Jennifer Gaughran

Dr.

Contact Details


APT PI

E:aptcentre.ie/people/jennifer-gaughran/

Water Institute PI

E:dcuwater.ie/about/people/

Assistant Professor

N138
School of Physical Sciences

T:+353 700 5037

E:jennifer.gaughran@dcu.ie
Profile Photo

Dr. Jennifer Gaughran is an Assistant Professor in the School of Physical Sciences in DCU and the Chair of the Physics with Biomedical Sciences degree programme. She graduated from DCU in 2011 with a degree in Physics with Astronomy and completed her PhD in 2016, which focused on the design and testing of microfluidic devices for rapid DNA and RNA detection. From 2016 to 2017 she was the Centre Manager of the Advanced Processing Technology (APT) research centre in DCU. She is currently the primary supervisor of three PhD students. She is the winner of the IOPI Rosse Medal, National Thesis in 3 and Tell-It-Straight competitions 2014 and was shortlisted for the IOP Bell-Burnell Early Stage Female Physicist of the year award in 2016.

Jennifer’s research has focused on the design and testing of new and innovative methods in biological analysis for disease detection. She is interested in development of a new diagnostic techniques that can be used as Point-of-Care (POC) diagnostic devices. These may be used anywhere from a physician’s office, to sub-Saharan Africa. She is particularly focused on the inclusion of nanotechnology in simple diagnostic systems for early detection of disease. In addition, Jennifer is interested in materials science and engineering for biological and environmental applications. Her research looks at the development of materials and surfaces for anti-biofouling, anti-corrosive and antimicrobial purposes, as well as new sustainably produced polymers.

Book Chapter

Year Publication
2021 Mishra, R.;Gaughran, J.;Kinahan, D.;Ducrée, J.;Ramadan, M. (2021) 'Functional Membranes for Enhanced Rotational Flow Control on Centrifugal Microfluidic Platforms' In: Encyclopedia of Smart Materials. [Link] [DOI]
2021 Yalda Afkham;Jennifer Gaughran;Verica Pavlic;Dermot Brabazon (2021) 'Laser micro- and nano-processing: applications in modern dentistry' In: Laser Micro- and Nano-Scale Processing Fundamentals and applications. UK : IOP Publishing. [Link] [DOI]
2014 Burger R.;Kitsara M.;Gaughran J.;Nwankire C.;Ducrée J. (2014) 'Automation of immunoassays through centrifugal lab-on-a-disc platforms' In: Novel Approaches in Immunoassays. [DOI]

Peer Reviewed Journal

Year Publication
2023 Cannon, P.;McGlynn, E.;Freeland, B.;Gaughran, J. (2023) 'Development and optimisation of a SiO2 PVD technique based on the thermal decomposition of PDMS'. New Journal of Chemistry, . [Link] [DOI]
2023 Monu, M.C.C.;Afkham, Y.;Chekotu, J.C.;Ekoi, E.J.;Gu, H.;Teng, C.;Ginn, J.;Gaughran, J.;Brabazon, D. (2023) 'Bi-directional Scan Pattern Effects on Residual Stresses and Distortion in As-built Nitinol Parts: A Trend Analysis Simulation Study'. Integrating Materials and Manufacturing Innovation, . [Link] [DOI]
2022 Cannon, Paul;Freeland, Brian;Jaquiery, Margaux;McGlynn, Enda;Gaughran, Jennifer (2022) 'Single-step functionalization of silicon nanoparticles providing efficient DNA binding'. COLLOIDS AND SURFACES A-PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING ASPECTS, 648 . [DOI]
2022 Brian Freeland;Eanna McCarthy;Rengesh Balakrishnan;Samantha Fahy;Adam Boland;Keith D. Rochfort;Michal Dabros;Roger Marti;Susan M. Kelleher;Jennifer Gaughran (2022) 'A Review of Polylactic Acid as a Replacement Material for Single-Use Laboratory Components'. Processes (Mdpi), (15(9), 2989). [Link] [DOI]
2016 Gaughran, J;Boyle, D;Murphy, J;Kelly, R;Ducree, J (2016) 'Phase-selective graphene oxide membranes for advanced microfluidic flow control'. Microsystems &Amp; Nanoengineering, 2 . [DOI]
2015 Dimov N.;Clancy E.;Gaughran J.;Boyle D.;Mc Auley D.;Glynn M.;Dwyer R.;Coughlan H.;Barry T.;Barrett L.;Smith T.;Ducrée J. (2015) 'Solvent-selective routing for centrifugally automated solid-phase purification of RNA'. Microfluidics and Nanofluidics, 18 (5-6):859-871. [DOI]
2013 Nwankire, CE;Chan, DSS;Gaughran, J;Burger, R;Gorkin, R;Ducree, J (2013) 'Fluidic Automation of Nitrate and Nitrite Bioassays in Whole Blood by Dissolvable-Film Based Centrifugo-Pneumatic Actuation'. Sensors, 13 :11336-11349. [DOI]
2012 Gorkin R.;Nwankire C.;Gaughran J.;Zhang X.;Donohoe G.;Rook M.;O'Kennedy R.;Ducrée J. (2012) 'Centrifugo-pneumatic valving utilizing dissolvable films'. Lab on a Chip - Miniaturisation for Chemistry and Biology, 12 (16):2894-2902. [DOI]
2012 Czugala, M;Gorkin, R;Phelan, T;Gaughran, J;Curto, VF;Ducree, J;Diamond, D;Benito-Lopez, F (2012) 'Optical sensing system based on wireless paired emitter detector diode device and ionogels for lab-on-a-disc water quality analysis'. Lab on a Chip - Miniaturisation for Chemistry and Biology, 12 :5069-5078. [DOI]

