to have trained the researchers and academics of the future.
For the purposes of research, the School is divided into 5 Disciplines, four of which – Computer Systems, Information Systems, Intelligent Systems and Software Systems – offer a Ph.D. in Computer Science. The Statistics Discipline offers a Ph.D. in Statistics. The typical duration of a Ph.D. is 3 to 4 years and consists of an initial 18 month phase of coursework and development of a research topic, followed by concentration on the research topic and writing of a thesis for presentation at an oral examination.


Current research areas in the School

Computer Science:
Current research in computer science covers a wide range of topics from the theoretical to the applied. Much of this research is funded by the EU, national funding agencies such as Science Foundation Ireland and the Higher Education Authority as well as both indigenous and multinational companies. Staff research interests include: distributed systems including middleware and ubiquitous computing, artificial intelligence, especially logic programming, neural networks and case-based reasoning, cognitive science, computational linguistics, natural language processing, computer vision and robotics, image processing, networks and telecommunications including network management, security, electronic commerce and mobile communications, computer architecture, grid computing, multimedia servers, computer graphics, image synthesis and animation, virtual reality, multimedia systems, information systems and management, management of ICT, health informatics, and formal methods.
Statistics:
The Statistics Discipline has one of the most active research groups in this field in Ireland. The research interests of its staff and graduate students include: modern computationally intensive tools in both Bayesian and classical statistics (techniques which are driven by new applications in science and engineering), theoretical work on modern regression methods, and specialist applications of statistics in business, industry and society. Projects currently supporting research students under funding from national and international agencies include: Bayesian statistical computation using functional approximations like Laplace and variational Bayes, palaeoclimate reconstruction, source separation for multi-spectral astronomical images, estimating species diversity in marine animals, failure and reliability of complex telecommunications networks and optimal road traffic management.

The School of Dental Science comprises some 28 full-time, 60 part-time, academic staff, 11 research students. Dental Science is based in, and closely linked with, the Dublin Dental Hospital. The Hospital completed a programme of extensive refurbishment and expansion in 1998 with the addition of a state-of-the-art research laboratory in 2004.

It is currently expanding its research, postgraduate and office facilities. It has modern clinical facilities and a wide-ranging programme of dental education at postgraduate level, as well as an innovative programme of continuing education for dental practitioners.

There is an active research output in all divisions: Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine and Oral Pathology; Public and Child Dental Health; Restorative Dentistry and Periodontology. In recent years, focus has been increasingly on infections associated with HIV and AIDS patients, on fungal diseases, salivary disorders, oral cancer and biofilms - sources of infection in dental water lines, and dental implants.

Recently, the staff have developed a collaborative interest in the Trinity Centre for Bioengineering (T.C.B.E.). The staff have also initiated a very strong educational development and research base in collaboration with dental schools in European countries and the USA. Recent senior appointments in Restorative Dentistry, Oral and Maxillo-Facial Surgery and Special Care Dentistry are expected to increase research output and training in these areas.

The School of Drama, Film & Music comprises the Departments of each of the three disciplines in the title. With 17 full-time academic members of staff and 2 postdoctoral fellows, the School enjoys an international reputation for its research activities and achievements. There are currently 33 research students (M.Litt. & Ph.D.) in the School.

The School’s research outputs are consistent with the highest research activities internationally. More than twenty-five monographs or edited collections by staff have been published by leading academic presses in the past two years. The School’s research activities are guided by three core objectives: Ireland & the Arts, Globalization & the Arts, and Technology & the Arts.

Drama Studies has a wide range of research interests consistent with a small department. Its strengths currently lie in the field of Irish & European Theatre, Theatre and Nation, Interculturalism/globalization and performance, Identity Politics & Performance, and Performance and Technology. The Department is located in the Samuel Beckett Centre that comprises a theatre, acting studios and seminar rooms.

Film Studies also has a broad range of research interests consistent with a small department. It enjoys an international reputation for its research in Irish cinema and the cinemas of the Irish diaspora, as well as for its work in the field of film theory, and British cinema. Film Studies’ facilities (screening room, film library, and digital video production room) are located on campus near the Samuel Beckett Centre. It is closely associated with the Irish Film Institute, and together with the University of Ulster, has established the Postgraduate Film Research Seminar. It has a growing body of research students (M.Litt. & Ph.D.).

Music has three principal areas of research: musicology and analysis, composition, and music technology. Among the staff is Ireland’s leading young composer, as well as experts on melodrama, twentieth-century sketch study, Debussy & Purcell. In addition it enjoys the resources of an extensive Audio Archive. It is located in Front Square of College in its own dedicated premises. Together with the Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering it offers research degrees (M.Litt. & Ph.D.) in its principal areas of expertise.

All research students of the School are required to take core classes in Research Methodologies in their first year and to attend the Graduate seminars run by the Departments. The School is committed to training research students for the academic profession. Recent graduates hold permanent lectureships at universities in Ireland, UK, USA, Canada & Brazil. It has a very vibrant international research community and hosts scholars from all over the world in its symposia and conferences, and maintains very active links with the arts professions.

