Queen's University Belfast joins ELIXIR-UK

Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) has joined ELIXIR-UK, extending the Node’s reach into Northern Ireland. Because membership is institutional, joining opens ELIXIR participation to colleagues across the whole university. The staff members involved in the membership application encompass 11 academic units and cover all five ELIXIR areas: Data, Tools, Compute, Interoperability and Training.

Between them, they generate and analyse large-scale omics and imaging data across biomedical, agrifood and environmental research, with expertise ranging from cancer, virology and One Health to artificial intelligence methods, systems biology and evolution. Their work is built on open-source methods and interoperable workflows, with outputs deposited in international repositories.

See list of staff members involved from QUB

Dr Yaser Atlasi
Dr Jaine Blayney
Dr Stephanie Craig
Prof Chris Creevey
Prof Tim Curtis

Dr Barry Devereux
Dr Richard Gault
Prof Gary Hardiman
Prof Mark Lawler
Dr Guillermo Lopez Campos

Dr Sarah Maguire
Prof Simon McDade
Dr Ian Overton
Prof Paulo Prodöhl
Prof David Simpson

Dr Karen Siu Ting
Dr Timofey Skvortsov
Prof Iain Styles
Dr Evan Troendle
Krister Jazz Urog
Prof Hui Wang

QUB also brings substantial infrastructure. Its Core Technology Units provide genomics, single-cell, spatial and imaging services, while the NI-HPC Centre – run jointly with Ulster University – operates the Kelvin-2 supercomputer, with a share of its capacity available to researchers across the UK. The university is also developing a secure cancer research data environment through its e-Health Hub for Cancer, integrating genomics, clinical and imaging data for FAIR, privacy-preserving reuse.

Training is a core strength. QUB’s MSc in Bioinformatics and Computational Genomics and its funded doctoral programmes embed FAIR principles, reproducible workflows and open science, with materials designed for reuse through ELIXIR platforms such as TeSS. The staff involved will register tools and workflows in bio.tools and WorkflowHub and take part in ELIXIR Communities and Focus Groups.

QUB’s ELIXIR-UK engagement is coordinated by Dr Evan Troendle, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow and BioFAIR Fellow at the university. He said:

“Queen’s has been building multidisciplinary biodata expertise across bioinformatics, computing and the life sciences for some time, and ELIXIR-UK membership lets us build together. We are joining with an engaged group of 11 academic units and all five ELIXIR areas, from omics and imaging to AI methods and training.”

This new membership also strengthens all-island links with the Republic of Ireland, through the VIBE network and cooperation with ELIXIR Ireland. Evan Troendle added:

“Membership also extends the Node into Northern Ireland for the first time and strengthens all-island links with the Republic of Ireland through the VIBE consortium and cooperation with ELIXIR Ireland. We see real value in contributing to FAIR, reproducible and AI-ready research across that wider ecosystem.”

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Find out more on the Queen’s University Belfast member page, or contact ELIXIR-UK to get involved.