Joe Publications

New Dalton article on Eu(III) coordination and interlocked molecules

Joe has published a new article in Dalton Transactions about “Europium-directed self-assembly of allyl bis(triazolyl)pyridine (btp) ligands”. The article describes two allyl-appended btp ligands (including a mannose-derivative). Both form luminescent europium(III) complexes with quantum yields 5.4% and 1.9% and with reasonably high stabiltiy constants.

Although in prior work, published during Joe’s time in Thorri Gunnlaugsson’s group, one of these ligands was shown to form self-templated [2]catenanes under ring-closing metathesis conditions, attempts to form Eu(III)-centred catenanes from allyl-appended complexes were not successful due to geometrical and structural constraints. Self-assembly of both ligands with Eu(III) in acetonitrile was studied by UV-Vis absorbance, CD and emission titrations.

Joe Team, Visitors

Farewell to Jamie and Escape Room success

We bid farewell to Jamie Casey from Alabama who has had a very productive project as part of the Arcadia Abroad research mobility programme at UCD (SCI30050), closely supervised by Rosa and Sophie. Jamie did a lot in less than 8 weeks helping progress research into lanthanide metal complexes with macrocyclic ligands.

Sophie, Rosa and Jamie

Finally, the group made our summer outing into the city centre and successfully escaped a “Cabin in the Woods” at Incognito Escape Rooms. Lots of problem-solving skills honed in the lab, finding a very high-stakes application!

Victorious in the Escape Room: Hubert, Yujin, Thomas, Sophie, Finn, Jamie, Rosa, and Joe
Joe Conferences, Presentations, Team

Group members present at conferences around Europe

The Byrne Group have had a busy summer attending various Conferences and Summer Schools.

  • Finn attended the 3rd International Supramolecular Chemistry Summer School in Cagliari, Italy, with a bursary from the LUCES COST Action. He presented a poster titled “Lanthanide Glycoconjugate Complexes as Luminescent sensors for P. aeruginosa”.
  • Sophie presented a poster entitled “Thread-and-Click Assembly of Dual-Active Glycoconjugate [2]Rotaxanes for Selective Lectin Binding” at the International Symposium on Macrocyclic and Supramolecular Chemistry in Bordeaux during the week of the 6th July.
  • Meanwhile, Thomas presented a poster on mechanically interlocked glycoconjugates at the 32nd International Carbohydrate Symposium (ICS) in Bratislava.
  • At the ICS Joe was a proxy national delegate to the International Carbohydrate Organisation Board Meeting and also gave a talk about luminescent lectin-sensing approaches.

The Irish delegates at the ICS are pictured below, including members of the McGarrigle group (UCD) and Paul Murphy’s group (University of Galway).

Joe Conferences, Presentations

Joe speaks at Medicinal Chemistry Frontiers in Dublin

Joe delivered an oral presentation at the joint ACSMEDI-EFMC Medicinal Chemistry Frontiers conference, hosted in Trinity College Dublin from 22-24 June 2026. The event, organised by Marina Rubini, Isabel Rozas and Trini Velasco-Torrijos gathered around 400 researchers from academia and industry from the US, Europe and further afield. Joe spoke about luminescent glycoconjugate metals complexes and materials as well as some of their antiadhesive properties from lectin-targeting. This was the final talk in a Carbohydrates in Health session, featuring Prof Paul Murphy (Galway) and Prof Carmen Galan (Bristol).

Joe Outreach, Visitors

TY student completes work experience with the Group

A secondary school transition year student Matthew completed some work experience in our lab as part of his Transition Year programme, under Sophie’s guidance. He undertook several experiments, learned about lab work and got to experience several aspects of UCD student life. Matthew had the following to say:

I spent an amazing three days in the chemistry department at UCD. It was such a great opportunity given to me by a PhD student who not only taught me a lot in the lab, but also showed me around the campus and talked about what it’s like to study chemistry.

During my time in the lab, we carried out two experiments: synthesising paracetamol using 4-aminophenol and acetic anhydride, and decaffeinating tea leaves and coffee beans. Through these experiments, I learned a range of skills, including different
filtration techniques (gravity, vacuum, heat, and recrystallisation). I also learned how to use lab equipment like a rotary evaporator and was introduced to separation and purification techniques.

I also got the chance to sit in on an undergraduate chemistry lecture, which really showed me the difference between learning in school and studying at college. Having taken part in a number of TY programmes in colleges around Dublin, this was definitely the best experience. It gave me a real understanding of what it’s like to be a student and what a researcher’s work life is actually like.

–Matthew

Thanks to Matthew’s school and family for facilitating this activity and well done to Sophie on her mentorship.

