13th Annual Robert Boyle Summer School explores ‘The Brain: Past, Present & Future’
It is the most complex and wonderful instrument known in the universe and we all have one. A coming event will give us a chance to learn more about the human brain.
The Annual Robert Boyle Summer School returns from 5–8 June 2025, inviting science enthusiasts, curious minds and culture lovers alike to explore “The Brain: Past, Present & Future.” Celebrated as a science festival for everyone, not just scientists, the 13th Summer School blends thought-provoking talks with cultural activities in Waterford City and Lismore with a garden party in the stunning surroundings of Lismore Castle, the birthplace of Boyle in 1627.
Building on the success of January’s Winter School at the RDS, this year’s programme features a stellar lineup of leading thinkers from neuroscience, psychology, psychiatry and the arts promising a weekend of inspiring dialogue, discovery and connection.
Festival Director Eoin Gill (Calmast, SETU) will open the event with an introduction to Robert Boyle, the festival’s namesake and one of the founding fathers of modern science.
Featured Speakers and Highlights:
Professor Veronica Campbell (President, SETU) will open the Friday afternoon session. Professor Campbell has had a distinguished academic and research career with a degree in Pharmacology from the University of Edinburgh and a PhD in Neuropharmacology from the University of London. In 1998 she joined Trinity College Dublin (TCD) where in addition to a research record in cell biology, pharmacology and tissue engineering she also held senior academic posts as Dean of Graduate Studies and Bursar & Director of Strategic Innovation. Prof Campbell was the inaugural chair of the Global Brain Health Institute at TCD.
Professor Ray Dolan FRS (University College London), one of the world’s foremost experts on neuroscience and behaviour. He has published over 750 scientific papers and is a Fellow of the Royal Society and a Member of the Royal Irish Academy, Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and an External Member of the Max Planck Society. Professor Dolan will reflect on the late Irish neuroscientist Eleanor Maguire’s groundbreaking study of London taxi drivers. Her research famously showed that navigation experience physically reshapes the adult brain—a landmark finding in neuroscience.
Professor Colin Doherty (Trinity College Dublin) is a consultant neurologist at St James’s hospital and head of the School of Medicine TCD. Colin comes from a family of Artists and Musicians and has always maintained an interest in the intersection or rather the parallelism of Art and Science. He will explore “The Neurobiology of Drawing”, blending his expertise in neurology and his lifelong passion for art to reveal how the brain processes creativity and expression.
Professor Luke Gibbons (Maynooth University) has taught as Professor of Irish Studies at Maynooth University and the University of Notre Dame and has published widely on Irish culture and criticism. His most recent book is “James Joyce and the Irish Revolution”. This talk will investigate how critical responses to Darwin were shaped by cultural as well as religious and scientific factors. Irish responses, most notably in James Joyce’s Ulysses and related ‘Celtic’ interventions, emphasised co-operation rather than competition as driving forces in evolution.
Dr. David Delany (SETU) will present “The Science of the Superhuman”, unveiling a radical new theory of intelligence and how we might train ourselves to unlock extraordinary cognitive potential.
Professor Veronica O’Keane (Emeritus Professor TCD), is a retired professor of psychiatry in Trinity College Dublin, with decades of experience as a clinical psychiatrist. She has over 30 years of experience in the field and has published numerous research papers, especially on mood disorders and on perinatal depression. She is the acclaimed author of The Rag And Bone Shop: How We Make Memories and Memories Make Us. Her talk Memory and consciousness, the neuroscience of human memory and conscious experience, will be explored.
Dr. Nora Salaberry (Calmast, SETU) will host an interactive session on perception, offering an interesting insight into how our brains interpret the world.
The Summer School’s programme also includes a range of social events, such as a walking tour of historic Waterford, a visit to Blackwater Distillery, home of Boyle Gin, and the much-anticipated garden party in the beautiful surroundings of Lismore Castle Gardens. Whether you're a scientist, an artist, a student, or simply a seeker of ideas, the Robert Boyle Summer School offers a unique space to explore where ideas come from, how they shape our world and how they might shape the future.
Visit www.robertboyle.ie for the full programme and ticket details.
