Prof. Mark Cunningham is Head of the Discipline of Physiology and the Ellen Mayston Bates Professor of Neurophysiology of Epilepsy in Trinity’s School of Medicine. His research uses electrophysiology to study the mechanisms by which neuronal microcircuits generate organised electrical activity in the brain. He has a particular interest in understanding how pathological electrical activity is generated by the epileptic brain and how this can help develop novel treatments for epilepsy. At FutureNeuro – whose vision is to change the patient journey for people affected by neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions – Prof Cunningham leads the development of human brain slice models, a collaborative project with Eisai aimed at reducing the adverse side effects of Perampanel.
Before joining Trinity, Professor Cunningham held a Professorship in Neuronal Dynamics at the Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University. His research has been funded by the BBSRC, MRC, Wellcome Trust, Epilepsy Research UK, Action on Hearing Loss, Hadwen Trust, Innovate UK, Wolfson Foundation, The Royal Society and Taighde Éireann-Research Ireland. He has also had significant funding from several global pharmaceutical companies.
Professor Cunningham has previously sat on the Biomedical Resource and Technology Development Committee at the Wellcome Trust and the Scientific Advisory Committee for Epilepsy Research UK. He is a fellow of the Centre for the Advancement of Sustainable Medical Innovation (CASMI). He has also acted on numerous advisory boards and as a consultant to numerous pharmaceutical companies. In 2019 he was elected as a Professorial Fellow at Trinity College Dublin.
