Our Principal Investigators (PIs)
Meet Our Principal Investigators
We have a team of internationally-recognised Principal Investigators with extensive research and mentoring experience, covering all of our research themes. More information about Call 1 and Call 2 supervisors can be found by clicking on the green arrows.
Call 2 is now open.
![]() ![]() Prof. Gavin Walker (Call 1 & 2)
Contact: gavin.walker@ul.ie PROCESS Research Theme: Bulk Solids Processing Research Interests:
Short Bio: Publications: Qualifications: |
![]() ![]() Prof. Mike Zaworotko (Call 1)
Science Foundation Ireland Research Professor PROCESS Research Theme: Bulk Solids Processing Contact: xtal@ul.ie Research Interests:
Short Bio : Publications : Qualifications:
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![]() ![]() Dr Damien Thompson (Call 1 & 2)
Contact: damien.thompson@ul.ie PROCESS Research Theme: Bulk Solids Processing Research Interests:
Short Bio Dr Thompson’s group design novel architectures and assemblies based on the directed self-assembly of nanoscale building blocks (small molecules, biomolecules, monolayers, and nanoparticles) in collaboration with leading experimental and industry partners in European Framework, Science Foundation Ireland and Enterprise Ireland funded projects. Thermodynamic modelling of assemblies from the atomic to micron scale is performed using workstations at the Bernal Institute UL, the Irish Centre for High End Computing and supercomputing centers throughout mainland Europe. He has graduated four PhD students and supervised eight postdoctoral researchers, and currently supervises three PhD students and three postdoctoral researchers. Publications: Qualifications:
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![]() ![]() Dr Norma Bargary (Call 2)
Contact: norma.bargary@ul.ie PROCESS Research Theme: Process modelling and integrated process control, Process Analytical Technologies (PAT) Research Interests:
Short Bio: I graduated in 2005 from the University of Limerick with a BSc. in Mathematical Sciences and Computing (majoring in Statistics). I subsequently began a PhD at UL in 2005 with Dr. Kevin Hayes, examining the use of the linear mixed effects model in functional data analysis. I graduated in 2008 and then spent a year lecturing statistics in UL. In 2009 I began a postdoctoral position with Professor John Hinde at NUI Galway, developing models to cluster time-course microarray data. In 2011, I was… read more appointed as lecturer in statistics at UCD and began the position in January 2012. This was a joint appointment between the School of Mathematical Sciences and Systems Biology Ireland. I began my current lecturing position at the University of Limerick in September 2013. My main area of interest is in the statistical modelling of time-course/functional data using the mixed effects model. I have applied these methods to analyse biological data, e.g. RNA-seq, ChIP-seq, mass-spectometry, microarray data and biomechanics data. Publications: A list of publications can be viewed on Dr Bargary's research profile with the Mathematics Applications Consortium for Science and Industry (MACSI) site: https://ulsites.ul.ie/macsi/node/44131
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![]() ![]() Prof. Kevin Ryan (Call 1)
SFI Principal Investigator, Bernal Institute PROCESS Research Theme: Hybrid Processing Research Interests:
Short Bio Publications: Qualifications:
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![]() ![]() Prof Michael Vynnycky (Call 2)
Contact: michael.vynnycky@ul.ie PROCESS Research Theme: Hybrid Processing, Mass Transfer Processes, Heat & Momentum Transfer, Bulk Solids Processing, Process Modelling, Control & PAT Research Interests:
Prof. Vynnycky's research interests include: Modelling of industrial problems; Fluid mechanics; Electrochemistry; Energy; Stefan problems; Asymptotic methods; Moving boundary problems; Drug diffusion Short Bio:
Prof. Vynnycky has recently joined the University of Limerick as a Professor of Applied Mathematics. He previously held the role of head of the Division of Casting of Metals, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm. He has held research positions in the UK, Japan, Ireland, Sweden, Brazil and France. He obtained his PhD from Oxford University in 1991. Michael’s research has relevance to areas such as the development of batteries, fuel cells, the Mpemba effect, steel casting, smectic A liquid crystals and drug dissolution. He is a member of the Mathematics Applications Consortium for Science and Industry (MACSI) at UL. Selected Publications:
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![]() ![]() Dr Sarah Mitchell (Call 2)
Contact: sarah.mitchell@ul.ie PROCESS Research Theme: Process modelling and integrated process control; heat, mass and momentum transfer Research Interests: Short Bio:
Dr Mitchell is a Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Limerick (UL). She obtained her undergraduate degree in 1999 (MMath in Mathematics) and her PhD in 2003, both from the University of Bath, UK. Afterwards she took up two postdoc positions in Canada (University of British Columbia, 2003-2006) and South Africa (University of Cape Town, 2006-2008), before starting a lectureship position in Applied Mathematics at UL in January 2008. In September 2013 she became Deputy Head of Department and then took over as Head in September 2016. Her main research interests are in numerical and mathematical modelling of moving boundary problems relevant to solidification (such as casting of metals) or melting (such as glaciers) and modelling drug diffusion in glassy polymers. Selected Publications:
