DCU Water Institute - People
Our People
Our team at DCU Water Institute has more than 40 senior researchers (Principle Investigators) spanning different disciplines and faculties with a wide range of expertise. This has enabled us to form a strong, multifaceted team conducting water research in areas ranging from biology and chemistry, to engineering, sociology and politics.
Our diversity allows us to tackle contemporary water issues within communities and around the globe through relevant research. Our efforts facilitate collaboration among industry, academia, and government across multiple global organisations to provide solutions for contemporary water problems.
Prof. Fiona Regan
Fiona Regan is Professor in Chemistry at Dublin City University and Director of the DCU Water Institute. Fiona studied Environmental Science and Technology and later completed a PhD in analytical chemistry in 1994. Following postdoctoral research in optical sensing in DCU, in 1996 she took up a lecturing position at Limerick Institute of Technology. In 2002 Fiona joined the School of Chemical Sciences as a lecturer in analytical chemistry, in 2008 she became senior lecturer and in 2009 became the Beaufort Principal Investigator in Marine and Environmental Sensing.
Fiona’s research focuses on environmental monitoring and she has special interest in priority and emerging contaminants as well as the establishment of decision support tools for environmental monitoring using novel technologies and data management tools. Her work includes the areas of separations and sensors (including microfluidics), materials for sensing and antifouling applications on aquatic deployed systems.
Prof. Blánaid White
Prof. Blánaid White graduated with a B.Sc. in Chemistry with German from Dublin City University (DCU) in 2001 and a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from DCU in 2005. She joined the School of Chemical Sciences as a lecturer in 2008, having completed postdoctoral research with Prof. Craig Lunte in the University of Kansas. In 2012 she became chairperson of the BSc. in Environmental Science and Health in DCU and in 2017 was promoted to Associate.
Blánaid’s research group is currently funded by Alltech Ireland Ltd., the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the Environmental Protection Agency, Interreg (Atlantic Area) and the Irish Research Council.
Blánaid’s research expertise includes both the development of intelligent analysis tools and the application of analytical chemistry for the investigation of chemical and biochemical processes in the world around us. A primary focus of her research is the development and application of innovative technologies for investigative and regulatory monitoring of known and emerging contaminants in food, soil and water, and the pursuit of research to inform and support national and international policy and decision making.
Dr. Susan Hegarty
Susan Hegarty is a geographer and Associate Professor in the DCU School of History and Geography. Her research focuses on citizen science for monitoring water quality, and on the evolution of the Irish landscape and our use of that landscape. She has researched the role of the Quaternary ice-sheets on this landscape and the role Quaternary sediments play in the vulnerability of water sources to pollutants. She is also interested in the exploitation of Irish mineral resources in the nineteenth century.
She is enthusiastic about transmitting the importance of Geography to the wider public, and to this end has taken part in a number of documentary series on both Irish and British television channels and is involved in a number of citizen science projects looking at water quality in Ireland. She also sees fieldwork as an integral part of the training of geography students, and promotes field studies within undergraduate geography. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Dr. Mercedes Vázquez
Dr. Mercedes Vázquez is an Assistant Professor in Analytical Chemistry at Dublin City University's School of Chemical Sciences. She is also a Principal Investigator at the National Centre for Sensor Research, the Advanced Processing Technology Research Centre, and the Water Institute, as well as a Funded Investigator at I-Form. She earned her MSc in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Oviedo in 1998 and her PhD from Åbo Akademi University in 2005, where she developed potentiometric ion sensors based on conducting polymers. Dr. Vázquez joined DCU in 2006, focusing on rapid screening methods for biopharmaceutical processes. In 2009, she coordinated a research program at the Irish Separation Science Cluster, developing novel microfluidic platforms for various (bio)analytical applications.
Her expertise in Miniaturisation and integration of analytical systems for environmental monitoring, point-of-care diagnostics and in-process quality control Microfluidics and Lab-on-a-CD devices for sample preparation, preconcentration and analysis Fast prototyping methods such as 3D printing, integration of particulate/monolithic stationary phases into microfluidic channels, miniaturised electrochemical sensors (amperometric, potentiometric, conductimetric) and dual detection systems, low-cost optical detection systems, fast separation methods by capillary HPLC and microchip electrophoresis.
Dr. David O’Connor
Dr. David O’Connor is currently an assistant professor within the school of Chemical sciences in Dublin City University, where he is involved in physical chemistry undergraduate lecturing and laboratory demonstration.
He formerly worked at Technological University Dublin (2015-2021) and has previously held post-doctoral positions at the University of Denver (Marie Curie Fellowship) and the University College Cork, which involved numerous field and laboratory studies on atmospherically relevant species and processes.
His research focuses on several areas of atmospheric science. He aims to establish an Irish Bioaerosol monitoring network and develop forecasting methods for airborne biological particles. He investigates the interplay between gaseous and aerosol phases, characterizes biological and chemical aerosols to identify their sources and composition, and studies the atmospheric degradation of volatile organic compounds from fungi and bacteria. His work advances understanding of atmospheric dynamics and their environmental and health implications.
Dr. Jimmy O’Keefe
Jimmy O’Keefe is a Geographer and Hydrologist who uses social science and systems modelling to explore our place in the built and natural world. He earned his PhD from Imperial College London in 2016.