Joe news, Team

Welcome to Rosa, Finn and Hubert

This Autumn we welcome three new members to the Byrne Research Group. The group, at 6 full-time researchers, is the largest it has been to date! Welcome to Rosa, Finn and Hubert – we wish them every success.

Dr Rosa Fernandez Pison joins us as a postdoctoral researcher on the Link4Lectin project, where she will contribute to the coordination chemistry and organometallic components of the target molecules. She completed her PhD in UCD during the summer in organometallic catalyst development. She previously completed a Research MSc at University of Galway, and an undergraduate degree in her native Sevilla (with year abroad in University of York).

Finn Tlatlik holds an MSci from University of Glasgow in Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry. His degree included a year of research placements in France as well as a project in Glasgow. He is joining us to complete his PhD with a Sir Walter Hartley Studentship, and will be working on optimising the photophysical properties of lanthanide complexes as lectin sensors.

Hubert Rebow is returning to the group, having secured a Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship. Hubert is a recent graduate of UCD’s Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology BSc programme, and completed a final year project in our lab. His project, developing supramolecular boronic acid-based glycan probes involves collaboration with Dr Aniello Palma and Prof Jeremy Simpson.

Joe Uncategorized

Lab Awarded Sustainability Certificate

The Byrne Group were delighted to be awarded a Green Certification from MyGreenLabs, as part of Research Ireland’s Sustainable Laboratory Certification Pilot Programme. In Lab A2.01, we worked together with Tom Hooper’s and Andrew Phillips’ Groups to identify sources of waste, establish new recycling streams (e.g. for KimTech gloves), and pool resources where possible to limit duplication of purchases. It was a really worthwhile process and has made us more considerate of reducing negative environmental impacts of our research. Sophie Kavanagh joined a UCD-wide working group on wet lab practices as part of our actions, and we have participated in chemical swap days, further reducing wastage. We continue to meet and share ideas, which will hopefully keep us up to date with developments in this area

Marking the announcement of 72 Sustainable Laboratory Certifications awarded today to research spaces in 12 higher education institutions across Ireland were (left-right) Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless TD; Prof. Emmanuelle Graciet, Faculty of Science & Engineering, Maynooth University; and Dr Ciarán Seoighe, Deputy CEO, Research Ireland.

Announcing the awards, Minister Lawless said:

“Research involves more than exploration and discovery; it also demands attention to how we conduct our work and the impact it has on our communities and our planet. Research carries with it a responsibility to operate with integrity, to use resources wisely, and to ensure our pursuit of knowledge does not come at an unsustainable cost to the world around us. I warmly congratulate all the laboratory teams recognised today for their commitment to greener practices. This initiative, led by Research Ireland, marks a significant and encouraging step in placing sustainability at the centre of our national research system and signals Ireland’s intent to lead by example on climate-conscious innovation.”

UCD Press Release: 13 UCD labs awarded sustainable laboratory certifications for best-in-class practices

Research Ireland Press Release: Minister Lawless announces 72 Sustainable Laboratory Certifications (with full list of awardees)

Joe news, Publications

New publication: Metallodrugs in OBC

𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝗹𝘆𝗰𝗼𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗷𝘂𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘀!
Delighted to have another article on glyco-metal complexes published in 𝘖𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘤 & 𝘉𝘪𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘺. This work was led by Karolina Wojtczak, PhD and involved contributions and support from lots of colleagues across disciplines including the teams of Trinidad Velasco-Torrijos, Anne Imberty, Gordon Cooke (TUD), Dr. Cristina Trujillo and Kevin Kavanagh who put lots of work into ideas, assays, measurements and calculations to support our hypotheses.

Please read the full article in the RSC journal Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry, where it will be part of the 2025 New Talent Special Issue: https://doi.org/10.1039/D5OB00970G

Buíochas le Taighde Éireann Research Ireland as ucht tacaíocht.

Joe Conferences, news, Presentations, Team

Thomas & Joe speak at EuChemS-9, Sophie and Hannah present posters

Research from the group was presented in two oral presentations and two poster presentations which featured in the programme of ECC-9, held at Dublin Convention Centre 7-11 July 2024. This major European conference, the largest chemistry event ever held in Ireland, had more than 1500 delegates and a wide international audience.

On the Tuesday, Thomas presented his progress on “Self-templating mechanically interlocked systems as dual activity antimicrobial candidates”, as part of the Link4Lectin project, prompting several interesting discussions with leading supramolecular chemists in attendance. Joe presented “Carbohydrate-functionalised metal complexes: targeting pathogens for therapeutic and sensing applications” as part of the Chemistry Meets Biology for Health Theme on the Thursday.

All of the team attended the meeting, with Sophie and Hannah presenting posters on their work as part of the poster sessions, Wanyujin working as a conference volunteer, and Karolina also joined the conference representing her employer Sterling. Joe judged the posters in the Catalysis theme.