A Laois school has held a homecoming celebration for one outstanding student.

St. Mary’s CBS, Portlaoise proudly celebrated the outstanding achievement of sixth year student Joshua Corbett, who was named Runner-Up Overall Individual at the Stripe Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition in the RDS.

To mark this remarkable success, the school hosted a homecoming celebration on Monday January 12.

Pictured: Leaving Cert student Joshua Corbett with his prizes.

Transition Year, 5th Year and 6th Year students gathered in the assembly hall at 9:30am to warmly applaud Joshua back into school.

This was followed by a question-and-answer session and interviews with Joshua, his teacher Ms Emily Barrett, and Principal Maura Murphy, offering students an insight into the dedication, resilience and curiosity behind his work.

Joshua, who is from Vicarstown and is the eldest son of James and Catherine Corbett, impressed judges with his project entitled “There’s Plenty of Room to Breakthrough at the Bottom.” 

Pictured: Joshua Corbett with school staff at his school homecoming

His research explores an innovative AI-driven intranasal drug delivery approach aimed at overcoming pre-clinical failures and advancing treatment options for brain cancer.

In addition to being named Runner-Up Overall, Joshua also secured Overall Category Winnerin Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics, an exceptional accomplishment at national level.

"The entire school community is immensely proud of Joshua’s achievements, which stand as a powerful example of what can be achieved through curiosity, perseverance and hard work," the school told the Leinster Express / Laois Live.

"We congratulate Joshua on this exceptional success and wish him every continued success in the future," they said.

This is the second time Joshua has been recognised at the competition, having previously placed second in the Senior Technology Individual Category.

Pictured: A Q&A session took place after some words at the homecoming

His earlier work focused on the development of a novel nano-QSAR model to predict drug delivery of nanoparticles to the brain, with the long-term aim of assisting research into treatments for glioblastoma, an aggressive cancer affecting the brain and spinal cord.

Speaking about his journey, Joshua described the experience as life-changing.

"Standing at the competition, much like returning to school, felt almost surreal," he said.

The project required him to teach himself complex material beyond the school curriculum, often without a textbook, instead learning independently and contacting experts for guidance.

Joshua reflected honestly on the intensity of the process, noting that he discovered his capacity to work for days at a time with very little sleep when motivated by passion.

"Balancing the project with school life was challenging, but working to deadlines and genuinely enjoying the subject kept me focused," he explained.

Pictured: Stripe co-founder Patrick Collison, Portlaoise student Joshua Corbett with Minister for Education and Youth Hildegarde Naughton.

After feeling disappointed with the outcome in 2025, Joshua chose to use that experience positively by upskilling in programming and refining his project rather than giving up.

He advised students not to enter competitions with the sole aim of winning, but instead to choose a topic that teaches them a new skill and leaves them with something meaningful, regardless of the final result.

Ms. Barrett highlighted the scale and prestige of the Stripe Young Scientist Exhibition, with over 2,000 applications, just 550 projects selected, and approximately 1,000 students from 221 schools presenting on the day.

"This was an invaluable opportunity for Joshua to present his work, meet industry professionals and build networks," Ms Barrett said.

Looking ahead, Joshua says that his immediate focus is his Leaving Certificate exams, but he hopes to continue developing his research at UCD, with the ambition of getting his work published.

He concluded by expressing immense pride in the hours of work and sleepless nights invested, confident that the effort had been worthwhile.

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