His research focuses on natural capital, ecosystem services, and the links between human and natural environments. He has extensive field experience and develops modelling tools to test potential solutions.
He has worked on projects like the NERC-funded CAMELLIA and collaborated with UK and Indian researchers on water management in the Indo-Gangetic Plain. He co-founded the WISA network, connecting researchers and policy makers across the UK, South Asia, and the Middle East. Currently, he is an Assistant Professor at Dublin City University, supporting the development of a BA in Climate and Environmental Sustainability and lecturing on environmental and societal resilience.
Prof. Dermot Brabazon
Dermot Brabazon holds a Full Professorship of Materials Science and Engineering in the School of Mechanical Engineering at Dublin City University (DCU). He received his BEng (Mechanical Engineering) and PhD (Materials Science) from University College Dublin. From 1995 to 2000 he worked with Materials Ireland, a state materials science research centre.
He was appointed as a Lecturer in the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at Dublin City University at the start of 2000, promoted to Senior Lecturer and Deputy Head of School in 2007, to Associate Dean for Research in 2009, and to Professor in 2014. He is currently Director for the Advanced Processing Technology Research Centre at DCU; co-founder and Deputy Director for the I-Form Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, and is Director (RoI) of the Advanced Metallic Systems Centre for Doctoral Training. His teaching and research activities are focused in the areas of materials and processing technologies with a particular emphasis on the development of advanced technologies to enable improved advanced materials science and engineering knowledge to enable improved product and production capability and quality, for the benefit of companies and the broader society.
Dr. James Carton
Dr. James Carton, an Assistant Professor in Sustainable Energy at Dublin City University, focuses his research on energy sustainability and the deployment of green hydrogen. His expertise lies in techno-economic modelling, Power-to-X technologies, and renewable energy storage.
Dr. Carton is the founder of the Hydrogen Ireland Association and serves as an academic advisor to Hydrogen Mobility Ireland, as well as a hydrogen expert to the United Nations-ECE. He leads the HyLight project, funded by the Irish government and SFI, which investigates hydrogen's role in decarbonization in Ireland. Additionally, Dr. Carton has secured EU project funding for HySkills, aimed at educating technicians and first responders about hydrogen technology to capitalise on Ireland's potential for cleaner, greener technologies in combating climate change.
Dr Yan Delauré
Dr Yan Delauré is an Associate Professor (Senior Lecturer) in Fluid Mechanics in the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at Dublin City University (DCU) and the Deputy Director of the DCU Water Institute.
He received his PhD from University College Cork in 2001 and holds a Diplôme d’Ingénieur in Aeronautical Engineering from ESTACA, France and a M.Sc. in Marine Resources Development and Protection from Heriot Watt University, Scotland. Prior to joining DCU, he was a research engineer at the Hydraulics and Maritime Research Centre in Cork for a period of 5 years and held a one year post-doctoral research in multiphase flow at Trinity College Dublin.
Dr Delauré has played a leading role in the setup of a research group in the area of multiphase flow characterization and the development of dedicated research facilities to support dual computational and experimental research. He has received financial support from Science Foundation Ireland, the Irish Research Council, Enterprise Ireland and the EU FP7 and H2020 programmes.
He is currently leading an EI co-funded industrial project and is a Workpackage leader and DCU principal lead on a EU H2020 Research Innovation Action. He has co-authored more than 30 articles in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings.
Dr. Lorna Fitzsimons
Dr. Lorna Fitzsimons (BEng, PhD) is a Lecturer in the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Dublin City University. Currently, she is coordinator of an Irish EPA Medium Scale project (2013-2015) located between DCU and NUIG. The focus of this project is to benchmark and optimise the resource efficiency of Irish Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTP) using a multi-faceted approach (LCA, Exergy Analysis and Process Control).
Other research projects and interests include desalination, the use of exergy analysis to optimise the energy consumption of water treatment and purification processes (desalination, semiconductor manufacturing Ultra-Pure Water plants, Wastewater Treatment Plants), and several energy efficiency and environmental monitoring projects. She previously worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the Marine and Environmental Sensing Technology Hub (MESTECH) where the focus of her research was environmental monitoring and environmental sensor development.
Dr Nigel Kent
Nigel Kent is an Assistant Professor in the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering. He completed a B.Eng in Mechatronic Engineering (2002) at Dublin City University (DCU).
He joined the National Centre for Sensor Research in 2002 as a research engineer specialising in polymeric microfluidic chip design and manufacture for, primarily, environmental monitoring. In 2005 he began working with the Biomedical Diagnostics Institute and in parallel undertook a PhD in collaboration with the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland in the area of platelet function diagnostics. In 2009 Nigel moved to, what is now, Technological University Dublin where he continued to apply his microfluidic platform expertise across, primarily, coagulation monitoring and bacterial detection. During that time, he returned to DCU as a senior research fellow in autonomous environmental monitoring and additive manufacturing for industrial applications. In 2018 Nigel moved to Institute of Technology Carlow where he was director of the Centre of Research and Enterprise in Engineering for the Institute.
