"If We Realise Our Full Potential, Everyone Will Benefit"

| By Leon Kirschgens & Jacqueline Plaster
Global and open: The secret of UCD's success is, among other things, its international orientation.

The secret of success of the School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Sciences at University College Dublin is its international orientation. This is a decisive advantage, especially in long-term projects such as the MIX-UP project. Read here the portrait of the UCD faculty.

 

When research becomes international and scientists from all over the world meet, this usually has great advantages for research and cultural exchange for everyone. But let's be honest: communication can also bring difficulties - especially when it comes to complex scientific contexts.
This makes it all the more valuable for projects as large as MIX-UP that some partners already have experience in international cooperation and start with their students to keep teaching and exchange as international as possible. A prime example of this is the School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Sciences at University College Dublin (UCD-SBBS).
The SBBS is one of the internationally successful faculties at UCD, which we already presented to you in a portrait a few months ago. Its mission is "to provide excellence in teaching and research that promotes discovery and learning through collaboration within UCD and nationally and internationally."
In the MIX-UP project, the team led by Professor Kevin O'Connor, with whom we interviewed last autumn on the relationship between environmental protection and society, and Tanja Narancic, who is an assistant professor, take on the task of researching the relationship between environmental protection and society. Her research focuses on elucidating the metabolism of bacteria and using the tools of synthetic biology to use these bacteria to produce high-quality products. She has already been investigating metabolic pathways of microorganisms using proteomics, metabolomics, enzymatic assays and synthetic biology tools since 2013 as part of H2020 projects (such as MIX-UP).
But back to internationality: on its website, SBBS writes about its large network: "This is one of the best features of our school, and I firmly believe that this is the basis for our success." It is not only the individual talents and academic abilities that matter, they say. Social imprints and different life experiences would also play a big role. "If we empower all members to realise their full potential, everyone benefits" is the attitude of SBBS. "SBBS is privileged to have a community that is balanced, diverse and international at all levels - this should benefit everyone."