Team Members

Director

Dr. David MacManus

Dr. MacManus is the Director of BRAIN Lab and Assistant Professor in the School of Mechanical & Materials Engineering at University College Dublin. His research focusses on the biomechanics of traumatic brain injury with a particular focus on the mechanical behaviour of brain tissue under large strains at high strain rates.

Dr. MacManus has a BA, BAI in Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering from Trinity College Dublin, and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from University College Dublin. During his PhD, Dr. MacManus developed a state-of-the-art micro-indentation apparatus capable of applying up to 100/s strain rate and >35% strain to soft biological tissues. For his achievements, Dr. MacManus’s PhD thesis was awarded the Broberg Medal for Best PhD Thesis in Mechanics at UCD in 2017. Following his PhD, he was awarded the prestigious Science Foundation Ireland Industry Fellowship to investigate the pathophysiology of insulin-induced injection site lipohypertrophy.

Dr. MacManus’s research has been highly cited and published in leading biomedical engineering journals including Acta Biomaterialia, Scientific Reports, Journal of the Mechanical Behaviour of Biomedical Materials, and Brain Multiphysics.

PhD Student

Mr. Ali Rostam-Alilou

Mr. Rostam-Alilou was awarded a PhD scholarship through the Science Foundation Ireland Centre for Research Training in Digitally Enhanced Reality (D-REAL). His PhD project is focussed on the development of machine learning tools to predict the pathological sequelae of traumatic brain injury. This project is in collaboration with Prof. Tríona Lally (Trinity College Dublin), Dr. David Loane (Trinity College Dublin), and Prof. Nicholas Dunne (Dublin City University).

PhD Student

Ms. Katterine Ríos

Katterine Rios M. Sc., PhD focuses on the biomechanics of the stomatognathic system and spine. Her PhD project aims to unravel the influence of the upper cervical spine position on lumbar spine biomechanics and the pathophysiological processes using computational modelling. This project is in collaboration with Dr. Kathleen Curran (UCD School of Medicine).

Research Assistant

Mr. Gustavo Carmo

Gustavo graduated in Mechanical Engineering in 2020 and obtained his M. Sc. in 2022 (University of Aveiro, Portugal). With an area of expertise in finite element analysis of biological structures, Gustavo joined UCD as a research assistant to characterise the constitutive properties of biological tissues under large strain rates and large strains using atomic force microscopy to better understand their mechanical behaviour during trauma. This project is in collaboration with Prof. Brian Rodriguez ( UCD School of Physics), Dr. Stephen Thorpe (UCD School of Medicine), and Dr. Dearbhaile Dooley (UCD School of Medicine).

Former Members

Caiden Covell, Research Assistant, UCD (2023).

Dr. Subrata Mondal, Postdoctoral Research Assistant, DCU (2020-2022).

Paul Coyne, M. Eng. Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering, DCU (2022).

Luke Conlon, M. Eng. Biomedical Engineering, (2022).

Zahraa Jassim, M. Sc. Biomedical Engineering, DCU, (2021-22).

Parth Karasi, M. Sc. Biomedical Engineering, DCU, (2021-22).

Roman Frantsuzov, M. Sc. Biomedical Engineering, DCU (2021-22).

Cathal Culligan, M. Eng. Biomedical Engineering, DCU (2021-22).

Evan Shefflin, M. Eng. Biomedical Engineering, DCU (2021-22).

Andrew Boylan, M. Eng. Biomedical Engineering, DCU (2019-21).

Anne Cowan, M.Eng. Biomedical Engineering, DCU (2020-21).

Sean Halpin, M.Eng. Biomedical Engineering, DCU (2019-21).

Emma Madigan, M. Eng. Biomedical Engineering, DCU (2019-21).

Geo George Jacob, M. Sc. Biomedical Engineering, DCU (2019-20).

Danielle Aboud, ME Biomedical Engineering, UCD (2018-19).

Niall Donnelly, ME Mechanical Engineering, UCD (2014-15).