Winners of Tyndall's Wrixon bursary announced

THE Tyndall National Institute based at University College Cork (UCC) has announced three winners of the inaugural Wrixon Research Excellence Bursary.

The very first winners of the bursary have a wide-ranging impact in the fields of museum conservationism, computer simulations on new materials, and enhanced sensor activity.

The aim of the Wrixon Bursary is to recognise and promote postgraduate research excellence in Tyndall based on students’ accomplishments and achievements during their PhD and Masters research.

Dinesh Gawade’s MEngSc research was focused on the challenge of finding a low-cost and non-invasive way to monitor the temperature and humidity of museum artefacts.

In the two years of his studies, Dinesh designed and fabricated a low-power, and battery-less, temperature and humidity sensor.

Cara-Lena Nies’ PhD studies were focused on the development of interconnect strategies for next-generation microprocessors.

The research demonstrated that new materials can be discovered by computer simulations, with Cara-Lena discovering a new material that can extend the use of copper as a conducting wire in miniaturised electronic devices.

Anthony Wall developed a novel method for the direct conversion of current to a digital voltage readout during his PhD.

His method is already published in the IEEE Journal of Solid State Circuits and has wide-ranging applications spanning electronics, bio-photonics and optical detectors.

Congratulating the three recipients, Tyndall CEO Professor William Scanlon, said:

“Cara-Lena, Anthony, and Dinesh are worthy winners of the inaugural Wrixon Research Excellence Bursary, and I am pleased that their accomplishments have been recognised.

“Our hope is that this Bursary will inspire and support our postgraduate community to continue with their important research. As we celebrate Tyndall’s 40th anniversary this year, our aim is to continue to nurture, develop, and retain our ground-breaking researchers, ensuring that we remain at the forefront of ICT research, innovation, and advanced training in Ireland.”

The substantial bursary awards were made possible through the generosity of Professor Gerry Wrixon, past President of UCC, and a leading member of the team that founded Tyndall, formerly known as the National Microelectronics Research Centre (NMRC).