Conference Publication

Year Publication
2016 Gaughran, J.;Kelly, R.;Kinahan, D.;Ducrée, J. (2016) 20th International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences, MicroTAS 2016 Disc-embedded grinding mill towards process integtrated hydro-mechanical cell lysis on centrifugal microfluidic platforms [Link]
2016 Gaughran J.;Kinahan D.;Mishra R.;Ducrée J. (2016) 20th International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences, MicroTAS 2016 Solvent-selective membranes for automating sequential liquid release and routing of nucleic acid purification protocols on a simple spindle motor
2015 Gaughran J.;Ducree J. (2015) 2015 Transducers - 2015 18th International Conference on Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems, TRANSDUCERS 2015 Graphene-oxide enabled centrifugo-pneumatic routing of flows [DOI]
2015 Gaughran J.;Boyle D.;Murphy J.;Ducree J. (2015) Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) Graphene Oxide membranes for phase-selective microfluidic flow control [DOI]
2014 Dimov N.;Gaughran J.;Auley D.;Boyle D.;Kinahan D.;Ducree J. (2014) Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) Centrifugally automated solid-phase purification of RNA [DOI]
2013 Sweeney, K.T.;Mitchell, E.;Gaughran, J.;Kane, T.;Costello, R.;Coyle, S.;O'Connor, N.E.;Diamond, D.; (2013) 2013 IEEE International Conference on Body Sensor Networks, BSN 2013 Identification of sleep apnea events using discrete wavelet transform of respiration, ECG and accelerometer signals [DOI]
2013 Gaughran J.;Dimov N.;Clancy E.;Barry T.;Smith T.;Ducree J. (2013) 2013 Transducers and Eurosensors XXVII: The 17th International Conference on Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems, TRANSDUCERS and EUROSENSORS 2013 Multi-stage, solvent-controlled routing for automated on-disc extraction of total RNA from breast cancer cell line homogenate [DOI]
2013 Dimov N.;Gaughran J.;Clancy E.;Barry T.;Smith T.;Ducree J. (2013) 2013 Transducers and Eurosensors XXVII: The 17th International Conference on Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems, TRANSDUCERS and EUROSENSORS 2013 Automated on-disc total RNA extraction from whole blood towards point-of-care for early stage diagnostics [DOI]
2011 Gorkin R.;Nwankire C.;Siegrist J.;Burger R.;Gaughran J.;Ducree J. (2011) 2011 16th International Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems Conference, TRANSDUCERS'11 Rotationally controlled centrifugo-pneumatic valving utilizing dissolvable films [DOI]
2011 Nwankire C.;Gorkin R.;Siegrist J.;Gaughran J.;Chan D.;Ducrée J. (2011) 15th International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences 2011, MicroTAS 2011 Full integration and automation of immunoassay protocols by rotationally actuated dissolvable film valves

Published Report

Year Publication
2017 Gaughran, J., Young, P., Brabazon, D., (2017) Lending a Hand: Inspiring the next generation of Engineers through innovative design. DCU Quality Promotion Office, .
Certain data included herein are derived from the © Web of Science (2023) of Clarivate. All rights reserved.

Professional Associations

Association Function From / To
Institute of Physics Professional body for physics and physicists -

Honors and Awards

Date Title Awarding Body
01/02/2015 3rd Place at BOC Physics Poster Competition The BOC Group
01/12/2011 Honours Degree Award International Society of Automation (ISA) Irish Branch
01/03/2014 1st Prize at the Tell-It-Straight Competition 2014 Dublin City University
01/09/2014 1st Prize at the National Thesis in 3 2014 Competition Thesis in 3
01/11/2016 Shortlisted for Bell Burnell Award for early career female physicist of the year Institue of Physics, Women in Physics Group
01/03/2014 Winner of the Rosse Medal 2014 Institue of Physics in Ireland
01/01/2015 Outstanding Student Paper Award Finalist MEMS Conference 2015

Committees

Committee Function From / To
IOP Ireland Committee 07/05/2020 -
Physics School Teaching Committee 01/09/2018 -
DCU Sustainability Council -

