Professor Markus Helfert is a leading academic in Digital Service Innovation and Digital Transformation at Maynooth University's School of Business . He serves as Director of the Innovation Value Institute , Hub for Data and Digital Research, and holds Science Foundation Ireland Principal Investigator roles at Lero – The Irish Software Research Centre and Adapt Research Centre. His research spans Service Innovation , Artificial Intelligence , Intelligent Transportation Systems , FinTech , and Enterprise Architecture , with active involvement in European Standardisation initiatives.
Peter Mooney is a Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Science & Engineering at Maynooth University. His research focuses on Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI), OpenStreetMap, spatial data analysis, and geospatial data integration in applications such as environmental monitoring and pervasive health systems. Institution: Maynooth University School: Faculty of Science & Engineering Department: Computer Science Role: Lecturer Mooney's research explores the use of crowdsourced geospatial data, particularly through OpenStreetMap, analyzing data quality, community roles, and integration into location-based services. His work bridges technical analysis with policy considerations in geospatial data management. Recent publications highlight his contributions to understanding spatial data dynamics, including attribute changes in OpenStreetMap, characteristics of edited objects, and applications of VGI in environmental systems. He also investigates the intersection of haptics and GIS for novel interaction methods. Contact: peter.mooney@mu.ie
John Herbert is a Senior Lecturer in Computer Science at University College Cork (UCC), Ireland. His research focuses on pervasive computing, wireless sensor networks, and healthcare informatics, with notable projects like the CARA framework for falls assessment in the elderly. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from Cambridge University and has held visiting roles at institutions including SRI International and the University of Cambridge. Education: BSc (Experimental Physics), MSc (Experimental Physics), Postgraduate Diploma (Computer Science) from UCC; PhD (Computer Science) from Cambridge University. Research Grants: Led projects funded by Science Foundation Ireland (163,726) and the Irish Research Council (71,250), focusing on cloud computing and healthcare applications. His work emphasizes context-aware systems, data quality in medical environments, and real-time analysis. Selected awards include an International Fellowship from Digital Systems Research Center (1989) and visiting fellowships at Cambridge (2008-2009). Teaching: Courses include Advanced Software Engineering, Formal Methods, and Model-Based Software Development. Outreach: Advisor to award-winning student teams (e.g., IEEE mobile app contest) and collaborator with industry partners in China and Europe.
Professor Francesco Pilla is a Full Professor of Smart and Sustainable Cities at University College Dublin's School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy, where he also serves as Co-Director of the Spatial Dynamics Lab. Previously, he held positions as MSc Director (2018-2019) and Undergraduate Director for the School of Architecture. With over 15 years of experience in GIS modeling and spatial data analysis, Professor Pilla's work bridges technology, urban planning, and community engagement to create more sustainable cities. Professor Pilla's research focuses on developing geospatial analysis tools and environmental pollution models (air, noise, water) using GIS platforms to facilitate interoperability between research teams and end users. His approach integrates environmental pollution models with pervasive and community sensing applications for calibration and validation. A key innovation in his work is the integration of co-design principles through Living Labs in urban planning and citizen science initiatives to improve city life from an environmental perspective. His recent publications reveal a strong focus on urban sustainability challenges, with significant contributions to air quality monitoring, sustainable transportation, climate adaptation, and citizen science methodologies. His work increasingly incorporates advanced AI techniques, including large language models and machine learning algorithms, to analyze urban systems and develop data-driven solutions for complex environmental problems. The research demonstrates a clear trend toward integrating diverse data sources and developing practical tools for urban governance and planning. Haagen-Smit Prize (2024) - Recognizing outstanding papers published in Atmospheric Environment Best eMobility Project - Electric Vehicle Awards 2024 All Ireland community & council awards - Best Community Transport Initiative 2024 Academic research award: tipping point for action from Financial Times (2023) Professor Pilla leads numerous significant research projects including iSCAPE (H2020-SC5) as Coordinator, OPERANDUM (Principal Investigator for UCD) focusing on flood risk reduction with nature-based solutions, WeCount (Principal Investigator for UCD), and Connecting Nature (Principal Investigator for UCD). He has also secured funding through SFI Investigator grants for 'Scalable, Privacy-Enhanced Analytics for sharing mobility systems' and several Environmental Protection Agency projects. His collaborative work extends to partnerships with MIT through Fulbright/EPA TechImpact awards and IBM through Faculty Awards. At the Spatial Dynamics Lab, Professor Pilla oversees research that combines geospatial analysis, environmental monitoring, and community engagement. His innovative 'Bike Library' initiative, which has expanded to multiple schools in Dublin, exemplifies his commitment to translating research into practical community solutions. The lab's work integrates advanced sensing technologies, GIS platforms, and citizen science to address urban environmental challenges through collaborative approaches.