The School of Education is one of the major professional schools of the University with a current enrolment of 1,551 students inclusive of 635 postgraduates. It has 20 full-time and over 75 part-time staff. The School is commited to engaging with educational issues through teaching and research at a number of levels: initial teacher education, postgraduate teacher education and continuing professional development. Within this context of informed practice, the School is dedicated to undertaking high quality research which permeates teaching at postgraduate level. The result of this scholarly activity has gained both national and international recognition in both the academic and professional community and contributes to the understanding and practice of education. As well as the traditional M.Litt. and Ph.D. research degrees, the School is the first leading Irish university to offer a professional Doctorate in Education which is for educators who wish to undertake doctoral level study in a structured manner into their professional practice.

The School of Education is also linked with three Colleges of Education and two Colleges of Music in Dublin and with Education Centres throughout the country. The Colleges of Education are the Church of Ireland College of Education at Rathmines, Coláiste Muire at Marino and the Froebel College of Education at Blackrock. The Colleges of Music are the D.I.T. Conservatory of Music and the Royal Irish Academy of Music.

With a rich complement of academic and administrative staff, the School is in a position to provide excellence in both research and professional practice. The School therefore is a significant and critical forum for education, research and the sharing of knowledge with the community.

The School of Education, in association with the Association of Teachers and Education Centres in Ireland, the Christian Brothers, the Church of Ireland College of Education, Froebel College of Education, Sion Hill, Coláiste Muire at Marino, the Curriculum Development Unit, CDVEC, and Co. Wicklow VEC provides a variety of continuing professional development activities for teachers and others with a professional interest in education.

The School of Engineering is comprised of the Departments of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, Electronic and Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering and Manufacturing. Postgraduate activities within the School include advanced research projects usually leading to the award of Doctor in Philosophy (Ph.D.). The School is committed to the furtherance of excellence in research and houses two significant Research Centres, one in Bioengineering and the other in Transport Technology.

The Engineering School has an international reputation for its research activities and currently has an annual research income in excess of €3 million. This serves to support both graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who work in a stimulating environment with modern facilities and equipment. Suitably qualified candidates can apply for registration as graduate students working in the research areas outlined below and research funding often provides scholarships for Masters and Doctoral students, to cover the registration, course fees and living costs of research students. Currently, there are over 300 postgraduate students and a significant number of postdoctoral fellows and research associates many of whom are from other European and non-European countries. This contributes to a very lively atmosphere so that our School is a very friendly centre of learning with an international outlook. Interested candidates are advised to make direct contact with the relevant academic staff member in the first instance. Information on the research activities of the staff can be obtained from our website: www.tcd.ie/Engineering/

The principal interests in Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering are Environmental Engineering, Geotechnics and Highways and Transportation and Structures. There are many opportunities for research in different areas of civil engineering.

The Department has an international research reputation in the Environmental, Geotechnical, Structural, Transportation and Materials Engineering. The research-led department includes internationally renowned experts in their fields. The state-of-the-art laboratories, field units and the wide ranging expertise of both the academic and the technical staff combine to make the area one of the most rapidly developing centres of civil engineering research in Ireland.

In Electronic and Electrical Engineering there are three main research areas that lie within the broad engineering discipline of Information and Communications Technology, or ICT.

Electronic Engineering Materials and Microelectronic Technology is a well-established research area that includes the design and development of measurement techniques suitable for the measurement of the electrical properties of ferroelectric liquid crystals, glass-forming liquids and polymers and the magnetic and dielectric properties of nano-materials, in particular magnetic fluids. In the microelectronics fabrication and test area, research interest includes the preparation and characterisation of different structures formed on silicon.

For Electronic Circuit Design, activities extend from mapping DSP algorithms onto architectures and subsequently onto libraries of standard cells, through to full-custom circuit design in CMOS and BiCMOS technologies with an emphasis on low-power dissipation. Specific work includes adaptive signal processing ASICs, power-speed figure of merit studies and the implementation of medical instrumentation applications in discrete and integrated form.

In Communications Engineering and Signal Processing, the work is broadly directed towards land mobile radio communication and propagation, and includes computational electromagnetics, wave scattering, channel identification and modelling, modulation, and digital receiver architectures. Application work focuses on propagation planning and analysis for mobile radio, wireless LAN’s. Work in signal processing lies broadly in the areas of image/video processing, audio and acoustic analysis and biomedical, adaptive and Bayesian signal processing.

Mechanical Engineering is located within the Parsons Building at the East end of the College and houses excellent research and laboratory facilities. Most of its research is funded through collaborative projects involving industry, the EU and national government programmes.

The main research activities are conducted within the following research groups Fluids Acoustics and Vibration, Heat Transfer and Thermodynamics, Trinity Centre for Bioengineering (www.tcd.ie/bioengineering), and Manufacturing and Materials Engineering.

The research activities of these groups involve significant work on the application of advanced computer based numerical modelling and simulation for the solution of engineering problems so that there is a common theme of computer based analysis, modelling and experimental validation in each of these areas.

The School comprises more than twenty permanent members of teaching staff, and a substantial number of Postdoctoral Fellows, Teaching Associates, Research Associates and Teaching Assistants. There are over 100 visiting students each year, and about 60 students who are reading for research degrees. In spite of the large numbers of students, the School maintains a strong commitment to small-group teaching and to individually-directed research.

The School of English is committed to leadership in the development of English Studies as a vigorous, multidisciplinary subject. We are a School which attracts postgraduates of the highest quality, which is committed to building on our already vibrant culture of excellence in teaching and research, and which has at its core our firmly-held belief that research and teaching are intimately connected and mutually stimulating.