Dr. Greg McNamara
Dr Greg McNamara is an Assistant Professor in Sustainable Engineering and Energy Systems in the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Dublin City University. As one of only a very few established LCA practitioners in Ireland, he is, and has been involved in a wide variety of engineering-based research projects.
Dr McNamara is currently working on the H2020 NewSkin project on advancing the industrial uptake of advanced surface nano-technologies. The focus of Dr McNamara’s early research was water and wastewater treatment system technologies; specifically, the environmental and economic impacts of treatment systems.
Recent projects of note include the EU H2020 Saltgae Solution project (2016 – 2019); a system to treat saline wastewater from the food and beverage industry with microalgae. Prior to this, Dr. McNamara has worked on a variety of EPA funded water and wastewater treatment projects. Energy systems are central to Dr. McNamara’s current research and teaching, which includes renewable energy systems, energy storage, and the water energy nexus.
Dr. Corné Muilwijk
Corné Muilwijk obtained an MSc degree in Chemical Engineering at Delft University of Technology (the Netherlands) in 2014. He then completed a PhD on bubbly flows at the University of Limerick in Ireland, where he spent a substantial part of his time on the design and construction of a pilot-scale bubble column. He developed experimental and analytical skills for image acquisition and processing, Laser Doppler Velocimetry and dual-tip optical fibre probe measurements.
After his PhD, he started a Postdoc in Dublin City University, where he focussed on experimentally characterizing the transient flow behaviour and temperature distribution inside fluid channels of a heat pump core. He developed a miniaturized heat pump based on Shape Memory Alloy refrigerant subjected to stress/strain cycles. Laser based techniques such as Particle Image Velocity and Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence were adopted to measure flow and temperature distributions. From June 2021, he is working as an Assistant Professor in Sustainability in Dublin City University.
Dr. Muhammad Intizar Ali
Dr. Muhammad Intizar Ali is an Assistant Professor in the School of Electronic Engineering, Dublin City University. His research interests include Data Analytics, Internet of Things (IoT), Stream Query Processing, Data Integration, Distributed and Federated Machine Learning, and Knowledge Graphs. Dr. Ali’s research outcomes have been successfully applied in the domain of Smart Cities, Smart Manufacturing, Smart Farming, and e-Health. He has been collaborating with large scale Science Foundation Ireland funded research centres including Insight Centre for Data Analytics, Confirm Centre for Smart Manufacturing, and VistaMIlk Centre.
He is also actively involved in various EU funded and industry-funded projects aimed at providing IoT enabled adaptive intelligence for smart applications. Dr. Ali has authored over 100 research articles, including journal publications, conferences & workshops proceedings, and posters/demos in renowned journals and international conferences.
Prior to joining DCU, he worked as an Adjunct Lecturer, Research Fellow, and Research Unit Leader of Reasoning, Querying, and IoT Data Analytics Unit at the Insight Centre for Data Analytics, National University of Ireland, Galway. Dr. Ali obtained his Ph.D. (with distinction) from Vienna University of Technology, Austria in 2011.
Dr. Gëzim Visoka
Dr. Gëzim Visoka is an Associate Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies in the School of Law and Government at Dublin City University (DCU). He currently holds the position of Deputy Editor of the Peacebuilding Journal (Taylor & Francis) and serves as the founding Editor of Routledge Studies in Statehood (Taylor & Francis). Additionally, he co-edits Rethinking Peace and Conflict Studies (Palgrave) with Oliver P. Richmond and Annika Björkdahl, and he is the founding Co-Editor of the Palgrave Encyclopaedia of Peace and Conflict Studies, alongside Oliver P. Richmond.
His research focuses on various aspects of state formation, peace processes, and post-conflict peacebuilding.
Dr. Visoka specializes in the politics of diplomatic recognition and statebuilding, with a particular emphasis on the dynamics of state creation. He has authored and edited numerous books and has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals such as Nature, International Affairs, European Journal of International Relations, and Journal of Common Market Studies, among others.
Dr. Margaret McCaul
Margaret McCaul is currently an Assistant Professor in Analytical Chemistry at Dublin City University, and a Funded Investigator at the INSIGHT Centre for Data Analytics. Margaret received her BSc in Analytical Chemistry at the Limerick Institute of Technology and her PhD in Analytical Geochemistry from Dublin City University.
She has over ten years industrial experience in the area of analytical chemistry and has held post-doctoral positions in science education and geochemistry, before taking a senior position as team leader in sensor integration and microfluidics in the adaptive sensors group at DCU.
Her current research focuses on novel sensor development from functional materials to innovative devices which comprises several distinct strands of research including: Analytical chemistry, environmental chemistry, 3D (micro-)fabrication technologies, materials chemistry, data analytics and remote sensing.
Dr. Rob Gillanders
Rob Gillanders is an Assistant Professor of Economics at Dublin City University Business School. He holds a PhD in Economics from University College Dublin. Prior to working at DCUBS he worked in Finland at Hanken School of Economics and Aalto University.
Rob’s main research interest is corruption but he is also interested in issues relating to regulation, gender, FDI, and institutions/governance in general. Rob’s research has been published in journals including The Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Economics of Governance, International Interactions, International Tax and Public Finance, The Journal of Development Studies, The Journal of International Development, Kyklos, The Manchester School, and Review of World Economics.
