Professor Aisling McMahon (Principal Investigator, ERC PatentsInHumans) was recentlyselected as one of 21 new members to join the new cohort of the Young Academy of Ireland, appointed in recognition of their outstanding contributions as emerging research and innovation leaders.
The Young Academy Ireland (YAI) is an interdisciplinary all-island organisation of early career researchers, defined as researchers who are up to twelve years post-PhD, and future leaders. Membership of the YAI is based on a competitive application and selection process, where scholars and innovators are selected for membership based on the excellence of their research, societal impacts and commitment to public service. The 2026 cohort of 21 members were selected following a recruitment campaign launched by the Royal Irish Academy in 2025.
The YAI was established by the Royal Irish Academy in 2023. It provides a multidisciplinary platform for members to exchange views across their disciplines and work together on a range of initiatives for the benefit of society.
Professor McMahon is a Professor of Law at the School of Law and Criminology, Maynooth University, and an internationally recognised expert in health law and patent law. In 2022, she was awarded a European Research Council Starting Grant (€1.5million) for the PatentsInHumans project, a five year project where she leads a team of researchers to examine the bioethical implications posed by how patents can be used over health-technologies. This research aims to reconceptualise the patent decision-making system in Europe to better engage with and account for bioethics concerns. She has published widely in leading peer reviewed publications. She is regularly invited to contribute to national and international high-level policy discussions on the regulation of emerging health technologies, access to health, and the role of patent law within the health innovation context. You can find out more about her research here