Luke O'Neill Keynote Speaker
- Cited as one of the World’s Most Influential Scientists
- Best Selling and Award Winning Author of 'Keep Calm and Trust the Science" , ‘Humanology’ and 'Never Mind the B#ll*cks, Here’s the Science'
- Expert on Immunology and Successful Entrepreneur
Luke O'Neill's Biography
Luke O’Neill is the multi talented and popular academic, best selling author, columnist, broadcaster, entrepreneur, musician and speaker. During and after the Pandemic, he was a familiar reassuring voice on why and how Science prevails and for society to trust the process. He continues to inform and communicate on the positives that Science brings, to trust the experts and for each of us to become more knowledgeable about this amazing world and to value our humanity.
Luke has held the Chair of Biochemistry at Trinity College Dublin since 2008. In the same year, he was appointed Chair of the Immunity and Infection panel of the European Research Council. An immunologist, his research is in the area of the molecular basis to inflammatory diseases, with a particular interest in pro-inflammatory cytokines and Toll-like receptors. He has published nearly 400 scientific papers and is in the top 1% of Immunologists in the world, based on citation per pape
Luke is a prolific author of popular science books : – his latest book is ‘What Make us Human: A Scientist’s Guide to our Amazing Existence”, published in 2022. What do we have in common with the 7.75 billion other people on the planet? This is the question that Luke attempts to answer in this book for young readers, adapted from his bestselling book for adults, Humanology: A Scientist’s Guide to our Amazing Existence.
In 2021, he published ‘Keep Calm and Trust the Science: An Extraordinary Year in the Life of an Immunologist‘. In 2020, he published ‘ Never Mind the B#ll*cks, Here’s the Science: A scientist’s guide to the biggest challenges facing our species today”. In this thought-provoking book, he grapples with life’s biggest questions and tells us what science has to say about them. He covers topics such as global pandemics, addiction and euthanasia. His trademark easy wit and clever pop-culture references deconstruct the science to make complex questions accessible. Arriving at science’s definitive answers to some of the most controversial issues human beings have to contend with, Never Mind the B#ll*cks, Here’s the Science is a celebration of science and hard facts in a time of fake news and sometimes unhelpful groupthink. This book won the An Post book award in 2020 for best non-fiction. In 2019, he published ‘The Great Irish Science Book’ for 10-12-year-olds.
In 2016, he was named by Clarivates/Thompson Reuters as one of the world’s most influential scientists, He is co-founder of two startup companies – Opsona Therapeutics and Inflazome, which are developing new treatments for inflammatory diseases. In Autumn 2020, Inflazome was acquired by Roche.
Luke has a PhD in Pharmacology from the University of London and carried out Postdoctoral research at the University of Cambridge. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2016. He has won numerous awards for his research, notably the Royal Irish Academy Medal for Biochemistry, the Irish Society for Immunology medal, the Royal Dublin Society/ Irish Times Boyle medal for Scientific Excellence and the Science Foundation Ireland Researcher of the Year Award 2009. He was elected a member of EMBO (the European Molecular Biology Organization) in 2005.
In March 2021, Luke was given the George Sigerson Award from University College Dublin for for Inspiring Aspiring Scientists.
He is a regular contributor on TV and radio at home and around the world. Luke has an incredible talent for communicating science to the public and to engaging with them on critical issues facing public and personal health matters. In his spare time, Luke is a keen musician and plays with his band – The Metabollix. He has been compared to Brian Cox as Luke is a passionate about how science helps the world become a better place and us better people.
Luke O'Neill's Speaking Topics
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The Power of Science and what we can learn from it
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What does it mean to be Human in the 21st Century?
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What is Life?
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The Future of Biology
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Treatments for emerging and existing diseases - latest research and thinking