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Professor Derek Sullivan

Professor (Dental Science)
DENTAL SCHOOL, LINCOLN PLACE
      
Profile Photo

Professor Derek Sullivan

Professor (Dental Science)
DENTAL SCHOOL, LINCOLN PLACE

 DEREK.SULLIVAN@tcd.ie

 3531 6127275


Derek Sullivan is a Professor in Microbiology, based in the School of Dental Science and Dublin Dental University Hospital, Trinity College Dublin. He graduated with a B.A.(Mod.) in Natural Sciences from the Department of Microbiology in Trinity College Dublin in 1986 and with a PhD from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1991. Following a brief postdoctoral project in Newcastle, Prof. Sullivan returned to Trinity College in the role of Senior Research Fellow. He was appointed to a lectureship in the School of Dental Science in 1996, Senior Lecturer in 2004 and Associate Professor in 2008. Prof. Sullivan has extensive administrative duties in the School and in the Dublin Dental University Hospital where he is the Director Of Undergraduate teaching & Learning. Prof. Sullivan's main research field is the analysis of the pathogenesis of human fungal infections. He was one of the original discoverers of the novel yeast species Candida dubliniensis and his research is currently directed to unraveling the differences in virulence between this species and its close relative Candida albicans. Prof. Sullivan has published over 100 research articles and book chapters.
  Bacterial pathogenicity   Bacteriology and bacterial pathogenesis   BIOTYPING   CANDIDA   CANDIDA ALBICANS OUTBREAK   CANDIDA DUBLINIENSIS   CANDIDA-ALBICANS   CANDIDIASIS   DENTAL CHAIR WATERLINES   DIAGNOSIS   DIAGNOSTICS   DNA FINGERPRINTING   DNA TYPING METHODS   DUBLINIENSIS   ELECTROPHORETIC KARYOTYPE   EPIDEMIOLOGY   FLUCONAZOLE   Fungal Infections   FUNGAL-INFECTIONS   FUNGEMIA   Genomic structure and function, molecular approaches to gene function   GRAM-NEGATIVE BACTERIA   Host, Pathogen interactions   Infectious diseases   Molecular Medical Mycology   Mycology and fungal pathogenesis   NOSOCOMIAL FUNGAL-INFECTIONS   NOSOCOMIAL OUTBREAK   ORAL CANDIDA   Oral microbiology   PATHOGENS   PUTATIVE VIRULENCE FACTORS   RAPID IDENTIFICATION   RIBOSOMAL-RNA   SUSCEPTIBILITY   WATER MICROBIOLOGY
Project Title
 Triclosan-based antagonism of the activity of azole antifungal drugs against Candida species
From
2002
To
2006
Summary
Funding Agency
Health Research Board
Project Type
Research Project
Project Title
 Responses of Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis to environmental stress.
From
2001
To
2004
Summary
Funding Agency
Health Research Board
Project Type
Research Project
Project Title
 Comparative analysis of adhesion of Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis.
From
2004
To
2007
Summary
Funding Agency
Health Research Board
Project Type
Research Project
Project Title
 Comparative genomic analysis of Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis: A tool for the analysis of candidal pathogenicity
From
2004
To
2008
Summary
Funding Agency
Science Foundtion Ireland
Programme
Programme Investigator grant
Project Title
 HOST-PATHOGEN INTERACTION SYSTEMS AS TOOLS TO IDENTIFY ANTIFUNGAL TARGETS IN C. ALBICANS AND C. DUBLINIENSIS
From
2004
To
2008
Summary
Funding Agency
European Union
Project Type
Research Training Network

