Limerick university graduate honoured for 'outstanding' women's health research

A UNIVERSITY of Limerick graduate has been honoured for conducting outstanding research into women’s health.

Seoda Ní Chaoimh, who recently was conferred with a Bachelor of Science in Bioscience at University of Limerick, received a prestigious Special Distinction Award for academic excellence from UL’s Faculty of Science and Engineering. 

The award recognised her “outstanding” final year project which focused on endometriosis, a chronic inflammatory disease affecting one in ten women in Ireland.

A former student of Gaelcholáiste Luimnigh, Seoda had a passion for science and competed in the BT Young Scientist competition, winning in the ‘Best Project in Irish’ and the ‘Maxim Integrated Award’ categories respectively.

After completing her Leaving Cert in 2021, Seoda secured a place on UL’s BSc in Bioscience programme.

“I always knew I wanted to study biology. The course in UL stood out because it has work experience or ‘Co-op’, something that is rare in science degrees. I chose to do ‘Global Co-op’ as it fulfilled two of my passions - science and travel.”

She continued: “I spent my eight-month placement in Malta, working in a pharmaceutical company called Medichem. It was an unforgettable experience, and the experience I gained in industry has really stood to me.”

For her final year project, Seoda had the opportunity to work as part of Dr Jason Bennett’s lab at UL’s Department of Biological Sciences. 

Dr Bennet’s team are carrying out “groundbreaking” research on endometriosis - a chronic condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus (called the endometrium) grows outside the uterus, causing chronic pain and infertility. 

“To be honest, I didn’t know much about endometriosis before starting this project, but upon reading about it, I was immediately interested in pursuing research in this area,” she said.

When Seoda told her friends what she was working on, she discovered that some of them were affected by endometriosis. 

“You don’t realise how prevalent it is until you start looking into it. Despite one in ten women of reproductive age having endometriosis, it is lacking recognition, the diagnosis is a long and complicated process, and there is currently no cure,” she continued. 

READ MORE: Mayor John Moran to address Limerick Civic Trust autumn lunch

Seoda’s final year project explored whether bioactives such as vitamin K could reduce inflammation in a 3D cellular model of endometriosis. 

“Dr Bennet’s team have developed a cell model for endometriosis. My research involved examining these cells under a microscope. The model is so tiny, but it contains thousands of cells that mimic the environment of endometriosis in the body,” Seoda explained.

“I was dosing the cells with a form of vitamin K to determine if this could reduce the inflammation generated by the endometriotic cells. The idea is that if it worked on the cell model, it would work on endometriosis. The initial results are promising, but the research is still in its early stages.”

Seoda’s interest in women’s health research is also driven by a broader awareness of the disparity between male and female health research, with women “historically underrepresented” in research studies. 

“Most of what we know about the human body is from male research. We’re still a good bit behind in terms of research into diseases that affect women more than men.” 

In recognition of her exceptional work, Seoda was awarded the Special Distinction Award for academic excellence by UL’s Faculty of Science and Engineering at her recent graduation ceremony. 

“I am really honoured to have won this prize. It is a great way to mark the end of my undergraduate degree and all the hard work that went into it.”

Outside of her studies, Seoda is also an accomplished musician. She plays fiddle with Clare based trad group, Tigh na Coille, who performed on the Hazelwood stage at this year’s Electric Picnic Festival and won first place in the Senior Grúpaí Ceoil category at Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann 2025 in Wexford.

Seoda has now embarked on a research master’s degree under the supervision of Dr Bennett, continuing her work on endometriosis and hopes to progress to PhD level. 

“I would like to thank my family and friends who supported me over the past four years, as well as Dr Bennett and the Department of Biological Sciences for inspiring me and encouraging me to follow a career in research.

“I believe the work being done by the Bennet lab has the ability to make a difference and improve the quality of life of women suffering from endometriosis,” she concluded.