Team Members

Director

Dr. David MacManus

Dr. MacManus is the Director of BRAIN Lab, Conway Fellow, and Associate 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 is a recipient of a prestigious European Research Council Starting Grant (2024) and was awarded €1.5 million to investigate the role of biological sex in traumatic brain injury biomechanics in the geriatric population.

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

Lixia A

Lixia A, M.Sc. is a PhD student contributing to the European Research Council BRAINsex project. Her PhD focusses on developing next generation sex specific finite element models of the human brain.

PhD Student

Abdulrahman Khaled

Abdulrahman Khaled is a PhD student contributing to the European Research Council BRAINsex project. His PhD focusses on the sex specific biomechanical characterisation of brain tissue under conditions suitable for modelling traumatic brain injury.

PhD Student

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

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 Assoc. Prof. Kathleen Curran (UCD School of Medicine).

PhD Student

Lauren Kennedy

Lauren Kennedy M.Sc. is a PhD student contributing to the European Research Council BRAINsex project. Her PhD focusses on characterising the sex-specific biomechanics of cerebral vasculature under both physiological and traumatic brain injury conditions. This project is conducted in collaboration with Dr. Stephen Thorpe (UCD School of Medicine).

PhD Student

Yu Chen

Yu’s PhD project focuses on extracting head impact kinematics from UAV footage. This exciting project is in collaboration with lead PI Dr Harun Šiljak (Trinity College Dublin).

PhD Student

Ashwin Mishra

Ashwin Mishra M.Sc. is a PhD student contributing to the European Research Council BRAINsex project. His PhD focusses on characterising developing sex specific finite element models of the young adult population.

Former Members

Gustavo Carmo, Research Assistant, UCD (2023).

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).