Dr. Michael O'Grady is a Senior Research Fellow at University College Dublin’s School of Computer Science. He holds a Grad Dip in University Teaching & Learning from UCD. His research focuses on smart technologies, including pervasive health, energy management, climate-smart agriculture, and participatory citizen science. He has led over 200 publications, achieving a H-index of 28, and contributed to EU initiatives like ISEED and Interreg AGEO. He serves on editorial boards and conference committees, including co-chairing Mobihealth 2020. His research interests emphasize transdisciplinary approaches to citizen observatories, smart city governance, and Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). Notable contributions include the MÉRA Data Extraction toolkit for meteorological data and the development of the Citizen Observatory platform for community-based environmental monitoring. He has also explored edge computing’s role in smart agriculture and healthcare applications like wearable IoT-enabled health monitoring systems. Recent work addresses challenges in citizen science data practices, including surveys of citizen scientist experiences and open science principles. His articles highlight innovations in sensor technology, activity recognition, and participatory disaster risk reduction. Professional memberships include the European Alliance for Innovation (distinguished member), ACM, and IEEE (senior member). Teaching interests include problem-based learning in computing education and reflective pedagogical practices. He has coordinated modules at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, emphasizing transformative learning for sustainable development. Grants include the MAIA project (2003–2005), exploring mobile adaptive interface agents. Current collaborations involve COST action PARQ (cardiac arrest prediction) and EU citizen science initiatives. His work bridges technology, policy, and societal needs, with a focus on participatory frameworks for sustainable development.
Dr. Kevin Doolin is Executive Director at the Walton Institute for Information and Communications Systems Science, part of South East Technological University (SETU), where he oversees applied and commercial research activities. He plays a central role in driving EU research participation, proposal development, and commercialization across research units. Education: EdD in Understanding Research Orientation in Academic Institutions, University of Sheffield (Awarded: 11 April 2025) Bachelor of Technology in Electronic Engineering, (Awarded: 30 September 1994) Kevin’s research focuses on Pervasive Computing , the foundation of the Internet of Things (IoT), with applications in smart agriculture, interoperability, and digital platforms. His work bridges technical innovation and research management, particularly in EU-funded projects. Recent publications emphasize digital agri-food systems, supply chain interoperability, and the twin green-digital transition in agriculture. His most recent articles reflect a strong trend toward applying computing technologies to agricultural sustainability, with emphasis on interoperability architectures, farmer adoption of smart technologies, and secure digital systems. These works are published in journals such as Computers and Electronics in Agriculture and Digital Communications and Networks , and include commissioned reports for the European Commission. Scientific Contributions: Coordinated H2020 DEMETER (€17.5M, 60 partners), focusing on agriculture supply chain interoperability Coordinated multiple EU and Enterprise Ireland projects (SOCIETIES, PERSIST, IMSARCS) Founder of Fuseami, a Walton Institute startup for event networking Active contributor to policy and innovation ecosystems Dr. Doolin advises research units and staff on grant acquisition and commercialization. He has secured significant funding from EU Framework Programs (FP6, FP7, H2020), Enterprise Ireland, and the European Innovation Council. His leadership extends to research strategy, proposal development, and cross-unit collaboration. He is involved in innovation networks such as the Community of Practice on Industry-Academia Collaboration and contributes to standards and editorial work. His external role as President of Waterford Chamber of Commerce further underscores his commitment to regional innovation and economic development.
