Prof. Barry McMullin graduated with a BE (Electrical Engineering) degree from University College Dublin, in 1980, and was then sponsored by the Electricity Supply Board (ESB) of Ireland to carry out postgraduate research into distribution system protection from 1980-82. He worked as a design engineer with the ESB, from 1982-83, on telemetry and control systems. He was employed by Hyster Automated Handling Limited, Dublin, in the period 1983-87, as design manager with overall responsibility for the development of real time software for large systems of industrial robotic vehicles. He became a Lecturer in the School of Electronic Engineering in Dublin City University in 1987. He served as Chairperson of the Programme Board for the BEng (Electronic Engineering) degree, and member of the University Academic Council, 1989-1993.

He received his PhD from the National University of Ireland in May 1993, for his thesis entitled Artificial Knowledge: An Evolutionary Approach , which deals with evolutionary methods of developing complex artificial systems.

Prof. McMullin's primary research activity is in the domain of Artificial Life. He serves on the organising committees of both the European and US conferences on Artificial Life, and as a member of the Editorial board of the Artificial Life journal. He has a secondary research interest in the area of Web Accessibility, engineering web sites and services to best meet the requirements of all users, specifically including those with disabilities. He has been an invited speaker and participant in conferences and workshops relating to his research, in Ireland, the USA, Brazil, Switzerland, France, Spain and Portugal.

In February 1999 Prof. McMullin was appointed as the first DCU Dean of Teaching and Learning., and completed a five year term in January 2004. In this role he was responsible for the development of a wide series of initiatives to significantly enhance the quality of the student learning experience at DCU, including DCU's adoption of the open-source Virtual Learning Environment, Moodle.

Prof. McMullin participated in the Colloquium on University Teaching and Learning held at Kilmainham, 1st-2nd December, 1998, and the subsequent initiative to establish the All Ireland Society for Higher Education (AISHE) as a professional organisation to foster teaching and learning in Irish Higher Education. He served as President of AISHE from March 2000 to August 2004. He continues as a member of the editorial board of the All Ireland Journal of Higher Education (AISHE-J).

Prof. McMullin was appointed to the rank of Associate professor at DCU in September 2010; and served as Director of the DCU Rince Institute (a national research institute, based at DCU, specialising in Engineering technology innovation) from February 2010 to January 2013. In February 2013 Prof. McMullin was appointed as Executive Dean of the DCU Faculty of Engineering and Computing.