Trinity College researcher, Professor Luke O'Neill, has been appointed to the Scientific Council of the European Research Council (ERC).
The ERC is the premier funding organisation in Europe for scientific research and its Scientific Council is its independent governing body.
Between 2021 and 2027, the ERC's total overall budget is €16bn.
Well known for his public advice and media appearances during the Covid-19 pandemic, Prof O’Neill is a leading immunologist and Professor of Biochemistry at the Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute.
His term of office will begin on January 1st and he will sit on the council for four years.
Prof O’Neill is one of five new members of the council announced today who replace those whose second term has expired or will expire.
They come from a range of scientific backgrounds.
"This breadth is essential as the ERC’s independent governing body represents the entire scientific community in Europe," said Professor Maria Leptin, President of the ERC
"With these appointments, the quality and continuity of the Scientific Council is upheld, thanks to the work of the identification committee that was tasked with finding these new members."
Prof O’Neill is listed by Thompson Reuters/ Clarivates in the top 1% of immunologists in the world, based on citations per paper.
In 2020 a spin-out company he co-founded was bought by pharma company Roche.
He has also co-founded another company, Sitryx, which is developing new treatments for inflammatory diseases.
The ERC was established in 2007 and offers grants to researchers at different stages of their frontier research.
