Dania Movia

Dr. Dania Movia is an Assistant Professor in Biomedical & Health Services at Maynooth University's Department of Biology, serving as Principal Investigator at the Kathleen Lonsdale Institute for Human Health Research. She also holds an Adjunct Assistant Professorship at Trinity College Dublin's Radiation Therapy Discipline. Her research focuses on advancing respiratory research and replacing animal testing through New Approach Methodologies (NAMs).

Education:

• MSc in Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Technologies, University of Trieste (2007)
• PhD in Chemistry, Trinity College Dublin (2012)
• Special Purpose Certificate in Academic Practice, Trinity College Dublin (2018)
• Master of Arts (jure officii), Trinity College Dublin (2023)

Research Interests: Dr. Movia advocates for sustainable biomedical research via animal-free technologies, particularly in lung cancer and toxicity studies. She leads Ireland's first wet-lab dedicated to animal-free respiratory research, the Humane Biomedical Research Group. Her work includes developing 3D tissue models and extracellular vesicle-based therapeutics. Over €23M in funding has supported her projects, including €2M as Principal Investigator.

Publications & Awards: With over 50 peer-reviewed articles, she co-edited Cancer Cell Culture and serves as Associate Editor for Frontiers in Pharmacology. Notable awards include the 2025 Animal-Free Research UK Outstanding Scientist Award and inclusion in the 2021 Irish Hospital Professional News Top 100.

Grants & Funding: Major funders include the Irish Research Council, Science Foundation Ireland, and the European Commission. Key projects include INSPIRE (€12.8M) for lung cancer therapies and 3Rs-focused initiatives.

Labs & Teams: Leads the Humane Biomedical Research Group, which develops animal-free preclinical models and translational therapies. Collaborates internationally through COST Action CA21139 and scientific advisory roles with Animal-Free Research UK.