3rd Annual · All-Island Biobanking Symposium · Belfast 2026
I.M.P.A.C.T
Biobank Symposium 2026
About the Symposium
Connecting Biobanking Communities Across Ireland
The All-Island Biobanking Symposium brings together researchers, clinicians, policy-makers and biobank professionals from across the island of Ireland. Now in its third year, the 2026 event in Belfast continues to advance the shared mission of Biobank Ireland Trust.
Speakers
Featured Speakers
Dr Rhonda Campbell is Assistant Director of HSC Research & Development in Northern Ireland. With a background in biomedical research, her career has encompassed infection and immunity, immunodiagnostics, epidemiology and cross-border health research. She has played an important role in developing research capacity and collaboration across Northern Ireland and the island of Ireland, supporting initiatives that translate high-quality research into better health and social care outcomes.
Dr John O’Neill is Head of the Research Policy and Innovation Unit at Ireland’s Department of Health, where he works to strengthen the contribution of research and innovation to health system improvement. His responsibilities include supporting research-led approaches within the HSE, providing strategic direction for the Health Research Board, connecting research across government, and advancing priorities including clinical trials, genetics and genomics, and international research collaboration.
Professor Ben Lacey is Associate Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at UK Biobank and Oxford Population Health, University of Oxford. His research focuses on large-scale observational epidemiology, population health metrics and health inequalities, with particular expertise in using linked administrative and healthcare records. Through his work with UK Biobank, he contributes to maximising the value of large-scale health data for research, medical discovery and improvements in population health.
Professor Jackie James is Scientific Director of the Northern Ireland Biobank and a leading researcher at Queen’s University Belfast. Her work focuses on molecular and digital pathology, particularly understanding the immune environment of cancers and identifying and validating biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis and treatment response. Through the Northern Ireland Biobank, she supports access to high-quality, well-characterised biosamples that enable translational research across academia, healthcare and industry.
Professor Louise Burke is Professor of Pathology and Head of the Department of Pathology at University College Cork, as well as a Consultant Histopathologist at Cork University Hospital. An experienced specialist in thoracic histopathology, her work spans clinical practice, research and education. She has championed developments in molecular diagnostics, digital pathology and biobanking, helping strengthen links between clinical services, diagnostic expertise, academic research and collaborative biomedical discovery.
Professor Seán Hynes is closely involved with BioBANC na Gaillimhe, the University of Galway’s multidisciplinary biobanking initiative. The programme brings together clinical and scientific expertise to make biobanking an inclusive, patient-centred and efficient resource for health research. Professor Hynes contributes to the development of high-quality biobanking infrastructure and collaboration, helping researchers harness valuable patient samples and associated information to support translational research and future medical advances.
Prabhu Arumugam is Clinical Innovation Lead at Amazon Web Services. Prabhu trained in medicine at St. Bartholomew’s and the Royal London. He trained in Histopathology and completed his PhD at The Barts Cancer Institute on pancreatic pathology.
Prior to joining Amazon Web Services, Prabhu was Director of Clinical Data Imaging at Genomics England, and led the multimodal programme, focusing on the utility of linking whole genomes to digital pathology and radiology imaging. He was also Genomics England’s Caldicott Guardian and was seconded to NHS England to lead the delivery of the regional Secure Data Environment programme.
Suzanne Bracken graduated with a PhD in Immunology from Trinity College Dublin. She also holds a MSc degree in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Ulster, Coleraine and a BSc (Hons) degree in Chemistry from UCD. Currently she is the Research & Innovation Programme Manager for the Dublin-Midlands Health Region and also provides programme management support to the new shared campus biobank project at St James’s Hospital.
Suzanne has over 13 years’ experience managing clinical and translational research projects and has been involved in promoting harmonised health research in Ireland since 2011. She has chaired the Health Research – Data Protection Network, the National Biobanking Working group and the NSAI Biotechnology Standards Consultative Committee (Mirror committee to ISO/276 Biotechnology). These experiences have allowed her to gain an excellent overview of the national biobanking landscape and significant knowledge and learnings of progress in health research in Ireland to date.
Previous Symposia
2025 · Ashling Hotel, Dublin
The 2025 Dublin edition brought together researchers, clinicians and biobank professionals from across the island for a day of keynotes, breakout sessions and networking at the Ashling Hotel.
Venue & Travel
Getting There
The 2026 symposium is hosted at Riddel Hall, Queen’s University Belfast — minutes from the city centre and well connected by air, rail and road. Find directions, transport options, parking and recommended accommodation.
Call for Poster Abstracts
Dr Stephen McQuaid Early Career Researcher Gold Medal Award
Early Career Researchers are invited to submit poster abstracts showcasing biobank-supported research. £500 Academic Development Prize — deadline Friday 4th September 2026.
Register Now
Join Us in Belfast
Secure your place at the 3rd Annual All-Island Biobanking Symposium.