Prof. Leonard O’Sullivan
Director
Kevin J. O’Sullivan
Senior Research Fellow
Dr. Aidan O’Sullivan
Research Fellow
Una Cronin
Research Fellow
Alice Shannon
PhD Researcher
Callum Guttridge
PhD Researcher
Niall Mulcahy
PhD Researcher
Collaborators
The unit is funded through the Confirm centre for Smart Manufacturing supported by SFI, and funding from a local industry.
Prof Leonard O'Sullivan
Director
Leonard is an Associate Professor in human factors and ergonomics in the School of Design at the University of Limerick. He is the leader of the Design Factors Research Group where he leads national and EU funded projects. His research interests include user centred design in medical device innovation, 3d printing of medical devices, and strategies to optimise the commercial opportunity of medical devices. His group has several invention disclosures and patent applications in the areas of urology, GI/colorectal surgery, cardiology and respiratory medicine. Several of these invention disclosures have secured funding to be developed commercially and have spun out of the university. Leonard is the director of the Rapid Innovation Unit (www.riu.ie) which is leading research on medical device design between UL and the UL Hospitals Group.
Kevin J. O’Sullivan
Senior Research Fellow
Kevin is a Senior Research Fellow in the School of Design and the Research Lead for the Rapid innovation Unit located in St. Johns Hospital, Limerick. He has over a decade of experience in Medtech innovation and research, culminating in the formation of a spin out from the university in 2018, Solopep Ltd. Kevin was named the “One to Watch” in 2019 at the annual Big Ideas showcase held by Enterprise Ireland, and has given invited talks at the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland’s conference - 100 years of Nursing Regulation, and the Kemmy School of Business. To date, he has authored 6 patents for medical devices that are granted, and has several more in review. A former graduate of Product Design & Technology at UL, Kevin is a Certified SolidWorks Professional (CSWP) and a member of the Irish Human Factors & Ergonomics Society (MIHFES).
Dr. Aidan O’Sullivan
Research Fellow
Aidan holds a B.Sc. in Product Design and received his Ph.D for his research in central venous catheter complications and innovation in treatment delivery for patients in haemodialysis. Aidan is also a certified Solidworks expert in 3D modelling. Aidan is the lead inventor on the StathGuard project, a novel CVC catheter securement device which is funded by Enterprise Ireland for over €500k. Aidan's current role is as Research Fellow & Technical Lead in the Rapid Innovation Unit which is leading research in medical device design between UL and the UL Hospitals Group.
Una Cronin
Research Fellow
Una Cronin joined the RIU team as a Research Fellow in 2020. She holds a Masters degree in Nursing from UL, a Graduate Diploma in Emergency Nursing and a Bachelor degree in Nursing from UCD. Una has a diverse professional background, originally working as an emergency nurse for many years. She has worked in Pharmaceuticals and in the EMEA market within the Medical Device industry. Una most recently operated the Emergency Department research team in UHL (REDSPoT), winning the 2019 Staff Recognition Awards for Research. During this time, she co-founded ‘Nursing Nines’, an initiative giving nurses the opportunity to present topics of interest and share new initiatives within ULHG. Una is passionate about individualized patient care and nursing empowerment.
Alice Shannon
PhD Researcher
Alice is a PhD student working on novel formulations for 3D printing suitable for medical applications. Her research primarily focuses on creating a novel antimicrobial material suitable for 3D printing PEG tube accessories for patients with Cystic Fibrosis. She is also working on a radiopaque ink formulation to improve visibility of 3D printed devices under X-ray imaging. Alice has a degree in Applied Physics and a Master’s degree in Biomedical Device Materials.
Callum Guttridge
PhD Researcher
Callum a is PHD research student focusing on the novel application of 3D printing within existing medical supply chains. Whilst keeping all of our machines operational his research aims to deliver a decision-making matrix for selecting the optimal 3D printing method for class 1 and 2 medical devices. Callum has a Bachelors Degree in product design and industry experience working with several 3D printing companies as a service and applications engineer.
Niall Mulcahy
PhD Researcher
Niall Mulcahy joined the RIU team as a Research assistant in 2020 before transitioning to a PhD role within the unit in 2021, with a focus on Point of Care manufacture of medical devices. His background is in Product Design, graduating from the University of Limerick with a Bachelor of Science in Product Design & Technology. His hobbies and professional life have often translated between each other, between standing as President of the UL Mountain Biking Club for 2 years and his interest in 3D printing, which led to experience working in an Operations Engineering role in Stryker and following this, joining the RIU team.
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St. John's Hospital, Limerick
