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Dr. Fiona Freeman

Associate Professor (Ad Astra Fellow)

Dr. Fiona Freeman is an Associate Professor and Ad Astra Fellow in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at University College Dublin (UCD). She graduated in Biomedical Engineering in 2011 and earned her PhD from the University of Galway in 2016, focusing on developing new strategies for bone tissue regeneration. Afterward, Dr. Freeman was awarded two prestigious postdoctoral fellowships: the Government of Ireland IRC Postdoctoral Research Fellowship and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Global Fellowship. These fellowships provided her with opportunities to work as a postdoctoral researcher in renowned labs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Johns Hopkins University, and Trinity College Dublin. She is the recipient of the prestigious New Investigator Recognition Award (NIRA) from the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS) (2020) and was named a Top Innovator under 35 from MIT Technology Review in 2023.

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fiona.freeman@ucd.ie
Jordan O'Donoghue PhD Researcher

Jordan Christopher O'Donoghue

PhD Researcher

Jordan is a PhD research student at University College Dublin. He is currently in the first year of his 4-year PhD programme at UCD. Jordan received a BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry in 2021 from University College Cork and has recently completed his 2-year full-time research MSc Biochemistry also at UCC. Jordans current research focuses on modulating the cGAS/STING pathway as a novel immunotherapeutic target in osteosarcoma.

jordan.odonoghue@ucdconnect.ie
Emma Maher MSc Student

Emma Maher

MSc Student

Emma is an engineering master’s student at University College Dublin. She is currently in the final year of her Master’s of Engineering Degree, majoring in Biomedical Engineering. She previously earned her BSc in Engineering Science also from University College Dublin. Emma’s current research focuses on characterising and simulating various biomaterials to understand their influence on the design of organ-on-a-chip devices.

emma.maher1@ucdconnect.ie
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Conor Cremin

MSc Student

Conor is currently undertaking a MSc in Artificial Intelligence and Medical Research at University College Dublin. He previously obtained a BSc in Mechanical Engineering in Cork Institute of Technology. Conor’s research internship is focused on developing an AI model capable of predicting the quantity and size of lung metastasis from CT scans of mice lungs. The model will use a combination of the U-net lung segmentation algorithm to find changes in the volume of the lungs, while a SVM model will identify individual tumours. This model will then be used to analyse the therapeutic potential of a cancer treatment in reducing lung metastasis.

conor.cremin@ucdconnect.ie
Máire Coghlan

Máire Coghlan

Undergraduate Student

Máire is an undergraduate student at University College Dublin. She is in the final year of her BSc degree in Biomedical, Health and Life Sciences at UCD. She is currently undertaking her final year research project investigating the relationship between Thp1 macrophages and SaOS2 cells in osteosarcoma.

maire.coghlan@ucdconnect.ie
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Jake Duffy

Undergraduate Student

Jake Duffy is a 4th year student at University College Dublin and is currently studying for a degree in Biomedical Engineering. His current research focuses on the development of a decellularised bone ECM hydrogel to model the bone tumour microenvironment.

jake.duffy@ucdconnect.ie