Ryan Institute - Science - Research

The Institute was funded by means of a donation from the late Dr Tony Ryan in 1993, which was used to build a state-of-the-art Marine Science building in a prominent location on the NUI Galway campus; an Annexe to the MRI was completed in 2008, which includes state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities to cater for a new Graduate Programme in Marine Science. The Institute is staffed by researchers from the School of Natural Sciences of the College of Science, particularly from the disciplines of Botany, Zoology, Microbiology and Oceanography. The Institute is in receipt of extensive funding from Science Foundation Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, the Industrial Development Authority, the National Development Programme, the Higher Education Authority, the Beaufort Awards (Department of Communications, Energy & Natural Resources), the Marine Institute, and the Framework 7 Programme of the European Union.



The Ryan Institute works closely with the Environmental Change Institute and the National Centre for Biomedical Engineering Research.

Candidates for the degree of MSc by research must have reached a high honours standard (minimum H2.2 [or equivalent international qualification] for an MSc) at the examination for the primary degree or presented such other evidence as will satisfy the Head of School and the College of his/her fitness.

Applications are made online via the NUI Galway Postgraduate Applications System.

Course Code: MSC-RYIN



MSc, full-time and part-time

Research Areas


Marine Biodiscovery and Biotechnology

Marine Environment

Marine Enterprise

Evolutionary Development of marine and other organisms

Marine Bioinformatics (including Molecular Biology)

Aquaculture & Fisheries