Dr Mooney was recently named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for 2026 in the Energy and Green Tech category, recognising his contribution to climate and sustainability focused engineering and entrepreneurship. The recognition highlights emerging leaders whose work is shaping the future of global energy and environmental systems.

Dr Mooney previously held a postdoctoral position at Trinity College Dublin School of Engineering, where he worked with Professors Robinson, O'Shaughnessy, Pakdel, Persoons, Gibbons and Lupoi and Huawei Technologies Sweden AB on the thermal management of 5G wireless infrastructure. This research addressed one of the key technical challenges facing next generation communications networks, improving performance, efficiency, and sustainability.

He is also a Trinity alumnus, having completed an MSc in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Trinity Business School. This combination of deep technical expertise and entrepreneurial training has played a central role in shaping his career, particularly his focus on translating research into real world impact.

Currently, Dr Mooney is a Research Engineer at the Georgia Institute of Technology and co-founder and CEO of WattAir, a company cofounded with Prof. Bachir El Fil, a professor of mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech. WattAir is focused on commercialising water and energy technologies with global impact. His research and innovation interests span data centre thermal management, building cooling, water harvesting, and the green energy transition. WattAir builds directly on Dr Mooney’s academic training in thermal-fluid sciences and systems engineering, reflecting Trinity’s emphasis on research that delivers tangible societal and environmental benefit.

Dr Mooney comments that water scarcity and access to clean water are emerging as binding constraints on economic growth and infrastructure resilience worldwide, with nearly 2 billion people lacking access to safe drinking water and global water demand projected to exceed supply by ~40% by 2030. At the same time, energy-intensive infrastructure is expanding rapidly in high-GDP economies; in Ireland, data centres already account for ~21% of national electricity consumption, a figure projected to rise significantly as digital services and AI workloads grow. These facilities also generate large quantities of low-grade waste heat and consume substantial volumes of water for cooling, placing additional pressure on both electrical grids and municipal water systems. Atmospheric water harvesting presents an opportunity to address this coupled challenge by using waste heat to extract water directly from ambient air, transforming an otherwise discarded energy stream into a valuable local resource while improving overall system efficiency and reducing strain on water and power infrastructure.

An image of Water Scarcity as a function of GDPWater Scarcity as a Function of a Country's GDP

WattAir is developing water-from-air and cooling technologies that reuse low-grade waste heat from data centres to produce clean water, turning a thermal by-product into a valuable resource. Data centres already account for over 20% of Ireland’s electricity demand, and many facilities rely on significant volumes of water for cooling and humidity control. By harvesting water directly from the air using waste heat, WattAir’s approach can reduce both electrical cooling loads and dependence on municipal water supplies. This integrated solution supports more sustainable data-centre growth while easing strain on Ireland’s power and water infrastructure.

Dr Mooney’s career includes a series of prestigious international fellowships and awards. He is a former MIT Postdoctoral Research Fellow, a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow with the European Commission, and a recipient of a Breakthrough Energy Explorer Grant. He completed his PhD through CONNECT and Nokia Bell Labs, focusing on the thermal management of 5G WiFi technologies.

Alongside his research and entrepreneurial work, Dr Mooney is deeply engaged in mentorship, collaboration, and professional service. He was an advisor to MIT and Harvard Climate and Energy Ventures, a Science Foundation Ireland CONNECT Centre Affiliate Investigator, a member of Engineers Ireland, and a mentor and advisor across multiple Georgia Tech & MIT research and undergraduate programmes. He has supervised students at undergraduate and postgraduate level and has been recognised for excellence in research communication, including receiving the ASME IMECE Best Presentation Award and the Sir Bernard Crossland Symposium best presentation award.

The School of Engineering congratulates Dr Joseph Mooney on his Forbes 30 Under 30 recognition and his continued impact across engineering, climate innovation, and entrepreneurship. His career reflects the strength of Trinity’s research culture and the value of interdisciplinary education in addressing global challenges.

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