Research Programmes With three well-established taught postgraduate courses and over 60 research students, the School of English has a vibrant research culture, with opportunities in a wide range of subjects and areas. We especially welcome applications in: medieval and renaissance literature, eighteenth-century literature, Anglo-Irish literature and drama, American literature, popular literature, creative writing, Victorian literature, postcolonial literature, Old English, and children’s literature. Research opportunities in all areas are considerably enhanced by Trinity Library. As well being a copyright library, it holds manuscripts and special collections that can form the basis of research projects, particularly in the early period, in Anglo-Irish literature and in children’s literature.

Our research culture places special emphasis on the individual researcher, though we also encourage forms of research collaboration where this is appropriate. While our research students work closely with their supervisor, their development of independent and original thought is crucial to the research process. When their work is established, research students may provide teaching in the School in areas cognate to their research. All research students take a course in Research Methods.

The School regularly hosts visiting lecturers and writers and organizes international conferences and symposia. Research students are always involved in the organization of these events and frequently will present research papers. The postgraduates also organize weekly research seminars, and all research students are expected to contribute to these.

As well as fostering individual research, we also help students develop a profile that will make them strong candidates for academic posts. Recent Ph.D. graduates hold permanent lectureships and prestigious post-doctoral fellowships at universities in Ireland, the UK, Europe and the US.

The School of Histories and Humanities comprises the departments of Classics, History, History of Art and Architecture and the Centre for Gender and Women’s Studies.

With 35 full-time academic members of staff and 6 postdoctoral fellows the School enjoys an international research profile in a remarkable range of different disciplines and subject areas: archaeology, philosophy (classics), Latin and Greek language and literature, Classical, Medieval and Modern History (Irish and European) and History of Art and Architecture. We currently have over 120 research students. Staff are accessible, ready to listen to students’ ideas and open to interdisciplinary approaches. They pride themselves on their ability and willingness to give personal attention to graduate students and on the atmosphere of mutual assistance and respect among staff and students that prevails.

The School of Histories and Humanities offers research supervision across a range of disciplines leading to the award of the M.Litt and Ph.D. degrees. While fostering individual learning and scholarship, the School also places considerable emphasis on the provision of opportunities for graduate research students to develop their generic skills as humanities researchers through participation in seminar programmes and short courses. Students are also encouraged generally to involve themselves in the intellectual and the social life of the School and of Trinity College.

The School regularly sponsors international conferences and symposia and runs six major research seminars. These provide a forum for distinguished scholars, postgraduates and postdoctoral fellows from throughout the world to present papers. The School also plays an active role in the activities of Trinity’s leading humanistic research centres. A number of these are located within the School: Irish Art Research Centre; Centre for Medieval History; Centre for Contemporary Irish History; Centre for Irish Scottish Studies; Centre for Gender and Women’s Studies; Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies; and the Centre for the Study of the Platonic Tradition. Within Ireland, the School has fostered close links with the other universities and enjoys personal and institutional links with a number of other institutions in the United Kingdom, continental Europe and North America.

Our postgraduates come from leading universities all over the world and form a well-established and vibrant community of nearly 200 students. They run regular postgraduate seminars and participate in all School activities. The School is committed to helping postgraduates prepare for a career within and beyond academia. We offer a variety of career development workshops and teaching opportunities for senior postgraduates. Many of our postgraduates have secured competitive funding for their studies from external or College sources.

For details of Government of Ireland postgraduate scholarships see www.irchss.ie. Further details on postgraduate opportunities in the School are available, in the first instance, from Prof. Roger Stalley at r.stalley@tcd.ie and the Director of Teaching and Learning (Postgraduate), Prof. Hazel Dodge at hdodge@tcd.ie.

Trinity College has the world's oldest tradition of modern language studies, with chairs dating back to 1776. Today, the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultural Studies combines the strengths of this tradition with a range of modern approaches to the critical study of languages and their cultures and societies in a group of established Departments which between them teach ten different languages at postgraduate level.

The School's research in literary, language and cultural studies ranges from the medieval to the very contemporary. Well-qualified research students are welcomed in all Departments within the School; enquiries for M.Litt. or Ph.D. research should be made in the first instance to the Department or Centre concerned. In addition, a cluster of innovative taught postgraduate degrees offers a broad range of possibilities, leading to research or to professional practice in areas of language, literature and cultural life.

The School's international research and postgraduate culture is strengthened by formal and informal links with universities in Europe and beyond.

There are seven academic units within the School:

the Centre for European Studies
the Department of French
the Department of Germanic Studies
the Department of Hispanic Studies
the Department of Irish & Celtic Languages
the Department of Italian
the Department of Russian & Slavonic Studies

At postgraduate level, courses are also offered directly by the School or by specialist units such as the Centre for Medieval & Renaissance Studies.

Trinity College Law School, founded in 1740, is Ireland's oldest and most internationally renowned Law School. It has a distinguished team of professors and lecturers and a student population of approximately 120 postgraduates of the highest calibre.

The Law School aims to educate people who will be the leaders of the legal profession, the public service and society, and who will demonstrate the highest standards of personal integrity and professional ethics and a deep concern for social justice in their practice of law and public service. It is also strongly committed to maintaining and further developing its reputation for rigorous legal scholarship and research, both in a national and international context. It is widely recognised as providing a liberal environment where independent thinking is encouraged and as promoting the ideals of social inclusion and equality. In summary it seeks to serve society through education, research and public service and to promote standards of excellence in all its activities. Many staff and student members are heavily involved with the governmental, commercial and voluntary sectors both nationally and internationally, in areas such as children's rights, constitutional law reform, environmental policy, legal aid, law reform, minority rights, public interest and pro bono litigation, social welfare policy and women's rights.