Rob is interested in working with graduate students in his specific research areas and in the fields of Development, Political Economy, and Public Economics more generally.
Prof. Edgar Morgenroth
Professor Edgar Morgenroth is full Professor of Economics in DCU Business School, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland. He is also an independent member of the National Economic and Social Council (NESC), a Fellow of the UK Academy of Social Sciences and a Fellow of the Regional Studies Association having served as its vice chairman and treasurer. He has held positions at the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) for almost twenty years, and has worked at Keele University and the Strategic Investment Board (SIB).
Professor Morgenroth holds a PhD in Economics from Keele University in the UK, and Bachelor’s (Economics and Geography) and Masters (Economics and Finance) degrees from Maynooth University. He is also an alumnus of Boston College, having been awarded a Diploma in Urban Economic Development in Boston (MA).
Prof. Alan F. Smeaton
Alan F. Smeaton joined DCU in 1987 after completing his PhD at University College Dublin. He became Senior Lecturer and later Full Professor of Computing. He served as Executive Dean of Faculty and Head of the School of Computing. He is a Fellow of the IEEE, Principal Fellow of AdvanceHE, and an elected member of the Royal Irish Academy, with an Academy Gold Medal for his work.
Initially focusing on natural language processing for information retrieval, Alan's research expanded to cover content-based retrieval in various media. His current focus is on human memory, exploring why people forget and developing systems to aid memory and learning. Using machine learning and data analytics, he applies text, image, and video analysis in areas like learning analytics and lifelogging.
With over 700 publications and numerous awards, including the Mark Everingham, Niwa-Takayanagi, and Strix awards, Alan is recognized for his contributions. He is a founding Director of the Insight Centre for Data Analytics and continues to contribute to media discussions on AI, data analytics, and technology.
Dr. Marija Bezbradica
Dr. Marija Bezbradica is in the School of Computing, DCU, is affiliated with several research centers including: Adapt ARC-SYM Modelling & Scientific Computing Group and Lero.
Before joining DCU, she obtained a BSc and MSc at the School of Electrical Engineering (ETF), University of Belgrade, Serbia. Research areas encompass complex system modeling, particularly Cellular Automata (CA) and Agent Based Models (ABM), data analytics, applied mathematics, statistics, high-performance computing (HPC), and distributed systems. Current research projects focus on FinTech, developing models for claims predictions and explainable AI in Fraud Detection. Several projects center on behavioral analytics in evaluation analytics and optimized software usage analytics.
Previous work involved developing models to study the impact of large urban layouts on pedestrian movement decision-making using ABM with open data sourced from OpenStreetMap. Past research includes building stochastic models of in vitro drug delivery systems (DDS) using CA and ABM, in collaboration with Sigmoid Pharma Ltd.
Dr. Denise Harold
Denise Harold is an Assistant Professor in Genomics at the School of Biotechnology in DCU. Her research focuses on the genetic epidemiology of human complex traits, which is crucial to understanding the molecular pathogenesis of these disorders and determining potential therapeutic targets.
Denise completed her PhD and postdoctoral research at Cardiff University, where she played a key role in several genome-wide association studies and sequencing studies of Alzheimer’s disease, which successfully identified several risk loci for the disease. She has also worked on Huntington’s disease, identifying genetic modifiers influencing age at onset of motor symptoms. Subsequent postdoctoral research at Trinity College Dublin involved identity-by-descent mapping approaches to identifying susceptibility variants for Schizophrenia.
Denise’s current research at DCU aims to understand the commonalities in aetiology of age-related chronic diseases, particularly regarding the role of mitochondrial genetic variation. Given her expertise in genomics and the multidisciplinary environment at DCU, she is also open to collaborating on projects outside of her own area, and has for example contributed to studies on the relationship between mitochondrial DNA heteroplasmy and one-carbon metabolism; transcriptomic responses to Fasciola hepatica infection; gene expression profiling of aquatic invertebrates exposed to pharmaceuticals.
Dr. Linda Holland
Linda Holland is currently an assistant professor of microbiology and teaches across several degree programmes and years. Her research is focused on understanding the interactions that occur between fungal and bacterial pathogens during biofilm infections. I am also interested in how mixed infections can alter antimicrobial tolerance during biofilm infections.
Linda's research is focused on understanding the interactions that occur between fungal and bacterial pathogens during biofilm formation. I am also interested in studying the effects of polymicrobial interactions on antimicrobial tolerance of bacteria and fungal pathogens.
Dr. Brian Freeland
Dr. Brian Freeland is an Associate Professor in Bioprocess engineering, in the School of Biotechnology, with main research areas in Bioprocess development for biomaterials, functional foods and nanotechnology. He completed his degree in Mechatronic Engineering in 2005, MSc in Mechanical with Bioprocessing Engineering in 2009 and PhD in 2020. His PhD work surrounds process control and optimisation in the field of nanomaterials.
He has several years experience working with Irish Food, beverage and BioPharma industries producing new-to-world solutions and process development in terms of bioprocess solutions and the Circular BioEconomy.