Stephen Farrell is a Research Fellow at Trinity College Dublin's Computer Science Department within the School of Computer Science and Statistics. He is a member of the Distributed Systems Group (DSG) and has been actively contributing to Internet security research and standardization since the 1980s. His work bridges academic research, practical implementation, and Internet governance through leadership roles in major standardization bodies. Farrell earned his PhD from Trinity College Dublin in 2008 with a dissertation on delay-tolerant networking protocols, following a Joint Honours degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from University College Dublin in 1986. His educational background established the foundation for his interdisciplinary approach to network security problems. His research focuses on Internet security architecture, with particular expertise in cryptographic protocols, Public Key Infrastructure, and delay-tolerant networking for challenged environments. A significant portion of his recent work has addressed privacy-preserving technologies, especially related to pandemic response systems. Farrell approaches security with a pragmatic perspective that prioritizes real-world deployment even when purity must be compromised for practicality. His publication record shows a consistent trajectory from foundational security work to applied research addressing contemporary challenges. The most recent publications demonstrate his ability to pivot research focus to address urgent societal needs, as evidenced by his rapid response to the pandemic with the TACT project analyzing contact tracing technologies. Co-author of RFC 7258 'Pervasive Monitoring is an Attack' that fundamentally shifted Internet security priorities Former IETF Security Area Director (2011-2017) overseeing numerous security standards Member of the Internet Architecture Board (2019-2021) Editorial Board Member of IEEE Internet Computing magazine Expert Advisor to Messaging, Malware and Mobile Anti-Abuse Working Group Farrell supervises graduate students, having mentored approximately ten MSc dissertations plus a PhD (Alex McMahon) and MSc by Research (Aidan Lynch). His grant portfolio includes EU-funded projects like STREWS, N4C, and SAIL, as well as funding from organizations like the Open Technology Fund. He has maintained consistent external funding throughout his academic career, often bridging the gap between research and practical implementation. As co-chair of multiple IETF working groups (including OpenPGP and LAKE) and the IRTF's Usable Formal Methods Research Group, Farrell plays a significant role in shaping Internet standards. His leadership in the TACT project during the pandemic demonstrated his ability to rapidly mobilize research efforts to address urgent public health needs through the Testing Apps for COVID-19 Tracing initiative.
Dr. Damien Dupré is an Assistant Professor of Business Research Methods at Dublin City University's Business School. He holds a Ph.D. in Social and Experimental Psychology from Université Grenoble-Alpes, France. His research focuses on psycho-physiological responses in real-world settings, particularly through the analysis of facial expressions and wearable device data. He co-developed the DynEmo database for dynamic facial emotion analysis and collaborated with institutions like Queen’s University, Sensum Ltd, and UCD’s Insight Centre. His expertise includes multivariate time series analysis for machine learning applications in emotion recognition and human-computer interaction. Education: Ph.D. in Social and Experimental Psychology (Université Grenoble-Alpes), postdoctoral work involving physiological measurements of marathon runners. Key collaborations include projects with Sensum Ltd (emotion sensors), Queen’s University (facial expression analysis), and Ixiade (emotional UX evaluation). Research interests span emotion statistics, wearable devices, and physiological computing. Recent work emphasizes automatic facial expression recognition systems and their validation through dynamic datasets. His publications address challenges in emotion detection accuracy across commercial classifiers and the impact of facial interface designs on emotional perception. Teaching responsibilities include Data Analytics for Business, Quantitative Research Methods, and Strategic Consultancy modules. He leads the DCU R Stats Club and actively contributes to open-source tools for data science education. Current projects include the Motoklik–AI-PoC initiative as DCU PI. Professional engagement includes Mastodon activity promoting RStats pedagogy and GitHub repositories showcasing code for emotion analysis (e.g., machine_challenge repo). His work bridges psychological theory, technological innovation, and business analytics applications.
Nicholas Ward is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science & Information Systems at the University of Limerick, with a secondary affiliation to the Digital Media and Arts Research Centre. His work bridges computer science, digital media, and music technology, focusing on interactive systems, gesture analysis, and sound engineering. Research interests include: (1) Digital Musical Instruments (DMIs) and collaborative agency in live performance, (2) Hyper-compression effects in audio mastering, (3) Biometric measurement of movement through Laban Analysis and electromyography, and (4) Tangible interfaces for embodied interaction. His work spans theoretical studies and creative installations, with notable projects like the Gestroviser DMI system and sound installations involving light planes and multi-channel audio. Publications (2007-2019) explore topics ranging from listener perception studies to gesture-based interface design, with a focus on real-time systems and user-centric innovations. His research has been presented at venues like TEI, NIME, and the Audio Engineering Society conferences. Current activities include exploring agency in human-machine collaboration, sound quality dimensions in compressed audio, and movement analysis frameworks for interactive systems design.