The Law School offers a M.Litt./Ph.D. degree programme and has a reputation for excellence in terms of research supervision. It currently has around 65 students registered for M.Litt./Ph.D. degrees across a wide range of subjects some of whom have formed into research groupings. Seminars are organised on a weekly basis for all research postgraduate students to provide a forum for such students to present and discuss their work, and also as a means for providing instruction and assistance to students in respect of various aspects of postgraduate study including issues pertaining to research facilities, research funding and presentation and publication of research. A student registered for the degree of M.Litt. is required to carry out research under the supervision of a full time member of the academic staff in a legal topic. The minimum qualifications for admission as a Ph.D. student are higher than those for admission as a M.Litt. student. In particular, applicants must show evidence of marked aptitude for research. A student on the M.Litt register who wishes to transfer to the Ph.D. register must undergo a transfer process which involves submission of a transfer report which is defended on a viva voce basis before an assigned transfer panel. Students on the Ph.D. register must similarly be confirmed on the register again by submission of a confirmation report which is defended on a viva voce basis before an assigned confirmation panel. In both cases this will usually happen in the second year of the student’s time on the relevant register. The Law School requires that all M.Litt. students complete their research and submit their dissertations within two years of entering on the M.Litt. register, and that all Ph.D. students similarly complete their studies within four years (which period will include any time spent on the M.Litt. register).

Applications may also be made by graduates of the University of Dublin of not less than eight years standing for the degree of Doctor in Laws (LL.D.). This degree may be awarded to candidates who are judged to have made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of knowledge as evidenced by the publication of their work of high academic distinction. The level of attainment required for such a higher doctorate is substantially higher than that required for the degree of Ph.D.

The School of Linguistic, Speech and Communication Sciences offers a comprehensive range of doctoral research opportunities in the study of general and applied linguistics, speech sciences, speech and language pathology, clinical linguistics and deaf studies. The School was formed in 2005 from three main constituents: The Centre for Language and Communication Studies; the School of Clinical Speech and Language Studies; and the Centre for Deaf Studies.

The Centre for Language and Communication Studies: The Centre offers opportunities for doctoral research in linguistics, applied linguistics, phonetics and speech science. In linguistics students have conducted research on a diverse range of languages and in fields including language acquisition, computational linguistics (in collaboration with the School of Computer Science and Statistics), morphology, phonology, pragmatics, semantics, syntax, sociolinguistics, language planning, typology and universals. In applied linguistics doctoral supervision is available in areas such as autonomy in second/foreign language learning; language transfer; learner strategies and communicative strategies; media and technologies in language learning; metacognition and metalinguistic awareness; pragmatics and language learning; syllabus, learning materials and pedagogical grammar; the age factor in language learning; and the L2 mental lexicon. Research in applied linguistics informs the activities of two campus companies of Trinity College: Authentik Language Learning Resources Ltd, which publishes language learning materials and books for language teachers and Integrate Ireland Language and Training Ltd, which is funded by the Department of Education and Science to provide English language training for adult refugees and to support teachers of English as a second language to immigrant pupils in primary and post-primary schools.

Research in the Phonetics and Speech lab currently has funded research in a range of projects. Three important current strands are: firstly, the analysis and modelling of voice quality, with particular interest in how the voice source as a basic dimension of prosody is exploited both for linguistic purposes and for the paralinguistic communication of emotion and attitude. A second project is the prosody of Irish dialects and of different varieties of Irish-English. A third is text-to speech development for Irish and for Irish English. In a collaborative project with the University of Bangor, Wales, Dublin City University and University College Dublin, researchers are developing the prerequisites for the development of text-to-speech Synthesis of Irish.

The Department of Clinical Speech and Language: The primary research focus within the department is on communication in typical and atypical contexts, with particular emphasis on the social experience of communication difficulties. At a postgraduate level, the department offers a range of research opportunities leading to the award of higher degrees (M.Sc., M.Litt., Ph.D.). An interdisciplinary approach to research is encouraged. In addition to the links with the Centre for Language and Communication Studies, the department has established research collaborations with colleagues in the areas of Education, Psychology, the Centre for Gender and Women’s Studies and in cognate areas within the Faculty of Health Sciences. On application, prospective students are interviewed to assess the student’s suitability and potential as a graduate student and to consider whether the appropriate supervision is available.

Specific research interests of the staff include: acquired communication disorders; augmentative and alternative communication; developmental disorders of speech and language; discourse analysis; fluency; gender issues; identity and disability; language and psychiatry; lifespan development; programme evaluation; voice; and written language development and disorders. The department also offers a range of opportunities for taught postgraduate courses in the area of speech language pathology, with clinical specialisms in dysphagia, acquired communication disorders, augmentative and alternative communication and developmental disorders of speech and language.

The Centre for Deaf Studies: The Centre offers opportunities for doctoral research in Deaf studies over a broad range of topics, ranging from sign linguistics to language planning and language rights. Current research areas include the linguistic description of Irish Sign Language; the Signs of Ireland project, which is building and transcribing a corpus of Irish Sign Language that will be of use to researchers in the fields of linguistics, interpreting, language teaching, anthropology and sociology; curriculum design for the teaching of Irish Sign Language; and interpreting between spoken and signed languages.

