Education
University of Limerick’s Seoda Ní Chaoimh receives prestigious award for research into women’s health
Seoda Ní Chaoimh from Quin, Co Clare, who recently graduated with a BSc in Bioscience from University of Limerick. Seoda was awarded a Special Distinction Award for academic excellence from UL’s Faculty of Science and Engineering. Her final year project focused on endometriosis, a chronic inflammatory disease affecting one in ten women in Ireland. Pic Arthur Ellis
University of Limerick graduate, Seoda Ní Chaoimh, receives the prestigious Special Distinction Award for academic excellence for conducting outstanding research into women’s health
The ‘Special Distinction Award’ for Academic Excellence from the Faculty of Science and Engineering at the University of Limerick was awarded to Seoda Ní Chaoimh from Quin, County Clare, who recently completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Limerick.
She has dedicated the last year to endometriosis, a chronic inflammatory disease that affects one in ten women in Ireland, for which she received the award.
“You don’t realise how prevalent it is until you start looking into it. Despite one in ten women of reproductive age having endometriosis, it is lacking recognition, the diagnosis is a long and complicated process, and there is currently no cure,” she said, adding, “Most of what we know about the human body is from male research. We’re still a good bit behind in terms of research into diseases that affect women more than men.”
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A former student of Gaelcholáiste Luimnigh, Seoda had a passion for science and competed in the BT Young Scientist competition, winning in the ‘Best Project in Irish’ and the ‘Maxim Integrated Award’ categories respectively.
After completing her Leaving Cert in 2021, Seoda secured a place on UL’s BSc in Bioscience programme.
“I always knew I wanted to study biology. The course in UL stood out because it has work experience or ‘Co-op’, something that is rare in science degrees. I chose to do ‘Global Co-op’ as it fulfilled two of my passions – science and travel. I spent my eight-month placement in Malta, working in a pharmaceutical company called Medichem. It was an unforgettable experience, and the experience I gained in industry has really stood to me.”
For her final year project, Seoda had the opportunity to work as part of Dr Jason Bennett’s lab at UL’s Department of Biological Sciences. Dr Bennet’s team are carrying out groundbreaking research on endometriosis – a chronic condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus (called the endometrium) grows outside the uterus, causing chronic pain and infertility.
“To be honest, I didn’t know much about endometriosis before starting this project, but upon reading about it, I was immediately interested in pursuing research in this area,” she said.
Seoda discovered that some of her friends had endometriosis when she told them what she was working on.
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