He received a post of Lecturer of Bioprocess Engineering in the School of Biotechnology in 2015, Assistant Professor in 2020 and Associate Professor of Bioprocess Engineering in 2024. He is Co-Lead in the Grain-4-Lab project, lead in SERKEL.bio and a principle investigator in the Life Science Institute(LSI), The Irish Water Institute and Advanced Processing Technology Research Centre(APT) at DCU.
Prof. Christine Loscher
Christine Loscher is a Full Professor of Immunology and currently the Head of School of the School of Biotechnology at DCU. She leads the Immunomodulation Research Group which has a focus on translating how modulation of the immune response has health benefits.
Her focus includes discovering new anti-inflammatory/anti-allergic compounds and ingredients that can be used in the pharma and food industry. She is a Principal Investigator in the Food for Health Ireland Technology Centre and served on the Scientific Advisory Council at Kerry Foods from 2015 to 2017.
She works collaboratively with 4 Global food ingredient companies and has secured almost €6M in external funding for her research
Prof. Anne Parle-McDermott
Anne Parle-McDermott is Professor in Genetics in the School of Biotechnology and the founding Director of DCU Life Sciences Institute (LSI). As Principal Investigator of the Molecular Genetics Laboratory and LSI member, her research interests are in the complementary areas of functional genetics as it relates to human health and the application of DNA/RNA-based methodologies for clinical diagnostics and biosensor development for environmental, contamination and pathogen monitoring.
Anne has worked in Molecular Biology for over 25 years having learned the fundamentals while studying at Trinity College Dublin, including being part of the European Yeast Sequencing Project. She earned her doctorate in Molecular Cancer at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and returned to Trinity as a Postdoctoral Fellow where she was introduced to folate research and understanding its role in human health. She progressed to a temporary lecturing position at Trinity before moving to DCU in 2006 where she attained tenure in 2009. Anne has held numerous roles in DCU including Head of School from 2018 to 2020.
Recent research and publications from the Parle-McDermott group have focused on the human Dihydrofolate Reductase (DHFR) gene family, in particular deciphering the function of the DHFR2 gene. Anne’s group were the first to apply CRISPR-Cas technology to environmental DNA for species-specific monitoring. Her team continues to develop this isothermal approach and has demonstrated its capability for lineage specificity, its amenability for on-site monitoring and its versatility to detect any species of interest.
Prof. Tia Keyes
Tia Keyes is full professor (Chair) of Physical Chemistry at the School of Chemical Sciences, where she has been a member of academic staff since 2002. Her research interests lie in the fields of molecular spectroscopy & photophysics and in supramolecular & interfacial chemistry. She is particularly interested in applications of these fields to biological problems, including cell imaging/environmental mapping, cell capture, sensing and membrane mimetics. Tia is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, a Fellow of the Institute of Chemistry of Ireland, and member of the Water Institute at DCU.
Tia’s research team is based between the School of Chemical Sciences and the National Biophotonics and Imaging Platform Ireland (NBIPI) which is housed within The National Centre for Sensor Research. To date, Tia is author/co-author of over 230 publications in international peer reviewed journals and has supervised/co-supervised 34 graduate students to PhD completion as well as 3 MScs.
Dr. Aoife Morrin
Aoife Morrin is established in the field of electroanalytical device development for environmental and biomedical sensing applications. Background in conducting polymer materials for analytical biosensing applications extending to microfluidics and whole device system development.
Expertise in broader functional materials including stimuli-responsive materials giving improved performances due to nano-structuring, chemical functionalisation and mechanical properties.
Current application focus is in wearable platforms, specifically epidermal sensing. Active research in understanding the volatile emission for the skin for translating into wearable biochemical sensing platforms. Sensor development approach based on materials including electrically-responsive hydrogels for integration with skin and functionalised magnetic nanomaterials for biomarker capture from tissue.
Dr. Kieran Nolan
Kieran Nolan carried out his PhD at York University, Toronto Canada, under the supervision of Professor Clifford C. Leznoff. After completing his PhD in 1996 Kieran worked in both the pharmaceutical and packaging industry until 1998 when he joined the NCSR at DCU. In 2001 Kieran became a Lecturer in the School of Chemical Sciences at DCU and Senior Lecturer in 2012. Kieran was a founding member of the DCU UDRI Environtech, which was established in February 2011 and in October 2014, Kieran became the Head of School of Chemical Sciences at DCU.
The Nolan research group has been intensively involved in the area of environmental sciences since its inception in 2001. In the past, Dr Nolan’s group has specialized in the development of new chemoreceptors for application in environmental sensing and extraction of heavy metals from waste streams. More recently, the Nolan group has turned its attention to the development of new ‘Green’ synthetic technologies, with particular emphasis on the development of new energy and water efficient microflow photochemical reactors. The Nolan group also specialises in the design and preparation of new photocatalysts and integrated photocatalytic composites such as dye-TiO2, activated carbon- TiO2, Graphene-TiO2 and mineral-graphene composites for application in the removal of pollutants from industrial waste water streams.
Prof. Pat Brereton
Professor Pat Brereton is a senior lecturer in the school of Communications at Dublin City University. Pat has an academic background in all aspect of film studies and new media literacies. His research focuses on representations of: ecology, science, war, religion and national identities among others. He was a previous director of SIM and continues to be an active member while carrying out his duties as Associate Dean for Research in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.