Page 1 of 2
Details Date
Reviews editor FEMS Microbiology Letters 2007-2012
FEMS Microbiology Letters (Editorial Board) 2012-present
Fungal Biology and Biotechnology (Editorial Board) 2014-
FEMS Yeast Research (Editorial Board) 2003-2012
Member of review board for Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR, France) 20014
Health Research Board, "Infections, Immunity and Host Defence" research project grant review panel 2005-2008
International Association for Dental Research, Irish DIvision Council Member 2004-2008
Ad hoc referee for the following journals: Molecular Microbiology, Microbiology, Journal of Clinical Microbiology, Journal of Medical Microbiology, Journal of Medical and Veterinary Mycology, Journal of Infectious Diseases, Journal of Applied Bacteriology, European Journal of Microbiology, Gene, FEMS Yeast Research Revista Iberoamericana de Micologia FEMS Immunology and Medical Microbiology Trends in Microbiology European Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Fungal Genetics and Biology Mycoses Mycopathologia Acta Pathologica, Microbiologica et Immunologica Scandinavica Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy Antonie van Leeuwenhoek Journal of Microbiology Medical Mycology
External examiner for PhDs in NUI Maynooth, University College Dublin, University of Aberdeen, University of Leeds, University of Manchester, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, University of Bristol, Universidad del Pais Vasco, Bilbao, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, S. Africa, University of Annamalai, India and the University of Jena, Germany
Grants refereed for: Wellcome Trust, BBSRC, Republic of South Africa Medical Research Council, Agence Nationale de la Recherche (France), Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (Portugal) and the Flemish research agency Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (Belgium).
Local organiser of the 1999 Conference of the British Society for Medical Mycology (BSMM) Elected as the Meetings Secretary of the British Society for Medical Mycology (BSMM) in 1999. Responsible for taking part in the organisation of Annual Meetings in Stratford upon Avon (2000), London (2001), Aberdeen (2002) and Manchester (2003). Elected as Councillor for Irish Association for Dental Research (June 2004).
Co-convenor and speaker at Medical Mycology session of the Tenth International Symposium on Yeasts, Arnhem, The Netherlands, August 2000. Chair and speaker at ASM Candida and candidiasis 2004, BSMM 2004 and 2005
Scientific Advisory Board of the second FEBS Advanced Lecture Course on Human Fungal Pathogens, Nice, France, 2009
Member of the International Advisory Committee of the 17th Congress of The International Society for Human and Animal Mycology, Tokyo, Japan 2009
Grant review panel of the French research agencies INSERM and the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) 2008
Member of the International Advisory Board of the 18th Congress of the International Society for Human and Animal Mycology 2012 (Berlin, ISHAM 2012)
Secretary of the Irish Fungal Society 2011-present
Details Date From Date To
Founding secretary of Irish Fungal Society 2011 2014
International Association for Dental Research (elected member of Irish Division council 2004-2007) 2004 Present
American Society for Microbiology 1993 Present
British Society for Medical Mycology 1991 Present
James O"Connor-Moneley, Theresa Lange, Peter R. Flanagan, Sascha Brunke, Luisa Fischer, Rishabh Sharma, Sumant Puri, Bernhard Hube, Derek J. Sullivan and Gary P. Moran, Microbiology, 172, (1), 2026, p001654 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Sviatlana Anishchuk, Caoimhin MacGiolla Phadraig, Cicely Roche, Angela Kubacki, Derek Sullivan, Yvonne Howell, ResiliDents: Development and Evaluation of Resilience Module in Dental Undergraduate Curriculum, European Journal of Dental Education, 2025, Notes: [Accepted - 2nd April 2025 DOI: 10.1111/eje.13094], Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Wen Jun Lim, Brenda Lee, Zahra Farrington, Abed Alkarem Abu Alhaija, Alastair B Fleming, Derek J Sullivan, Gary P Moran, Fluconazole resistance and CDR1 expression in Candida albicans mediated by the hyperactive Tac1-5 transcriptional activator requires Tlo proteins, Microbiology, 171, (9), 2025, p001594 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Wickramasinghe DN, Lyon CM, Lee S, Hepworth OW, Priest EL, Maufrais C, Ryan AP, Permal E, Sullivan D, McManus BA, Hube B, Butler G, d'Enfert C, Naglik JR, Richardson JP., Variations in candidalysin amino acid sequence influence toxicity and host responses., mBio, 2024, pe0335123 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI
O'Connor-Moneley J, Fletcher J, Bean C, Parker J, Kelly SL, Moran GP, Sullivan DJ., Deletion of the Candida albicans TLO gene family results in alterations in membrane sterol composition and fluconazole tolerance., PloS one, 19, (8), 2024, pe0308665 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI
Fletcher J, O'Connor-Moneley J, Frawley D, Flanagan PR, Alaalm L, Menendez-Manjon P, Estevez SV, Hendricks S, Woodruff AL, Buscaino A, Anderson MZ, Sullivan DJ, Moran GP., Deletion of the Candida albicans TLO gene family using CRISPR-Cas9 mutagenesis allows characterisation of functional differences in " - ß- and "- TLO gene function., PLoS genetics, 19, (12), 2023, pe1011082 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI
O'Connor-Moneley J, Alaalm L, Moran GP, Sullivan DJ., The role of the Mediator complex in fungal pathogenesis and response to antifungal agents., Essays in biochemistry, 2023, pEBC20220238 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI
Hernández-Cervantes A, Znaidi S, van Wijlick L, Denega I, Basso V, Ropars J, Sertour N, Sullivan D, Moran G, Basmaciyan L, Bon F, Dalle F, Bougnoux ME, Boekhout T, Yang Y, Li Z, Bachellier-Bassi S, d'Enfert C., A conserved regulator controls asexual sporulation in the fungal pathogen Candida albicans., Nature communications, 11, (1), 2020, p6224 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Moran GP, Anderson MZ, Myers LC, Sullivan DJ., Role of Mediator in virulence and antifungal drug resistance in pathogenic fungi., Current genetics, 65, 2019, p621 - 630, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Peter R. Flanagan, Jessica Fletcher, Hannah Boyle, Razvan Sulea, Gary P. Moran, Derek J. Sullivan, Expansion of the TLO gene family enhances the virulence of Candida species, PLoS One, 13, (7), 2018, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI
  

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Moran, G.P., Anderson M.Z., Myers, L.C. and Sullivan, D.J. , Role of Mediator in virulence and antifungal drug resistance in pathogenic fungi., Current Genetics, 65, (3), 2019, p621 - 630, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Derek Sullivan, Candida dubliniensis and cystic fibrosis, 18th National Cystic Fibrosis Clinical Meeting, Killarney, Kerry, Ireland, 1/12/2018, 2018, Oral Presentation, PUBLISHED
Derek Sullivan, Candida dubliniensis; a budding fungal pathogen, British Society for Mecical Mycology Annual Meeting, Dublin, March, 2016, Invited Talk, PUBLISHED
COLEMAN, DC, SULLIVAN, DJ, MOSSMAN, JC, CANDIDA DUBLINIENSIS, 1997, - 3011-3012, Miscellaneous, PUBLISHED

  


Award Date
British Society for Medical Mycology Award for outstanding contribution to mycological research March 2003
Elected to Fellowship of Trinity College Dublin 2001
British society for Medical Mycology Foundation Lecturer March 2015
Molecular biology of pathogenesis of fungal pathogens, in particular Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis. Molecular biology of antifungal drug resistance. Epidemiology of fungal pathogens.