Micheal Crotty serves as an Applied Researcher in the Department of Computing and Mathematics at South East Technological University, affiliated with the Walton Institute. His research focuses on the development and implementation of pervasive computing systems with applications across multiple sectors. His research interests center around pervasive computing environments and smart spaces, with particular expertise in the development of platforms that bridge physical and virtual worlds. Crotty's work emphasizes user-centric design in enterprise and educational environments, focusing on how technology can adapt to personal preferences and improve user experiences in smart spaces. His research spans both theoretical frameworks and practical implementations of pervasive systems. The analysis of Crotty's publication record reveals a consistent focus on network architectures, pervasive environments, and transportation applications. His work demonstrates progression from foundational smart space concepts to more specialized applications in transportation and environmental monitoring. The research shows strong interdisciplinary connections between computer networking, environmental science, and human-computer interaction. Throughout his career, Crotty has secured significant research funding through multiple EU and national projects. His project leadership demonstrates strong technical coordination abilities and international collaboration skills. Crotty currently works on applying pervasive computing principles to the transportation sector, specifically developing "Smarter Transport" solutions. His technical expertise spans network management systems, recursive network architectures, and the integration of physical and virtual environments through pervasive computing technologies.
Chris Bleakley is a Professor at the School of Computer Science, University College Dublin (UCD). His research focuses on pervasive computing, indoor positioning systems, and networked embedded systems. He has secured over €2 million in research funding as PI, supervised 12 PhD and 4 MSc students, and authored 1 book and numerous journal/conference papers. Prior to UCD, he held roles as VP Engineering at Massana Ltd, Senior Researcher at Broadcom Eireann, and IT consultant with Accenture. He holds a PhD in Electronic Engineering from Dublin City University and a BSc in Computer Science from Queen's University Belfast. Professional Roles: Associate Editor of Electronics Letters, Senior IEEE Member, ACM Member. Former Head of School of Computer Science at UCD (2019–2022). Research Interests: Indoor positioning (ultrasonic/WiFi), embedded systems, sensor networks, and algorithmic history. Key applications include smart agriculture, biomedical devices, and environmental monitoring. Grants: Includes projects like WiPhyLoc8 (WiFi positioning), EEDSP (embedded health systems), and MobiFit (sports monitoring). Over 18 grants secured between 2004–2022. Education: PhD (1995, DCU), BSc (1st class, Queen's University Belfast). Notable Work: Developed high-accuracy indoor positioning systems using ultrasonic and WiFi technologies. Authored Poems That Solve Puzzles , a popular science book on algorithm history.
Dr. Frances Cleary is the Head of Research Division (MEPS) at the Walton Institute, SETU, Ireland. She leads the Mobile Ecosystem and Pervasive Sensing (MEPS) division focusing on healthcare e-textiles, AI, 5G/6G, smart transport, and VR/AR. She has over 20 years of experience in roles spanning test engineering, business development, and technical leadership. Education: PhD in Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) Bachelor of Technology in Electronic Engineering from Waterford Institute of Technology Research Interests: Frances' work spans healthcare innovation, cybersecurity, smart transport systems, and emerging technologies like e-textiles and neuromorphic computing. Her division combines AI, NLP, and pervasive sensing to address challenges in healthcare and urban mobility. Recent Articles: Her 2024 publications include reviews on XR interventions for autism and epileptic seizure detection devices. In 2023, she explored AI-driven e-textiles and soft exosuits. Earlier works focus on 5G networks, cybersecurity frameworks, and smart transport systems. Grants & Funding: She has secured EU and national-level funding for cluster projects and digital innovation initiatives. Her team collaborates with industry partners to drive knowledge transfer. Labs & Activities: Frances organizes events like the Digital Education Conference 2024 and participates in conferences like ICIC24. She mentors researchers in her division and oversees lab management for experimental facilities and prototyping.