His research adapts a broad interdisciplinary approach to textual analysis, together with a growing involvement with reception study, as evidence of the symbiotic relationship between media texts and audiences.
Dr. Pádraig Murphy
Dr. Pádraig Murphy is Associate Professor in Communications at Dublin City University and Associate Dean for External Engagement in Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
While starting out as an environmental biotechnology graduate, Dr Murphy moved into science communication and Science and Technology Studies in the late nineties, as well as content management in e-learning. His teaching and research interests include science communication, and public engagement with science and technology.
Dr. Murphy leads the Celsius research cluster at DCU. His current research and writing has focused on deliberative and participatory dialogue models for biotechnology, nanotechnology, and sustainable technologies, and ways that society can anticipate communications and policy issues around emerging, disruptive technologies. He managed a citizens’ jury on the trialling of the GM potato in Ireland, the Irish GM Potato Community of Inquiry project, funded by the Irish Environmental Protection Agency.
Dr. Marcos Dias
Marcos Dias is an Assistant Professor and Programme Chair of the BSc in Multimedia at the School of Communications, Dublin City University. He completed a PhD in Media Studies in the University of Melbourne, Australia in 2015 and a MSc with Distinction in Interactive Digital Media from Trinity College Dublin. He also holds a BA in Architecture and City Planning (University of Sao Paulo, Brazil) and a BA in Digital Media Design and Production-First Class Honours (Letterkenny Institute of Technology). His main research investigates the social and spatial impact of digital media in the contemporary mediated city.
Marcos teaches on the BSc in Multimedia programme across a range of modules, including Media Spaces, Major Production Project, Information Design and Emerging Media. Prior to joining DCU, he was Lecturer in Media Studies in Maynooth University and Assistant Lecturer and Programme Director for the BA in Communications in Creative Media in DkIT. Marcos has previously worked as an architect and web designer and was an Editorial Board Member of the Platform Journal of Media and Communications (2010-2011). He is Vice-Chair of the European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) Media, Cities and Spaces Section.
Prof. Noel E. O’Connor
Noel E. O’Connor is a Professor in the School of Electronic Engineering at Dublin City University and Academic Director of the Research and Enterprise Hub on Information Technology and the Digital Society.
He is a Principal Investigator (PI) in Insight Centre for Data Analytics, Ireland’s largest SFI-funded research centre. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed publications, made 11 standards submissions, filed 6 patents, spun off one company and mentored two others. He is an Area Editor for Signal Processing: Image Communication (Elsevier) and an Associate Editor for the Journal of Image and Video Processing (Springer). He was awarded the DCU President’s Research Award for Science and Engineering in 2010. Also in 2010, he was awarded Enterprise Ireland’s National Commercialisation Award for ICT. He is a member of the IEEE, Engineers Ireland and the IET.
Dr. Prince Anandarajah
Dr. Prince Anandarajah received the B.Eng (Electronic Engineering) degree from University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1992. Subsequently, he worked as an Instructor/Maintenance Engineer at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology. On completing his M.Eng (1998), he joined the Radio and Optical Communications Group at DCU where he obtained his PhD degree (2003). He then worked as a postdoctoral researcher until 2006 and later as a Research Officer with the High Speed Devices and Systems centre which is part of the Rince institute (2007). He then held a DCU senior research fellow position until 2016 and is currently a lecturer with the School of Electronic Engineering at DCU.
His main research interests include high-speed optical communications, photonic sensing, direct modulation techniques, generation and optimization of optical frequency combs and short optical pulses, spectrally efficient modulation formats and radio-over-fibre distribution systems. In 2016, he was presented with the DCU president’s research award for outstanding research achievements. He has published over 200 articles in internationally peer reviewed journals and conferences and is also a holder of 5 international patents, 2 of which have been licenced by industry. He is also a founder and a director of a spin-off company called Pilot Photonics. He is a senior member of the IEEE.
Dr. Niamh Cullen
Dr Niamh Cullen is a geomorphologist. Her interests and expertise are centred around coastal geomorphology, particularly rock coasts, and the impacts of climate change on coasts and slope stability.
Niamh holds a BA (Mod) in Earth Science, M.Sc. in Environmental Science and PhD in Geomorphology from the University of Dublin, Trinity College. Based in the School of History and Geography at DCU, Niamh teaches on the BAJH and BCES Programs.
Current research projects include the ACCOMPLISH Project (Applying Citizen Science to a Coastal Monitoring Program for Landslides on Ireland’s Shoreline) and CLImB (Climate, Storm Inundation, and Coastal Boulder Deposits in Western Ireland).
Dr. Brian Corcoran
Dr. Brian Corcoran currently serves as Head of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at Dublin City University (DCU). Previously, he held the role of Associate Dean of Education within the faculty of Engineering and Computing from 2014 to 2017, overseeing academic excellence at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. He is a Chartered Engineer and member of several professional institutions.
With a PhD completed in 2003, Dr. Corcoran's research spans High Purity Water Systems, Lab-on-a-chip, and Sensor technology. His involvement in the 'Water is Life' project sparked an interest in Sustainable Water Systems for Developing Countries, resulting in numerous research outputs including book chapters.
