Muireann Irish is a cognitive neuropsychologist at the Brain and Mind Centre at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

. She has a history of winning numerous International and National awards, including an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship and L’Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science Fellowship. She has won, on average, at least one significant National or International prize per year, since 2013 (see 'Awards' below).

Career

Irish works on the loss of empathy during dementia. She says she is "interested in how we remember the past and imagine the future. The relative frequency and ease with which we engage in those forms of thought belies their incredible complexity." Her career has explored how memory and imagination are changed during neurological conditions including Alzheimer’s disease. She has been awarded both Discovery Early Career Researcher and Future Fellow awards from the ARC. Irish's work on

neuropsychology Neuropsychology is a branch of psychology concerned with how a person's cognition and behavior are related to the brain and the rest of the nervous system. Professionals in this branch of psychology often focus on how injuries or illnesses of t ...

has been discussed on the ABC and her experiences of the L'Oreal Rising Talent award were described in ''Nature Jobs''. Irish has given science communication talks on the importance of day dreaming.

Diversity in science

Irish has advocated for diversity in science on many platforms, and she "is committed to the promotion and retention of women in science". She was named as one of the inaugural 30 ‘Superstars of STEM’, part of a growing movement with the goal of providing positive role models to young girls and minorities to pursue a career in science. Irish is one of a growing number of academic women in STEMM who are committed to retaining women in science.

Select publications

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Awards

Irish has received a number of international awards. * 2020 – The Gottschalk Medal is awarded by the Australian Academy of Science * 2019 – Young Investigator Award, from the Cognitive Neuroscience Agency * 2019 – British Neuropsychological Society – Elizabeth Warrington Prize. * 2017 – L’Oréal–UNESCO International Rising Talent Award. * 2017 – Superstars of STEMM. * 2016–2020 – ARC Future Fellow. * 2016 – NSW Premier's Prize – Early Career Researcher of the Year * 2015 – L’Oreal–UNESCO For Women in Science Fellowship. * 2014 – NSW Young Tall Poppy Science Award. * 2013 – Laird Cermak Award for Outstanding Research in Memory presented by the International Neuropsychological Society. Irish is a Fellow of the

Royal Society of New South Wales The Royal Society of New South Wales is a learned society based in Sydney, Australia. The Governor of New South Wales is the vice-regal patron of the Society. The Society was established as the Philosophical Society of Australasia on 27 June ...

(FRSN).

Media

* Irish's work has been described on ''

The Conversation ''The Conversation'' is a 1974 American mystery thriller film written, produced, and directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield, Cindy Williams, Frederic Forrest, Harrison Ford, Teri Garr, and Rober ...

''. * Her work provided insight into why time flies as one gets older and why we day dream. * The ABC described the neuroscience work conducted by her and her team. * Dementia Australia described her work on dementia. * Her career path and passion for inspiring others was described in Careers with STEM.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Irish, Muireann Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Australian women neuroscientists University of Sydney faculty Neurophysiologists Fellows of the Royal Society of New South Wales