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![]() ![]() Dr. Maurice Collins (Call 1)
Contact: maurice.collins@ul.ie PROCESS Research Theme: Hybrid Processing and Bulk Solids Processing Research Interests:
Short Bio: Publications:
Qualifications:
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![]() ![]() Dr Patrick Frawley (Call 2)
Contact: patrick.frawley@ul.ie PROCESS Research Theme: Process Modelling, Control and PAT Research Interests:
Process Modelling Crystallization kinetics Continuous processing Computational Fluid Dynamics Short Bio
Dr. Patrick Frawley has extensive academic-industrial research experience. He is a Senior Lecturer in Aerodynamics and has supervised thirteen doctorates to completion in the areas of process design and turbomachinery design. Through the University of Limericks’ partnership with Aughinish Alumina (Rusal) he led the process-modelling team in their development and modification of the plant. In his current role as a funded Investigator for the SFI funded Solid-State Pharmaceutical Centre (SSPC) he plays a leading role in process modelling and optimization of crystallization. In 2013, he led a research team funded by SFI/TIDA to examine a commercial crystallization process. An accurate design space determination approach combined with process modelling resulted in a transformed crystallisation process including innovative developments: a potential yield increase of over 3% at plant scale and significant reductions in process time, solvent use and complexity, with improvements in throughput and better product quality control. He has chaired two conferences where Irish industry proactively addressed the key challenges of API manufacture namely 1st SSPC Continuous Processing workshop, 2013 and Process Analytical Technology Conference, 2015. Publications Qualifications:
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![]() ![]() Prof. Vivek Ranade (Call 2)
Contact: Vivek.Ranade@ul.ie PROCESS Research Theme: Hybrid processing, Mass transfer processes, Heat and momentum transfer Research Interests:
Short Bio: Vivek Ranade is a Bernal Professor of Process Engineering at Bernal Institute, University of Limerick, Ireland and Professor of Chemical Engineering at the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering of Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland. His research focus is on developing insights, innovations & intensified solutions for sustainable energy, water and chemicals. He uses computational flow modelling, hydrodynamic cavitation and MAGIC (modular, agile, intensified & continuous) processes to achieve this. Before moving to Ireland, he led chemical engineering at CSIR - National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India. He has contributed significantly to chemical engineering science and practice. He has developed several performance enhancement solutions, software products and fluidic devices for variety of applications which are commercialized. He developed new insights and methodologies for process intensification. He is an Associate Editor of ‘Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research’ and serves on editorial boards of ‘Chemical Engineering Research & Design’ and ‘Indian Chemical Engineer’ journals. He is a recipient of numerous awards including highest Indian Scientific award Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar award for scientists under 45 years. He is a fellow of IChemE UK, Indian National Academy Sciences, Indian National Academy of Engineering and Indian Academy of Sciences. Vivek has published more than 150 papers (> 7000 citations, h index=49: from Google Scholar) and 7 books (on computational flow modelling, combustion & gasification, trickle bed reactors, water treatment and process intensification). Vivek is a co-inventor of more than 20 patents and has co-founded two technology companies: Tridiagonal Solutions (www.tridiagonal.com) and VIVIRA Process Technologies (www.vivira.in). More than twenty five PhD students have successfully completed or completing their projects under Vivek’s guidance. Most of these PhDs from the group are working with the leading industries like Reliance, UOP/ Honeywell, Shell, SABIC and GE. Vivek has also trained more than 100 Master’s students and project assistants who are now working either in industries or Universities worldwide. Vivek has a successful track record of conceiving and managing large collaborative projects with academic institutes as well as large multi-national industries. For example, Vivek conceived & led large collaborative project, Indus MAGIC (innovate, develop & up-scale MAGIC [modular, agile, intensified & continuous] processes). More than 30 scientists working in five CSIR laboratories and their students/ post-docs were participating in this project (resulted in commercialisation of several products & processes besides more than 130 publications and more than 30 patent disclosures). Currently leading a large project involving 12 collaborators from UK and India on valorising sugar cane waste biomass (www.vwainnovations.org). Five out of these twelve partners are industries (two from UK and three from India). Vivek has collaborated and have successfully completed several industrial projects (including with large multinationals like Dupont, Reliance Industries, Invista, Dow, Huntsman, Celanese, BP, Suncor, Pfizer, P & G). Publications: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivek_Ranade Qualifications:
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