As Principal Investigator on the Energy Systems Integration Project (ESIPP), a multidisciplinary SFI Centre Project, Dr. Corcoran collaborates with a diverse team to develop expertise in energy systems integration. His facilitative approach to research has led to successful involvement in various international projects and the development of strong networks.
Prof. Anthony Staines
Professor Anthony Staines has extensive experience in public health research, focusing on policy implications. With expertise in study design, epidemiology, and policy analysis, he examines information usage across various domains such as health service funding, planning, environmental health, and disease epidemiology. Employing both qualitative and quantitative methods, he generates policy-relevant insights.
Currently, he leads and participates in several FP7-funded projects like RICHE, TACTICS, RN4CAST, and EUROHEIS2, addressing child health research, childhood injury prevention, nursing workforce forecasting, and health/environment information systems. Additionally, he has contributed significantly to haematological disease epidemiology, notably multiple myeloma, leading initiatives like the Epilymph project and participating in the Interlymph consortium and International Multiple Myeloma Consortium.
Dr. Eilish McLoughlin
Dr. Eilish McLoughlin, Associate Professor and Head of the School of Physical Sciences at Dublin City University (DCU), is a distinguished Fellow of the Institute of Physics and a Chartered Physicist.
Since 2000, she has spearheaded physics education research and teacher training at DCU, serving as Director of the Research Centre for the Advancement of STEM Teaching and Learning (CASTeL) from 2008 to 2021. Dr. McLoughlin has led various national initiatives to enhance in-service teachers' competency and confidence in teaching physics and STEM at all educational levels. Notably, she established the STEM Teacher Internship Programme in 2016, providing pre-service physics teachers with valuable industry internships. This program has expanded nationally to encompass pre-service primary and secondary STEM educators from seven Irish universities, fostering partnerships with over 50 industry collaborators and Science Foundation Ireland. Dr. McLoughlin also designed Ireland's first Professional Diploma in Teaching Physics for secondary level educators, supported by the Department of Education. Her commitment to improving gender balance in physics education led to the implementation of the Improving Gender Balance in Ireland project (2016-2019), supported by strategic collaborations with the Institute of Physics and Science Foundation Ireland.
Additionally, she has led numerous European projects focused on promoting inquiry-based approaches in STEM education for both pre-service and in-service teachers. Passionate about knowledge sharing, Dr. McLoughlin disseminates her expertise globally through invited talks, conference presentations, and publications, earning recognition for her leadership in STEM education and engagement across formal and informal contexts.
Dr. David Kinahan
David Kinahan has been an Assistant Professor in the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering since October 2018. David completed a BEng in Aeronautical Engineering (2003) and a PhD (2008) at University of Limerick (UL). His PhD focused on high-throughput droplet microfluidics for DNA analysis. In late 2007 David joined Stokes Bio Ltd, a spin-out from UL, as a Senior Engineer, and was later promoted to Engineering Manager leading a team of 10 engineers.
In January 2012 David joined the Biomedical Diagnostics Institute in DCU and since then has applied microfluidics to a wide range of application areas including human health (HIV diagnostics, CTC detection, CVD diagnostics, liver disease, early detection of bacterial meningitis) and point-of-use testing (plant pathogen detection, environmental monitoring etc). From January 2017 until October 2018 David was a Group Leader within Fraunhofer Project Center at Dublin City University (FPC@DCU).
Dr. Anne Morrissey
Dr. Anne Morrissey earned her BE (Chem) from UCD in 1981, followed by an M.Eng.SC. from UCD in 1983 and a PhD from NUI Galway in 2004. She was the recipient of a Monbusho scholarship, which allowed her to pursue studies in Japan from 1983 to 1985. From 1985 to 1998, she worked in the packaging industry with the Jefferson Smurfit Group.
Joining DCU in 1998, she initially served as the academic coordinator with Oscail and later transitioned to a lecturer role in the School of Biotechnology from 2002 to 2006. Between 2013 and 2017, she was seconded to collaborate with the DCU@PNU team at Princess Nora University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Currently, she serves as an Associate Professor in the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering.
Dr. Paul Young
Dr. Paul Young earned his bachelor's degree in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (BA.BAI.) from Dublin University, graduating with first-class honors in 1986. He completed his PhD at Dublin University in 1991 under the supervision of Prof Henry Rice and Prof John Fitzpatrick, focusing on the High Frequency Monitoring of Cutting Vibrations, partially funded by EOLAS (now Enterprise Ireland). Following this, from 1991 to 1995, he worked as a project engineer for ESTECH Corp., where he engaged in projects related to testing, analysis, and modeling of vehicles to reduce noise and vibration. Upon returning to Ireland in 1995, he joined the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre at University College Dublin, focusing on simulation and monitoring of cutting processes in EU projects like NEMPRO and COMPRO.
Joining DCU as a lecturer in 1998, his research shifted to modeling and analyzing manufacturing systems and processes, leading to collaborations with INTEL Ireland, Irish Manufacturing Research, and European projects as Principal Investigator. Currently, he contributes to projects involving electric vehicle design, environmentally friendly refrigeration for goods vehicles, automation of modeling for manufacturing systems analysis, and serves on the National Council on Collaborative Robotics in Manufacturing.