Postgraduate study in the School of Mathematics offers students a range of subjects in pure mathematics, theoretical physics, and interdisciplinary subjects such as bioinformatics and neuroscience. The School is small and the setting is informal which encourages close contact with staff, postdoctoral fellows, visiting scholars and fellow postgraduate students. The workshops and guests of the School’s Hamilton Mathematics Institute (www.hamilton.tcd.ie) in addition to its joint seminars with the School of Theoretical Physics of the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies and TCD’s three neighbouring universities provide a stimulating intellectual backdrop to a student’s stay at TCD.

Postgraduate students in the School may read for a Ph.D. or M.Sc. degree by research. There are no formal course requirements for those pursuing a degree by research. Prospective students are expected to possess a good honors degree (i.e. an upper second class at least) and to have the necessary background to pursue advanced study in their chosen field of research.

The School has two research groups as listed below:

Pure Mathematics: The main thrust is in analysis, especially partial differential equations, and also operator algebras, operator theory and complex analysis.

Partial Differential Equations

Prof. Adrian Constantin: Nonlinear partial differential equations, dynamical systems;
Paschalis Karageorgis: Hyperbolic nonlinear partial differential equations, especially nonlinear wave and Schrödinger equations. Problems of existence and qualitative properties of solutions;
John Stalker: Hyperbolic partial differential equations, especially those systems which are of particular physical interest. Mostly these are the Einstein equations of general relativity, but also the Euler equations of fluid mechanics and the equations governing nonlinear elasticity. Functional analysis
Donal P. O’Donovan: C*-algebras, especially K -theory;
Richard M. Timoney: Operator spaces, complex analysis. Complex analysis and geometry
Dmitri Zaitsev has interests including several complex variables (CR geometry), real and complex algebraic geometry, symplectic geometry and Lie group actions. Algorithms
Colm Ó Dúnlaing works on the theory of computation, algorithm design, computational complexity, and computational geometry. History of Mathematics
David Wilkins works on the history of mathematics, concentrating on the work of Hamilton and contemporaries of the 19th century.
Theoretical Physics research groups focuses on the String Theory Lattice Quantum Chromodynamics and Bio-Mathematics.

String Theory: This is one of the most active areas of research in physics and mathematics, lying at the frontier of both sciences. Briefly, it is an attempt to find a unified theory of fundamental interactions, including gravity.

The group’s research concentrates on mathematical aspects of string theory with special emphasis on geometric problems and methods. The group is a member of the Marie Curie Forces Universe European network.

Sergey Cherkis: string theory, supersymmetric gauge theories, integrable systems, supergravity solutions, and quaternionoc geometry;
Anton Gerasimov (HMI Senior Research Fellow): conformal and topological field theory, special geometry, integrable systems;
Sergey Frolov: string theory, gauge theory/string theory correspondence, integrable systems;
Calin Lazaroiu: Calabi-Yau compactifications, homological mirror symmetry, topological string field theory, algebraic geometry;
Prof. Samson Shatashvili: Donaldson and Seiberg-Witten theory, special geometry, string field theory, topological strings.
Further information can be found on the group’s homepage:

Lattice Quantum Chromodynamics: By discretising QCD onto a space time lattice one can make the analytically insoluble equations governing the dynamics of gluons and quarks susceptible to numerical investigation and obtain results that are of direct relevance to tests of the Standard Model of elementary particles. The group uses novel discretisation and algorthmic ideas to access a wide range of physics.

Dr Mike Peardon: Monte Carlo techniques, algorithms for simulating quantum field theories, anisotropic lattices, glueballs, hybrids and exotics, strong decays;
Dr Stefan Sint: Non-perturbative renormalization techniques, determination of quark masses and the strong coupling constant, CKM and Standard Model phenomenology;
Dr Sinead Ryan: heavy quark physics, strong and weak decays, CKM and Standard Model phenomenology, novel lattice discretisations.

Bio-Mathematics is represented by Dr Conor Houghton who is involved in mathematical neuroscience with a particular interest in primary auditory processing.

Trinity College School of Medicine was founded in 1711 and will celebrate its tercentenary in 2011. The School is an international leader in postgraduate medical education and research and provides a vibrant environment for postgraduate study. The School currently has over 500 registered postgraduate students and offers research degrees and over 20 taught MSc/Diploma programmes spanning a broad spectrum of medical and scientific disciplines. Some courses are targeted to a specific profession, while others are of an interdisciplinary nature. Some are part-time, providing opportunities for individuals to continue in their professional work, while others are full-time.

Research activities within the School are focused in five major thematic areas, Molecular Medicine, Neuroscience, Human Performance & Physical Medicine, Population Health, and Integrative Medicine and Surgery, and research is conducted in state of the art facilities on the main Trinity campus, and in our affiliated teaching hospitals. There is a major emphasis on Translational Research in the School, where research discoveries made in the laboratory can be advanced to a clinical setting to benefit human health. Research students in the School work towards the degrees of PhD, MSc, MD or MCh.

