N-PCAM Graduate Profiles
Chris Murray, Intel Researcher:
What I do:
As an Intel employee, Chris is concerned with exploring ways of making smaller and faster transistors and researching new ways of storing electronic information.
What I studied in college & what the course offers:
I studied Science of Materials in Trinity College Dublin, at the beginnings of this degree programme. It has launched me into a very intellectually rewarding career encompassing both research and industrial experience in silicon processing, magnetism and magnetic materials, ultra low-k dielectric materials, aerogels, carbon nanotubes, materials for back end interconnect, fabrication and high end characterisation of materials. I have worked at the National Microelectronics Research Centre (now the Tyndall Institute), at the Technische Universität Chemnitz in Germany, and now at Intel.
Dr Michele Keyes, SolarPrint:
What I do:
I am currently working as a materials scientist in SolarPrint. SolarPrint is developing Dye Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs), a novel 3rd Generation printable flexible solar cell technology, which uses abundant, cheap raw materials and employs a low-cost, fast and easy manufacturing process. My work is in the area of research and development of this interesting and exciting field.
What I studied in college & what the course offers:
I studied PCAM for my undergraduate in Trinity. The reason why I chose this course was because it was multi-disciplinary and cutting edge. Lecture series on physics, chemistry, engineering and nanotechnology gave a well rounded education in science, whether it is learning what materials make a waterproof coat or how to make pink gold! As the size of materials decrease, their properties change drastically. Silver becomes anti-bacterial, and blue! Magnetic nanoparticles can have drugs attached to them, these can be tailored to go to site-specific locations, breaking down leaving only iron and the drugs behind.Carbon nanotubes can replace gold wires in computer chips or make plastic super-strong. Nanotechnology is not a future science, it is already around us. There are nano materials in make-up, toothpaste, computers and teddy bears. That is why it is important that N-PCAM exists for Irish students, welcome to the future!
Dr. Niall Kinahan, a Postdoctoral Researcher in CRANN:
What I do:
I am currently working as a postdoctoral researcher in CRANN on the theme of nano-electronics. Here, my work involves fabricating and electrically characterising nanoscaled electronic systems, for example nanowire based field-effect transistors, for potential use in next generation computational devices. Future computational devices demand a reduction in feature sizes in order to increase computational power and processing speeds, and for increased data storage. To this end, nanowires and indeed molecules hold strong promise and are topics of vast research worldwide with huge economic potential. However, conducting this research is difficult as sophisticated equipment is required to manipulate and probe matter at the nanoscale. CRANN is a state-of-the-art facility that allows such research to be conducted, with an expanse of cutting-edge equipment and methodologies that permits exploration and exploitation of the nanoworld.
What I studied in college & what the course offers:
I graduated from TCD in November 2003 with a degree in 'The Physics & Chemistry of Advanced Materials'. This course provides graduates with a high-quality flexible qualification with numerous prospects in both industry and advanced research fields. The course not only focuses on fundamental physics and chemistry, but also has a strong emphasis on newly emerging materials for advanced applications in electronics, communication, medicine, energy and transportation. These newly emerging technologies demand a deep understanding of how matter behaves at the nanoscale, and the recent addition of nanoscience to degree syllabus is pertinent to ensure that graduates meet current cutting-edge industrial and research requirements.