2025 Alumni Awardee Niamh Donnelly

Niamh Donnelly is the Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Akara Robotics, a company developing autonomous systems conceived and designed to improve hospital efficiency and enhance patient care through AI-powered sensing and robotics.

A life long problem solver, Niamh's interest in robotics started with a summer school in DCU when she was just 13. She went on to study Mechanical Engineering and initially worked in web engineering before taking roles in machine learning and computer vision.

At Akara, which was founded in 2022, Niamh leads the development of the software and AI, behind solutions like the Akara AI Sensor, which uses privacy-preserving thermal vision to automatically track key events in operating and procedure rooms, and Violet, an autonomous UV-disinfection robot designed to support infection control workflows. 

Niamh has built and deployed technology in healthcare systems across Europe and the United States. She is a frequent speaker on robotics, healthcare innovation, and AI governance and is strongly committed to promoting the safe and responsible deployment of AI.

Niamh has been named a European Commission Rising Innovator and is a laureate of the European Innovation Council, reflecting her leadership in Europe’s research and innovation community. 

Her work has received global recognition. Akara’s technology has been featured in TIME magazine’s Best Inventions of the Year (2025), with one of the company’s creations, Stevie, a social robot deployed to work in nursing homes, also appearing on the magazine’s cover. Her work has also been profiled by Forbes, CNN, TechCrunch Disrupt, and other international media. 

BEng Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, 2013