Christian Waeber joined University College Cork (UCC) in 2013 and is Professor of Pharmacology, with a joint appointment between the School of Pharmacy and the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics in the School of Medicine. As Head of the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, he is actively involved in research-led teaching and postgraduate supervision across medicine and pharmacy.

Christian received his doctoral training at Novartis in Basel, where his early work focused on serotonin receptor pharmacology, including receptor signalling and brain distribution. He subsequently undertook postdoctoral training at the CNRS–INSERM Centre for Pharmacology and Endocrinology, before moving to Harvard Medical School to work on neurovascular mechanisms underlying migraine. This work contributed to the conceptual basis for targeting specific serotonin receptor subtypes for acute migraine treatment, later validated clinically with the approval of lasmiditan.

Since establishing his group at UCC, Christian has developed an internationally recognised research programme spanning vascular biology, neuropharmacology and stroke. His work integrates molecular pharmacology, in vivo disease models and translational collaborations. He has published widely, supervised doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, and remains committed to interdisciplinary research and innovation at the interface of pharmacology and medicine. He was awarded the 2025 John Feely medal by the Irish Association of Pharmacologists.

Christian’s research interests focus on the pharmacology of cerebrovascular and neurovascular disease, with emphasis on stroke and retinal disorders. His work aims to understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms that govern tissue injury and recovery after ischemia, integrating vascular biology, neuropharmacology and immune modulation. A central theme of his research is the identification of druggable pathways that can extend therapeutic windows, enhance recovery, and improve long-term functional outcomes following stroke.

In parallel, his research programme encompasses retinal diseases with shared vascular and inflammatory mechanisms. By leveraging mechanistic overlap between brain and retinal injury, his work seeks to advance translational strategies to address unmet medical needs.

Christian also has a strong and sustained interest in improving the robustness, transparency and reproducibility of preclinical research. This includes experimental design, statistical rigor, appropriate model selection, and the ethical use of animals in biomedical research. He currently serves as Chair of the Animal Ethics and Experimentation Committee (AEEC) and is a member of the National Committee for the Protection of Animals used for Scientific Purposes. In these roles, he actively promotes best practice in experimental planning, reporting standards, and the implementation of the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement), while supporting high-quality, impactful translational science.

Integration of the undergraduate medical and pharmacy curricula. Use of AI in teaching, assessment and research. Pathophysiology and pharmacology of migraine and stroke. Biochemical pharmacology of G protein-coupled receptors Vascular physiology Central Nervous System Pharmacology and Therapeutics