Teaching and research facilities for students in Health Sciences are located on the main Trinity campus and in the associated teaching hospitals. There is a Trinity Centre for Health Sciences at the two main teaching hospitals - St James’s Hospital and the Adelaide and Meath Hospital Dublin, incorporating the National Children’s Hospital (AMNCH) at Tallaght. A number of academic departments are located on each site, and there are libraries, lecture theatres, seminar rooms, research laboratories and computer facilities available on all three sites. Postgraduate activities within the School are co-ordinated by the School of Research & Postgraduate Education in the Trinity Centre for Health Sciences in St. James’s Hospital.

SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION (Old Stone Building, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, St. James’s Hospital, Dublin 8)

Postgraduate Administrator, Ms. Dara O’Mahony Telephone: +353-1-896 3557 Email: omahoned@tcd.ie

Executive officer, Ms. Teresa Fox Telephone: +353-1-896 3556 Email: gradapps@tcd.ie

School of Medicine Administrator Ms Fedelma McNamara
Telephone: +353-1-896 1636
Email: fmcnamar@tcd.ie

The School of Natural Sciences, comprising the academic units of the departments of Botany, Geography, Geology and Zoology and the Centre for the Environment, forms an internationally recognised, research led centre of academic excellence accommodating biological, physical and social scientists. It is one of the largest schools in the University and the largest grouping of its kind in Ireland. The Mission of the School of Natural Sciences is to be world class in its defined areas of research, to enhance the quality and innovativeness of the learning experience for its students, and to maintain existing and develop new research-based teaching programmes, particularly at 4th level.

The research interests of many staff in the School overlap, are often international in their scope and target a broad range of topics such as: atmospheric and earth processes (including climate and sea level changes, global palaeogeography); biological diversity and conservation (from the molecular to the level of whole ecosystems); biotic responses to environmental changes (e.g. the origins and evolution of past faunas and floras and their responses to environmental changes); contemporary and historical urban and regional analysis; development and environment (including policy and planning aspects, human vulnerability and links between parasite-borne diseases and environment); environmental archaeology (past interactions between people and their environment); geoinformatics (including modeling); geomorphic hazards (including landslides and volcanic eruptions); and resource exploration and exploitation. Average annual income to the School from research grants is of the order of €4 million, supporting post-doctoral and post-graduate researchers engaged in a wide range of dynamic research areas. In 2008-9, there were in excess of 140 post-graduate research students. The School’s website provides up-to-date information on the research interests of individual and groupings of members of academic staff in the School.

The School of Nursing and Midwifery was established in 1996 at a time of great change in nursing education in Ireland. Subsequently a rapid expansion followed to a point where postgraduate programmes are offered in almost all branches of nursing and midwifery. The area has a definite research profile and has formed many national and international links.

The School has a growing record of attracting research funding in various health care areas. Research interest groups in conjunction with international experts are working in the areas of cardiovascular, oncology-palliative care, child health care, midwifery-led care, generic and intellectual disability, autism, health care management, mental illness and adult education issues. There are opportunities for full-time research posts.

In addition to the research interest groups, the research interests of the staff include the physiology of childbirth, cardiac rehabilitation, midwifery student education, self-esteem and assertiveness in nursing and midwifery students, clinicians’ experiences of breaking bad news, palliative care, leadership effectiveness in nursing, quality in education, sociology of development, sociology of health, sociology of medical knowledge and medical technologies, gender and health (especially men’s health), gender and reproductive healthcare, curriculum evaluation, assessment strategies for clinical competence, quality indicators in education, the effect of cold on brown adipose tissue metabolism, fitness testing for athletes, spirituality in nursing care, relationships between student and research supervisor at Masters level, the long-term psychosocial effects of a diagnosis of cancer on the child and family, and the sociology of mental illness and mental health in Ireland.

In partnership with Queen’s University Belfast, the staff have assisted the School of Nursing in Jordan University of Science and Technology to develop two existing M.Sc. programmes and to institute a third. This work is funded by an EU TEMPUS grant. Staff are also working with universities in five countries including Charles and Pardubice Universities in the Czech Republic, Turku and Stadia Polytechnics in Finland; Murcia University in Spain, and Dundee and Paisley Universities in Scotland on a study investigating the development of ethical reasoning in student nurses as a care skill. The School has also been granted support by the Leonardo Da Vinci Programme for an exchange project aiming at exploring educational issues relating to the training of professionals to care for people with intellectual disability with Akershus University College in Norway.

Furthermore, an important study, involving several EU countries, is in preparation, and is being submitted for EU FP7 funding.

The School consists of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Pharmacognosy, Pharmacology and Practice of Pharmacy. Outside the University, the School has research links with numerous other Universities, Institutions and the Pharmaceutical Industry.

Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology
In addition to a large undergraduate teaching laboratory and model pharmacy dispensary, the division has a purpose built unit operations facility for pharmaceutical technology and an aseptic suite for sterile product production, TPN and cytotoxic drug preparation. There are specific research laboratories for formulation science, biopharmaceutics, cell culture, thermal analysis and micromeritics. The division provides courses on formulation science, dosage form design, pharmaceutical technology, pharmaceutical microbiology and biopharmaceutics. Research is directed primarily at the design of drug delivery systems in order to improve the transport of drugs to target sites in the body, with the consequent enhancement in therapeutic effectiveness and reduction in side effects. This necessitates both basic and applied research. The division’s research interests may be summarised as follows:

Prediction of drug release from solid dosage forms for human and veterinary use
Mechanisms of drug transport across biological membranes including the gastrointestinal tract; biological barriers to peptide absorption
Transdermal drug delivery mechanisms of drug transport; local and systemic delivery
Technological aspects of drug delivery system design/sustained release technology based on microencapsulation, tablet, implant, transdermal systems and bioadhesive products; aerosol systems
and characterization
Biopharmaceutics.

