AICRI Team

The Institute Management Team is responsible for the day-to-day running of the project, presenting AICRI to a variety of stakeholders, communicating with and managing stakeholders, engaging with cancer researchers, applying for funding, organising workshops and events, promoting publicity and building the AICRI brand.

  • Prof. William Gallagher


    Professor William Gallagher is a Full Professor of Cancer Biology at UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, Conway Fellow and Deputy Director of Precision Oncology Ireland.

    Professor Gallagher has received numerous awards for his research and innovation achievements in the oncology arena, including the NovaUCD 2011 Innovation Award, the inaugural Irish Association for Cancer Research Medal in 2017, the SFI Entrepreneurship Award in 2019 and the SFI Researcher of the Year Award 2021.

  • Fiona Lanigan, PhD


    Fiona is a Senior Project Manager with the UCD-QUB All-Island Cancer Alliance, working closely with AICRI, and is based at UCD.

    She has a background in breast cancer research, and obtained her PhD from UCD before completing her postdoctoral training in Trinity College Dublin. Prior to this role, Fiona has held management positions within Precision Oncology Ireland, a strategic partnership programme funded by Science Foundation Ireland, and BREAST-PREDICT, the Irish Cancer Society's first Collaborative Cancer Research Centre.

  • Chantal Halley


    Chantal is based within the project team of the All-Island Cancer Research Institute (AICRI) at UCD, where she leads patient and public involvement initiatives in cancer research, drawing on a background in events management and academic training in speech and language therapy to enhance communication and coordination between researchers, patients, and the public.

    Chantal also serves as the Project Coordinator for the AICRIstart programme, a key initiative within AICRI funded through the HEA North-South Research Programme that builds critical expertise in Precision Cancer Medicine across ten academic institutions on the island of Ireland. In this role, she oversees the programme’s doctoral and post-doctoral research training, fostering a unique network of excellence in cancer research.

  • Shashank Srinivas


    Shashank is currently a Research Analyst at the All-Island Cancer Research Institute (AICRI), funded by the Irish Cancer Society.

    Shashank Srinivas holds a Master's degree in Molecular Biology and Human Genetics from Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India, and a Master's degree in Science and Health Communication from Dublin City University. He has extensive experience in public engagement and science communication within not-for-profit organisations.

The Core Working Group is responsible for strong engagement at a political level. It has presented AICRI’s goals and vision to a variety of senior politicians and promotes the concept of AICRI. With good harmony in this group, it too displays strong support for AICRI and reaffirms that it is an important all-island initiative.

  • Prof. William Gallagher

    Professor of Cancer Biology in UCD

  • Prof. Walter Kolch

    Director of Systems Biology Ireland (SBI) at UCD

  • Prof. Maeve Lowery

    Professor of Translational Cancer Medicine, TCD and Medical Oncologist, St. James’s Hospital

  • Prof. Lorraine O’Driscoll

    Professor of Pharmacology and Biomedicine, TCD

  • Dr. Patricia Doherty

    Senior Research Programme Manager with the Trinity St. James’s Cancer Institute

  • Prof. Mark Lawler

    Professor of Digital Health, and Chair in Translational Cancer Genomics, QUB

  • Prof. Chris Scott

    Director of the Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, QUB

  • Ciaran Briscoe

    CEO of the North East Cancer Research & Education Trust

  • Eibhlin Mulroe

    CEO of Cancer Trials Ireland

The wider Steering Committee, which includes representatives from ten academic institutions and other stakeholders (NCCP, CTI, NECRET, Irish Cancer Society, Patient Advocates), illustrates a strong support for the AICRI concept.

Members have collaborated on applying for all-island funding and been successful under the HEA North South Research Programme with AICRIstart. The Committee helps to flesh out AICRI’s Research Programme, advise on AICRI’s future direction, assist in organising workshops and is a strong advocate of an all-island approach to cancer research.

Patient Advocates