Aisling Ní Annaidh

Dr. Aisling Ní Annaidh serves as Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Design within the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at University College Dublin's College of Engineering and Architecture. Her research focuses on tissue biomechanics with particular expertise in skin properties and their applications across medical devices, safety equipment, and rehabilitation engineering. She leads interdisciplinary projects bridging mechanical engineering principles with clinical applications.

Her research interests center on tissue biomechanics, especially the mechanical behavior of skin across different ages, anatomical locations, and pathological conditions. Dr. Ní Annaidh employs both experimental techniques (suction-based devices, ultrasound) and computational modeling to develop patient-specific approaches for medical applications. Her work spans microneedle technology for painless drug delivery, wheelchair seating ergonomics to prevent pressure sores, and head impact biomechanics influencing European helmet safety standards. She emphasizes the critical interplay between experimental validation and computational modeling in biomedical research.

Dr. Ní Annaidh's publication record demonstrates consistent contributions to biomechanics literature, particularly in skin mechanics, head injury modeling, and medical device applications. Her research trends show progression from fundamental tissue characterization toward practical implementations in medical devices and safety standards. Notably, her team's discovery about scalp-helmet friction dynamics directly influenced European helmet testing protocols.

She actively supervises doctoral researchers including Wenting Shu (microneedle deployment), Susan Nace (3D-printed wheelchair seating), and Antonia Trotta (helmet safety standards). Her research has received funding from the European Commission's Marie Sklodowska-Curie Programme (HEADS project), Irish Research Council, Enable Ireland, and UCD-CSC scholarships. Dr. Ní Annaidh collaborates extensively with Ireland's medical device sector and UCD's Centre for Biomedical Engineering, translating biomechanical research into clinical applications.