Pharmaceutical Chemistry
The area is fully equipped with a number of laboratories for specialised purposes e.g. drug synthesis, chromatography and spectroscopy. Equipment for postgraduate teaching and research includes the following spectroscopic and chromatographic instrumentation: IR, UV, N.M.R., Fluorescence, G.C., M.P.L.C., H.P.L.C., Ion Chromatography, Atomic Absorption, Capillary Electrophoresis, GC-MS. Access to other facilities i.e. High Resolution Mass Spectrometry, N.M.R., (400MHz) and X-Ray is available in the University and collaborating institutions.

The area is engaged in research in the following areas: analysis of pharmaceutical materials; impurity profiling of pharmaceuticals e.g. cardiovasculars; design of stability studies for product registration; drug design and development; methodologies for the synthesis, characterisation and chemical transformations of pharmacologically active compounds. Specific research interests include; design, synthesis, evaluation and computer modelling of novel antiestrogens; activity profiling of amphetamine type drugs of abuse; mechanism of action of anti-inflammatory drugs; computer modelling of platelet activating agents; liquid chromatographic method development for cardiovascular drugs; the application of molecular orbital studies to the conformations of muscarinic agonists.

Pharmacognosy
The major research orientations of the division are in the phytochemical and biological evaluation of medicinal plants. Both native (Taxus, Drosera, Ajuga, Centranthus) and foreign plants (Papaver, Dionaea, Leontopodium) are being examined as potential sources of novel bio-active compounds, especially with anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, antimalarial and anti-acetylcholine esterase activities. Compounds of research interest include alkaloids, flavanoids, peptides, terpenes and naphthoquinones. In its drug discovery programmes, the area is also involved in the chemical modification and bioactivity evaluation of these compounds. Biotechnological areas of study include cell suspension and transformed root cultures. Collaboration with Botany allows the molecular investigation (i.e. DNA profiling) of medicinal plants. Method validation and quality control procedures for herbal medicines as well as natural and synthetic drugs of abuse are also of interest. Practice related areas of research involve aspects dealing with the pharmaceutical care of drug addicts.

The area is fully equipped for the cultivation of plant cell cultures as well as intact and micro-propagated plants. It is equipped with up-to-date extraction and solvent handling facilities as well as a wide range of chromatographic equipment including GC, GC-MS, HPLC, and MPLC. Standard spectroscopic techniques are available within the area and University (3002 400MHz NMR) or in collaborating institutions (400 MHz NMR and High Resolution Mass Spectrometry).

Pharmacology
There are two active research groups. The Neuropharmacology Research Group is concerned with the functional role of serotonin and polyamines in the central nervous system and with the development of novel antidepressants and polyamine antagonists.

The Immunomodulator Research Group, is commercially sponsored and is concerned with the development of novel immunosuppressants from lead molecules of fungal origin. Approximately 200 NCE’s have been synthesised by this group and promising novel agents, with potential role in the treatment of diseases of autoimmune origin, have been identified.

There are close associations with the Centre for the Practice of Pharmacy. The division is particularly well equipped to carry out studies on centrally acting drugs and on the novel entities devised by the immunomodulator group. It has a wide range of pharmacological recording equipment for measurement of blood pressure, ECG, EEG and smooth muscle contraction, electrophysiological patch clamp recording equipment and modern automated high pressure liquid chromatography systems.

Practice Of Pharmacy
Access to support in data processing and statistical analysis is available in the division and in the College; tools such as SPSS and other software packages are available.

Postgraduate research in the areas of pharmaceutical care, drug utilization and compliance/concordance, health promotion, medication safety and health policy is ongoing. Collaborative projects relating to the pharmaceutical care of the elderly and to medication review have been carried out. Research has been carried out in collaboration with health service institutions such as health boards and Trinity teaching hospitals and these links are continually being developed.

The School of Psychology has a national and international research profile and has a large community of postgraduate students following a range of taught postgraduate programmes and research programmes. There are 26 full-time academic staff members, around 20 postdoctoral fellows and 50 postgraduate research students.

Research Interests:
Students following the School’s postgraduate programme by research are engaged in research spanning the wide range of expertise in the School. Further information about the research being conducted by individual members of staff in the School is available on the School website:
Many members of the School have ongoing collaborations with researchers within TCD and abroad. Some staff are also involved with research institutes and centres in College such as:

The Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience (www.tcd.ie/Neuroscience/) is an interdisciplinary institute with colleagues from several disciplines including Physiology, Biochemistry and Genetics conducting research to promote the best functioning of the human brain.
The Children’s Research Centre (www.tcd.ie/childrensresearchcentre) is part of the School of Psychology and the School of Social Work and Social Policy and is concerned with research policy and practice in the service of Irish children, particularly those who are disadvantaged.
The Centre for Global Health (www.global-health.tcd.ie) is a teaching and research centre focused upon strengthening health systems to ensure that every individual has access to quality healthcare.
The Aerospace Psychology Research Group (www.psychology.tcd.ie/aprg) undertakes research in human and organisational factors in aviation safety.