Dr. Jennifer Gaughran
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 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.
Prof. Enda McGlynn
Professor Enda McGlynn obtained his B.Sc. in Applied Physics with First Class Honors from DCU in 1991, receiving the Lynam Gold Medal in Physics for achieving first place in his graduating class. He earned his Ph.D. in Solid State Physics from DCU in 1996, focusing on the study of Cadmium- and Aluminium-Related Defects in Silicon through Photoluminescence. Following his Ph.D., Prof McGlynn conducted postdoctoral research at the National Microelectronics Research Centre (NMRC) studying metallic impurities in silicon. Since 1996, he has been a faculty member in the School of Physical Sciences at DCU. Prof McGlynn has held various academic roles at DCU, including Associate Dean for Research in the Faculty of Science & Health (2011-2014), Deputy Head of School (2012-2015), and Head of School (2015-2018). Throughout his tenure, he has served as Assistant Lecturer (1996-2000), progressing to Senior Lecturer (2006-2014), and currently holds the position of Associate Professor, retitled to Professor in June 2017.
Prof McGlynn's research centres on semiconductor materials' growth and study, with a primary focus on defects in silicon's optical properties early in his career. More recently, he has shifted towards studying wide bandgap materials and nanostructures using optical spectroscopy and other characterization techniques. His primary research interest lies in the growth and characterization of nanostructured semiconductor materials, particularly nanostructured metal oxide materials. He is particularly focused on understanding the growth mechanisms, crystalline structures, morphological properties, and light interaction of wide bandgap materials like ZnO and its nanostructures on both short and long timescales, including femto-second timescales. Additionally, Prof McGlynn is a founding member of the National Centre for Plasma Science and Technology (NCPST).
Dr. Danny Marks
Dr. Danny Marks is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Politics and Policy in the School of Law and Government of Dublin City University. Prior to this position, he was an Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at the Department of Asian and International Studies of City University of Hong Kong.
He also was previously a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Urban Climate Resilience in Southeast Asia project at the Munk School of Global Affairs of the University of Toronto.
Dr. Marks has spent a number of years conducting research and working in Southeast Asia, particularly in the field of environmental governance. He has worked for a number of organizations in the region, including the World Bank’s East Asia and Pacific Governance Hub, the Rockefeller Foundation, ActionAid and the NGO Forum on Cambodia. Dr. Marks completed his PhD dissertation, An Urban Political Ecology of the 2011 Bangkok Floods, at the University of Sydney.
He received his MA in International Affairs from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. His research interests are political ecology, environmental justice, climate governance, disaster risk reduction, with a focus on Southeast Asia.
Dr. Goran Dominioni
Dr. Goran Dominioni, an Assistant Professor in Law at the DCU School of Law and Government, focuses his research on Carbon Pricing, International Maritime Transport, and Climate Change Law. He leads projects funded by the World Bank and the United Nations Foundation on the implementation of carbon pricing in international shipping.
In addition, he received a grant from the Irish Aid Enterprise Fund for International Climate Action to provide training on this topic to delegates at the International Maritime Organization. Dr. Dominioni is also a Funded Investigator of the SFI Co-Centre for Climate + Biodiversity + Water.
His research on carbon pricing has gained recognition and awards from various institutions, including the MIT Climate CoLab, ELPAR, and the World Bank. His work has been published in prestigious journals and policy outlets, including Climate Policy, Journal of Environmental Law, and Marine Policy.
Dr. Janine Silga
Janine Silga is an Assistant Professor in European Union Law at the School of Law and Government at Dublin City University (Ireland). Prior to that, she held postdoctoral positions at the University of Luxembourg and at the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice (Italy).
She completed her PhD in Law at the European University Institute of Florence (Italy). Her doctoral research dealt with the legal dimension of the migration – development nexus in the European Union policy framework. Her research focuses on EU migration law and policy, and on the EU development policy.
She has also done substantial research on human rights in connection to both migration and asylum. In addition to her academic activities, she has worked with several institutions, including non-governmental organisations.
Dr. Harry Esmonde
Harry Esmonde worked in the nuclear, aerospace and engineering adhesive industries prior to returning to academia in DCU.
Areas of interest include: mechatronics, control, robotics, automation, smart materials, measurement, signal processing and rheology.
Research in the aforementioned areas is conducted with national and international companies/institutions and further collaborations are sought.
Dr. Thomas McCloughlin
Dr. Thomas McCloughlin is a chartered biologist and lecturer in science education in the School of STEM Education, Innovation and Global Studies, DCU Institute of Education. Tom is a graduate of Ulster University majoring in hydrobiology, crop productivity, and microbiology. His research interests in biology concern fish parasitology and assemblages of organisms within ecosystems. His PhD concerns biology education.
Tom has taught biology at primary, secondary and tertiary level and he is actively engaged in research into hydrobiology education: he has included hydrobiology in his education courses throughout his teaching career especially in terms of schools’ local environment: e.g., tidal mudflats in Dundalk bay, simulating tidal ecosystems in the laboratory; parasites of Littorina saxatilis on rocky shores; Diplostomid parasites of freshwater fish including farmed fish.