Carol Aherne

Carol Aherne is an Assistant Professor at University College Dublin's School of Medicine, with prior experience as an Assistant Professor and Research Instructor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Her research focuses on epithelial barrier dysfunction in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), investigating signaling molecules that promote epithelial repair and regulate immune responses. She holds a BSc and PhD from University College Dublin, and a Professional Certificate in University Teaching and Learning.

Her academic roles include coordinating modules like Experimental Physiology and Principles of Physiology, and she serves as Chair of the School of Medicine's Athena Swan/EDI committee and Vice Chair of the Physiology Teaching and Learning Committee.

Key research interests include adenosine receptor signaling, regulatory T-cell induction, and mucosal immunology. Recent work highlights the role of heat shock factor 1 in T-cell regulation and the protective effects of Muc5ac in colitis. Her studies frequently employ murine models to explore therapeutic strategies for IBD.

Active grants include investigating epithelial netrin-1's role in mucosal healing and targeting mucin-mediated mechanisms. Her lab collaborates on projects involving organoids for IBD modeling and light-mediated cardiovascular protection.

Carol has supervised multiple PhD and MD thesis students and contributes to interdisciplinary research teams exploring inflammation, epithelial biology, and translational medicine.