Employment

Employer Position From / To
School of Physical Sciences, Dublin City University Assistant Professor 03/07/2017 -
Dublin City University PhD Student 26/09/2011 - 31/12/2015
Castle Rushen High School Science Teacher 04/01/2016 - 31/08/2016
School of Mathematics, Dublin City University Maths Tutor 01/09/2013 - 01/12/2015
Maths Learning Centre, Dublin City University Maths Tutor 01/09/2015 - 01/12/2015
Advanced Processing Technology Research Centre, Dublin City University Centre Manager 01/09/2016 - 02/07/2017
Biomedical Diagnostics Institute, Dublin City University Research Assistant 01/06/2011 - 01/09/2011
Odenbery Engineering Ltd Electronic Technician 01/02/2010 - 01/09/2010

Education

Start date Institution Qualification Subject
01/09/2011 Dublin City University PhD in Biomedical Diagnostics and Microfluidics
01/09/2007 Dublin City University BSc. in Physics with Astronomy
01/01/2015 Dublin City University 5 credits in Thesis Writing
01/01/2013 Dublin City University 5 credits in Research Ethics and Integrity
01/01/2012 Dublin City University 5 credits in Cell Signalling
01/01/2011 Dublin City University 7.5 credits in Advanced Analytical Techniques
01/01/2011 Dublin City University 5 credits in Biomedical Imaging
01/01/2012 Dublin City University 5 credits in Ethics
01/01/2014 Dublin City University 5 credits in Translational Cancer Research
01/01/2013 Dublin City University 5 credits in Leadership
01/01/2014 University of Limerick 7.5 credits in Scientific Writing

Patents

Patent Number Title Inventor Granted
20160121329 MICROFLUIDIC DEVICE David Kinahan, Jens Ducree, Nikolay Dimov, Sinead Kearney, Elizaveta Vereshchagina, Jennifer Gaughran, Robert Burger, Louise Barrett 05/05/2016

Outreach Activities

Year Engagement Type Organisation Description
2014 Presentations/Talks to an external audience IOP Frontiers for the Future Conference I spoke with more than 100 secondary school science teachers from across Ireland about the research being done within the School of Physics, DCU. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTJ5V3aUqtY)
2021 Presentations/Talks to an external audience School of Physical Sciences DCU I volunteered at numerous open days and spoke with perspective students about the benefits of studying science.
2014 Educational Outreach/Public Engagement Physics Busking This is a national initiative to promote awareness and engagement of the Irish public in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). This involved performing interactive experiments and demonstrations selected for maximum engagement, excitement and education.
2013 Educational Outreach/Public Engagement Science Week I ran workshops on the physics of flight and building robots with secondary school students for Science Week 2013.
2012 Presentations/Talks to an external audience IOP Higher Options I performed demonstrations of physics experiments and spoke about my experience of studying physics to encourage young people to consider science as a career path.

Media

Title Year Type Authors
Rhyme pays for ‘Thesis in 3’ winner Jennifer Gaughran 2014 Newspaper article (online) Claire O'Connell

Research Projects

Title Role Description Start date End date
Grain-4-Lab: Laboratory-grade bioplastics production from native renewable waste streams: promoting a circular Irish bioeconomy (Prize Award) DCU PI 01/03/2022 29/02/2024
Nanoforest on a Chip (NFoaC) - Oxide nanostructures for DNA Analysis_Paul Cannon DCU PI 01/09/2021 31/08/2024
Anticorrosive and anti-fouling surface modification of Pulsed Electric Field electrodes using laser processing DCU Co-PI 01/09/2020 31/08/2024
Grain-4-Lab: Laboratory-grade bioplastics production from native renewable waste-streams: promoting a circular Irish bioeconomy DCU PI 01/01/2021 31/12/2021
Lending a Hand: Inspiring the next generation of Engineers through innovative design PI 27/02/2017 30/09/2017
Student Internship Funding grant 01/07/2020 01/09/2020
MSc Scholarship grant 01/09/2020 01/08/2022

Contract Researchers

Researcher Name Project Funding Body
Adam Boland Grain-4-Lab
Adam Murphy Grain-4-Lab
Dylan Doherty Grain-4-Lab

Current Postgraduate Students

Student Name Degree Supervision
Cannon ,Paul PhD Supervisor
Afkham ,Yalda PhD-track Supervisor

Internal Collaborators

Type Name Company Role
Internal Susan Kelleher School of Chemical Sciences Academic
Internal Keith Rochfort School of Biotechnology Academic
Internal Brian Freeland School of Biotechnology Academic
Internal Enda McGlynn School of Physical Sciences Academic

Modules Coordinated

Term Title Subject
2021 Microfluidics2 PS522
2022 Physics Laboratory IV (PBM) PS259
2022 Wave Optics PS307
2022 Manufacturing Process Analysis & Tool Design MM555
2022 Bioanalysis Techniques - level 3 laboratory PS356
2022 Physics of Renewable Energy PS218
2022 Microfluidics PS408
2022 Life, the Universe and Everything PS114