The School of Engineering at Trinity College Dublin proudly launched its Research Strategy 2025–2030 at a special showcase event on 25 March, held in the Trinity Business School. The event brought together students, staff, research partners, and industry collaborators to celebrate the breadth and ambition of the School’s research agenda and to share the exciting future ahead. 

This milestone marks a renewed commitment to fostering innovation, driving impact, and growing our research ecosystem responsibly. Our new Research Strategy sets out a bold vision to advance engineering solutions that benefit nature and society, by harnessing cutting-edge tools, emerging technologies, and transformative data-driven approaches. 

The event featured thought-provoking presentations from across our three core disciplines: Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering; Electronic and Electrical Engineering; and Mechanical, Manufacturing and Biomedical Engineering. The School’s five Research centres also showcased pioneering work that exemplifies our strategic priorities: The Trinity Centre for Biomedical Engineering (TCBE), The Trinity Centre for Transport Research and Innovation for People (TRIP), The Trinity Centre for Water Research, The Trinity Centre for Low Carbon Technologies, and TrinityHaus 

 

Distinguished Speakers 

The event opened with remarks from Professor Michael Monaghan, Director of Research, who commented the School’s wide-reaching research excellence and commented how the strategy is dedicated to developing a generation of researchers to meet the demands of today and our future. He highlighted how the Strategy will guide blue-sky thinking and real-world applications, from climate solutions and digital infrastructure to healthcare and wellbeing. 

Provost Dr Linda Doyle commended the research strategy and shared her commitment to fostering an environment where research, particularly in engineering, thrives through openness, inclusivity, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Dr Doyle emphasised her vision of making Trinity a "public university that is fearless in its pursuit of a deep-rooted fairness," highlighting her dedication to equity and accessibility in academic endeavours. 

Professor Sinéad Ryan, Dean and Vice President of Research, celebrated the leadership in the School for their commitment to developing research with international reach across all career stages. Prof Ryan also spoke to the alignment between the Strategy and Trinity’s Research Charter, underlining the importance of long-term investment in people and research infrastructure. 

Professor Alan O’Connor, Head of the School of Engineering, discussed how the Strategy reflects the School’s ongoing investment in research, education, and innovation - embodied in new developments like the Martin Naughton E3 Learning Foundry. Professor O’Connor also celebrated the collaboration between our early stage researchers and experienced researchers, which is a cornerstone of The School’s research achievements. 

Professor Sylvia Draper, Dean of STEM, emphasised the power of STEM to transform society, and the critical role that the people; our students, staff, and graduates play in shaping a better future through engineering. Professor Draper also praised the focus the strategy makes on positioning our people to be part of a community that is moving forward together. 

Spotlight on Early Career Researchers 

The showcase included lightning presentations from early career researchers whose work reflects the School’s commitment to forward-looking, impactful research: 

  • Dr Harun Šiljak explored the policy landscape surrounding quantum technologies in his project Not a Space Race. 
  • Dr Brooke Tornifoglio presented biomedical research projects tackling ventilator-associated pneumonia, medical device-tissue interactions, and breast cancer progression. 
  • Dr Jin Zhao shared insights on resilient, AI-enhanced energy systems that integrate climate adaptation and infrastructure coupling. 
  • Dr Patrick Morrissey introduced AgEvaluate, an EPA-funded project addressing water quality and agricultural runoff through scientific evidence and policy improvement. 
  • Dr Rui Teixeira spoke about his research focus of risk and resilience assessment of physical infrastructure and the physical environment. These topics are covered in the new MSc in Climate Adaptation Engineering, with which Dr Teixeira is involved. 
  • Dr Siyuan Zhan is a control engineer, whose research is focused on designing control systems, for example Model Predictive Control, Optimal Control and Adaptive Control, to maximise potential of devices. Dr Zhan also spoke to his focus on marine renewable energy such as tidal energy, wave energy converters and floating photovoltaic systems 

We are truly grateful for the tremendous turnout and enthusiastic engagement from our community. The Research Strategy 2025–2030 reflects our shared mission to engineer transformative solutions that serve society, the environment, and future generations. 

Read the full strategy here: 
  Research Strategy 2025–2030 (PDF)