Trinity researcher Prof Séamus Martin wins 2014 Boyle Medal

A biochemist who leads a research team looking at the process of cell death and inflammation has been awarded the 2014 RDS Irish Times Boyle Medal for Scientific Excellence. Prof Séamus Martin of Trinity College Dublin was named the 2014 Boyle Medal laureate yesterday after an interview-based adjudication process in Dublin involving five scientists from the UK and US. The award includes the medal and a cash bursary of €20,000.

Judging panel

The scientists, chaired by Prof Sir Richard Brook of

Oxford

, yesterday interviewed five short-listed candidates and assessed their research achievements. The judges congratulated Prof Martin, commenting his work investigating a fundamental problem in biochemistry and cell biology could help other scientists working on cancer, autoimmunity and neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s.

Prof Martin is Smurfit professor of medical genetics in Trinity's Smurfit Institute of Genetics. He leads a team that studies the highly complex and tightly regulated process of cell death, and the inflammation that can arise when this process goes wrong due to infection or diseases such as cancer.

His group has made a number of important discoveries, publishing their results in leading scientific journals. These findings could lead to improved treatments across a range of disorders.

Sir Richard noted the judging process had been “enormously difficult”, reflecting the strength of science in Ireland. All of the candidates were of a calibre exemplified by the Boyle Medal, he said.

Premier award

The Boyle Medal was first awarded in 1899 and Prof Martin is the 39th recipient. It is considered by the Irish research community as the premier award for scientific achievement.

It is awarded biennially – alternating between a scientist based in Ireland and an Irish scientist based abroad.

The judges included Sir Richard with Profs Michael Duff of Imperial College London, Willie Motherwell, University College London, Margaret Murnane, University of Colorado, Boulder, and John O’Shea, US National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.