Professor Mike Zaworotko, University of Limerick and SSPC Co-Principal Investigator
The world is facing immediate and urgent threats from carbon emissions and a shortage of clean water, and Ireland is a good place for research to tackle those challenges.
That’s according to Professor Mike Zaworotko – often known as Mike Z – one of the world’s most recognised chemistry researchers, whose lab in the University of Limerick (UL) is developing crystalline materials to capture and release water and carbon dioxide in sustainable ways.
Originally from South Wales, Mike studied in London, then moved to the USA and Canada to get his doctorate and build his academic career before moving from Florida to Limerick under the then Science Foundation Ireland Research Professor programme, which was designed to attract some of the finest minds in research to base their groups in Ireland.
“I moved to Ireland in 2013, and I consider 13 to be my lucky number,” he says. “I was considering relocating from the USA to Singapore, but the generosity of funding under the Research Professorship in Ireland meant that a move to Limerick made more sense, it was not going to be a risk for me.”
As Bernal Chair of Crystal Engineering at UL, Mike’s research in crystal engineering has developed new, man-made materials that can efficiently capture and control gaseous chemicals including water vapour, carbon dioxide and pollutants.
He has been awarded Irish Research Council Laureate and European Research Council Advanced awards, he is a Fellow of the Royal Society and a member of the Royal Irish Academy, he has published more than 400 peer-reviewed papers and patents and he has ranked among the world’s top 1 per cent of cited scientists in chemistry, pharmacology and toxicology.
“The thing that keeps me getting up in the morning is the dire risk humanity is facing from climate change and its impacts,” says Mike. “No one researcher can solve it, but we all need to play our part.”
Mike’s research in crystal engineering in Limerick is creating new materials with uniformly repeating patterns of pores in them, like a highly regulated Swiss cheese. These materials can efficiently capture and store gases in a controlled way, and release them as needed without the need for much energy input.
In practice, this opens the way for pulling water and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, then releasing and using it for other applications without costing the earth.
“We urgently need to find new sources of drinking water, and I think in 10 years people will have energy-efficient machines to gather fresh water from the atmosphere in their homes,” says Mike.
“And even more importantly for the long term, we need to sustainably take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere to stop the temperature climbs we are seeing now, and all the devastation that brings.”
The materials can also trap pollutants, and isolate carbon and hydrogen that can be used to create more sustainable energy sources and ‘greener’ chemicals, he adds.
Industry collaboration is key to Mike’s work, and he welcomes the approach that Ireland takes to building connections between fundamental research, industry and wider society.
“My research group is part of the SSPC Research Ireland Centre for Pharmaceuticals, which has many collaborations and links with industry partners,” he says. “This means you can take something quite fundamental, like a new crystalline material, and bring it into real-world environments.”
More broadly, Mike finds the collaborative spirit in Ireland refreshing.
“There is a huge amount of openness and collaboration and sharing in Ireland,” he says. “The moment you get here, you see the meaning of ‘wearing the green’ – people work together, they share resources, they work as a team. That doesn’t happen everywhere in the world.”
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless TD, has announced the launch of Global Talent Ireland, a bold new initiative to attract outstanding international research leaders to Irish Higher Education Institutions and public research bodies.
Managed by Research Ireland, Global Talent Ireland will support the recruitment of both mid-career rising stars and established research leaders. The programme will fund research across all disciplines within Research Ireland’s remit, with a focus on strategic areas of importance to Ireland, and provides the resources needed to establish or relocate world-class research teams in Ireland.
A two-stage application process begins with an Expression of Interest (EoI) due by 28 August 2025, followed by a full proposal deadline in October 2025. Full details can be found at Global Talent Ireland – Research Ireland.
