Siobhán McClean

Professor Siobhán McClean (University College Dublin) is a leading researcher in Biomolecular and Biomedical Science with 24 years of academic experience. Her work focuses on chronic respiratory infections in cystic fibrosis patients and vaccine development against ESKAPE pathogens.

• Current roles:
  • Professor (2024-present)
  • Associate Dean for Widening Participation (2019-2023)
  • Head of Biochemistry (2019-2022)
• Academic qualifications:
  • BSc in Biochemistry, UCD
  • PhD, Imperial College London
  • Professional Diploma in Creativity & Innovation, UCD

Research Interests: Specializing in bacterial adaptation to hypoxia in chronic infections, she leads studies on Burkholderia cepacia complex, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Pandoraea pulmonicola. Her team develops novel vaccine antigens through proteomic analysis of host-pathogen interactions, with recent work on TLR4 agonists and universal stress proteins.

Article Trends: Recent publications focus on mRNA vaccine platforms, hypoxia-driven pathogenesis, and cross-reactive antigens for ESKAPE pathogens. Key themes include adjuvant optimization, host cell attachment mechanisms, and immune correlate analysis across bacterial/viral/parasitic agents.

Scientific Awards:

• Principal Investigator for Marie Curie BactiVax network
• Coordinator of All-island Vaccine Research Alliance (AIVRT)
• Science Foundation Ireland grant recipient

Training Leadership: Supervises 7 active PhD researchers and has trained 15 Marie Curie students across 8 countries. Her lab develops cationic nanoparticles and investigates bacterial stress responses.