Dr Aisling Ní

Glycoscience is the science and technology of carbohydrates, the most abundant biological molecules on earth that make up part of the biology of all living organisms. Glycoscience is recognised worldwide as an emerging area with the potential for radically new biotechnological applications to solve several of the challenges faced by modern society. 

At the Keele Centre for Glycoscience Research and Training, Dr Cheallaigh investigates a range of glycoscience research programmes such as exploring new COVID-19 treatments, new carbohydrate-based biomaterials and improving how short molecules of DNA and RNA are synthesised.

Biography

Dr Aisling Ní Cheallaigh is from Kildare, Ireland and obtained her BSc in medicinal chemistry and chemical biology at University College Dublin (UDC) in 2010. She obtained an IRC scholarship for her PhD studies where she synthesised bacterial oligosaccharides towards synthetic vaccines under the supervision of Professor Stefan Oscarson at UCD (2014). She then started a PDRA position at the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology (MIB) with Dr John Gardiner and Professor Nigel Scrutton, working on chemoenzymatic synthesis of monoterpenoids. 

After moving to a senior scientist role at AstraZeneca, working in the chemical development of anticancer therapeutics, Aisling returned to academia to a PDRA position with Professor Oscarson at UCD. During this post, she visited Professor Gavin Miller’s group at Keele University as part of a Knowledge Exchange Partnership. Here, she focused on the synthesis of human oligosaccharides including glycosaminoglycans and blood group antigens and received Chartered Chemist (CChem) status with the Royal Society of Chemistry. 

She then went on to a Research Fellow position at the Future Biomanufacturing Research Hub with Professor Nigel Scrutton, FRS, at the MIB where she focused on downstream processing and biocatalysis. Here she obtained Chartered Scientist (CSci) status and a project management qualification with the Association for Project Management. Aisling started her current role as Senior Experimental Officer at Keele University in 2022. 

Aisling is a glyco-enthusiast and is heavily involved with the carbohydrate community through her roles as secretary for the RSC Carbohydrate Interest Group and as a founding member of the European Glycoscience Community.