Muireann Irish

Muireann Irish is a cognitive neuropsychologist at the Brain and Mind Centre at the University of Sydney. She has won international and national awards, including an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship and L’Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science Fellowship.

Career Irish works on dementia and says she is "interested in how we remember the past and imagine the future". Her career has explored how memory and imagination are changed during neurological conditions including Alzheimer's disease.

Irish has given science communication talks on the importance of day dreaming.

Diversity in science Irish has advocated for diversity in science on many platforms, and she is committed to the promotion and retention of women in science. She was named as one of the inaugural 30 Superstars of STEM in 2018, as part of a growing movement with the goal of providing positive role models to young girls and minorities to pursue a career in science.

Irish is one of a growing number of academic women in STEM who are committed to retaining women in science. 2019 – Young Investigator Award, from the Cognitive Neuroscience Agency 2019 – British Neuropsychological Society – Elizabeth Warrington Prize. 2017 – L’Oréal–UNESCO International Rising Talent Award. 2016–2020 – ARC Future Fellow. 2016 – NSW Premier's Prize – Early Career Researcher of the Year 2015 – L’Oreal–UNESCO For Women in Science Fellowship.

Irish is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales (FRSN) and was elected a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia in 2023.

Select publications

Media

Irish's work has been described on The Conversation. Her work provided insight into why time flies as one gets older and why we day dream. The ABC described the neuroscience work conducted by her and her team. Dementia Australia described her work on dementia. Her career path was described in Careers with STEM.