Closing Date:
While there is no deadline for applications, please note that any student wishing to apply for College postgraduate studentship funding must submit their application by mid-April of their intended year of entry. See Research Awards and Funding for further information. (www.tcd.ie/Graduate_Studies/prospectivestudents/awards/index.php)
The School will consider applications for postgraduate research across the wide area of its expertise. However, intending applicants should communicate with potential supervisors before submitting their application. Postgraduate research students are expected to attend the School’s research seminars and each student is expected to present a research proposal at an appropriate early point in the development of their ideas. Research students are encouraged to participate in formal and informal academic development exercises and may enrol, with the agreement of their academic supervisor, on certain modules offered by the various taught courses in the School.
For more information about the postgraduate programme by research in the School of Psychology, please consult the School’s website: (www.psychology.tcd.ie/postgraduate/programme-by-research/)

The School of Religions, Theology and Ecumenics is a confederation of the School of Religions and Theology and the Irish School of Ecumenics. Their relationship within the School of Religions, Theology and Ecumenics is characterised by complementarity, and their commitment is both to the integrity of each of the two elements of the School and to the development of areas of co-operation between them. The creation of this School takes place in a context of globalisation in which religious and cultural communities live and work in new proximity; the internal resources of different traditions whose origins, interactions and developments are studied in the School are a major asset for values and forms of social and political organisation that contribute to a vibrant civic sphere.


The School of Religions, Theology and Ecumenics is a confederation of the School of Religions and Theology and the Irish School of Ecumenics. Their relationship within the School of Religions, Theology and Ecumenics is characterised by complementarity, and their commitment is both to the integrity of each of the two elements of the School and to the development of areas of co-operation between them. The creation of this School takes place in a context of globalisation in which religious and cultural communities live and work in new proximity; the internal resources of different traditions whose origins, interactions and developments are studied in the School are a major asset for values and forms of social and political organisation that contribute to a vibrant civic sphere.

The School of Social Sciences and Philosophy consists of the Departments of Economics, Political Science, Sociology and Philosophy.

The main emphasis for the school is upon supporting high-quality research Ph.D. students. More information on the graduate programmes currently offered by the school can be examined from the departmental websites:

Economics: www.tcd.ie/Economics/
Political Science: www.tcd.ie/political_science/
Sociology: www.tcd.ie/sociology/
Philosophy: www.tcd.ie/Philosophy/

The School offers professional education and training in social work, multidisciplinary courses in the broad social welfare area at postgraduate level for postgraduate research students. A distinctive feature of the School is its staffing composition. Its staff is drawn both from its core disciplines of social work and social policy, and also from a range of other relevant disciplines including anthropology, education, political science, psychology and sociology. The School is pleased to acknowledge the special public sector, corporate and philanthropic support it attracts for some of its teaching and research activities.

Through high quality scholarship, the School seeks to identify, explore and impact on key social issues. The rapid changes currently under way in Irish society provide a fascinating backdrop and context for the educational and research work of the School. The teaching and research within the School is also enhanced by the strong engagement of many staff members in the policy and service arenas.

The School has a strong international orientation. Many of the School’s staff (and students) come from overseas. School personnel serve on international journal boards and participate in a range of international research networks and initiatives. International colleagues are frequently hosted in the School as visiting academics. The School also warmly welcomes enquiries from international students with relevant interests and experience.

The School provides many opportunities for supervision and support of postgraduate research students and hosts five research centres/programmes.

The School’s teaching at all levels is enriched by the range of research conducted within the School, and particularly so at postgraduate level. For all its postgraduate students, the School aims to offer an experience that is both challenging and rewarding in terms of personal and career development.

An important priority for the school is serving the life long learning needs of personnel in the public and nongovernmental sectors in what might broadly be termed the human services.

The School has a lively community of postgraduate research students, whether studying independently or within research centres or programmes. Some are full time students; others combine their studies with their work.

The School has particular strengths and capacity in research supervision in the following areas:

Ageing and social policy
Drug and alcohol policy and services
Child protection and welfare
Crime
Domestic violence
Family and gender
History of social policy
Intellectual disability
Mental health
Social work
Sociology of reproduction
In addition to the research activities of individual academic staff, the research effort of the School is also focused through five significant research ventures.

The Children’s Research Centre conducts policy relevant research on children’s lives and issues and is co-sponsored with the School of Psychology. With other TCD colleagues, Centre personnel will play a significant role in the major National Longitudinal Study on Children’s Development, the contract for which was awarded to the Economic and Social Research Institute and Trinity College Dublin. The Centre has strong international links and collaborates with other Irish researchers in many of its projects.

The School’s new Social Policy and Ageing Research Programme is intended to make a major contribution to knowledge of the social and policy aspects of ageing in Ireland. It is being launched with significant support from Atlantic Philanthropies. This research programme is closely involved in the work of the Trinity College Consortium on Ageing.

The Addiction Research Centre conducts independent and critical social research into social and policy responses to drug and alcohol-related problems. Its work is enriched by its close association with the School’s taught programme in this area: the M.Sc. in Drug and Alcohol Policy.

The National Institute for Intellectual Disability (NIID) at Trinity College Dublin is part of the School. It is an inclusive Institute centering on research, policy and lifelong learning for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

This emerging History of Irish Social Policy Programme reflects the research interests and strengths of a number of School staff and has already attracted a number of postgraduate students and some postdoctoral work and yielded a range of publications.