Profile
Michael Nolan
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About Me:
I am a principal scientist and a Professor in modelling of materials. I love doing science and developing other scientists. I also love sharing science and engineering with others
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I am a chemist (but I don’t sell medicines!) and engineer and I work at the Tyndall Institute in Ireland – www.tyndall.ie. There I am a principal scientist and a Professor of materials modelling. I lead a group of students and staff to use computers to simulate materials that are useful technologically. We predict new materials and how to make them or we help our lab colleagues understand their materials. We work extensively with groups in labs in Ireland, Europe, China and the USA on a range of projects.
I live in Cork in the South of Ireland but I enjoy watching my home team of Dublin continually beat everyone else at Football. I support Tranmere Rovers, in the middle of League 2. I have three children – 14 year old twins and 11 year old girl who fill my day. I read lots and have more books than my local library, while I love science fiction shows.
I try to play guitar, but do not always succeed and when I can I take my racing bike out and climb some steep hills. I’ll eat most Asian food but love fish and chips.
Pronouns: he/him
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I lead a group of students and staff to use computers to simulate materials that are useful technologically. We predict new materials and how to make them or we help our lab colleagues understand their materials. We work extensively with groups in labs in Ireland, Europe, China and the USA on a range of projects.
We are working on
(1) new ways to put down very thin metal wires for your computer chips,
(2) new sensors for environmental monitoring and protection,
(3) new materials to produce hydrogen fuel from water or fuels from waste carbon dioxide and
(4) new materials to use friction (rubbing) to make energy.
We use Ireland’s biggest and some of Europe’s biggest computers to run these simulations which are now able to predict with confidence the properties of new materials and how to make these materials.
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My Typical Day:
I am either up at 5.30 am to get a bus before 7am (which is like an office on wheels for me) or up at 7am to get the children out the door to school for 7.45am and 9am. I like to be an early riser and the later I start my day, the harder it is to be motivated.
I do not need to worry about keeping a lab and equipment up and running, but I do have to hope that there are no power cuts that bring our computers down!
In my role I do not do any actual science any more. Instead I guide the smart people in my group how to do the science and work with them to help understand what they find. This turns them into really good scientists who can then move on to work on other exciting things.
I also work on bringing in money to support the group and look at what we should be doing into the future.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
The prize money would be used to help expand the Outreach activities at Tyndall. I am responsible for leading Outreach in our centre at Tyndall based around materials. I would look at building up a kit that could be brought to schools and events to show the amazing properties of materials and how they behave.
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Education:
September 1988 to June 1993, Christian Brothers Secondary School, Lucan, Co. Dublin, Ireland.
October 1993 to June 1997 Dublin City University, Degree in Chemistry with German.
October 1995 – September 1996, University of Leipzig, GermanySeptember 1997 – August 1999. National Microelectronics Research Centre, University College Cork, MEngSc (Masters in Engineering)
September 1999 – November 2003. NMRC, UCC, PhD
September 2016 – June 2017. Certificate in Teaching and Learning, UCC
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Qualifications:
September 1988 to June 1993, Christian Brothers Secondary School, Lucan, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Irish Leaving Certificate (equivalent to A-levels)
1st class BSc. October 1997, Dublin City University, Chemistry with German. AGB Medal for 1st Place in Class
September 1997 – August 1999. NMRC, UCC, MEngSc 1999 with Dr. Jim Greer. Thesis title:
Tailoring of Liquid Crystal Polymers for Microelectronics Packaging.September 1999 – November 2003. National Microelectronics Research Centre, UCC, PhD
2004 with Dr. Jim Greer. Thesis: Factors Influencing Bonding and Electronic Structure of
Molecular Electronic Devices. 2002 BOC Gases Bursary AwardeeSeptember 2016 – June 2017. CIRTL UCC Certificate in Teaching and Learning
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Work History:
December 2003 – October 2005, Postdoctoral Research Fellow with Prof. Graeme Watson,
School of Chemistry, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, IrelandOctober 2005 – April 2009, Researcher at Tyndall National Institute, with Dr. Simon Elliott
April 2009 – January 2015: Tenured Permanent Staff Researcher, Theory, Modelling and Design, Tyndall National Institute, UCC, Cork, Ireland
January 2015 – Senior Staff Researcher and Principal Scientist, Theory Modelling and Design, Tyndall National Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
January 2020 – Professor of Nanomaterials Modelling, Ulster University, UK
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Current Job:
January 2015 – Senior Staff Researcher and Principal Scientist, Theory Modelling and Design, Tyndall National Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Motivated, versatile, hard-working
What did you want to be after you left school?
An organic chemist!
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Yes, for only getting 99% in an exam
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Iron Maiden
What's your favourite food?
Fish
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
1. To discover the material that can turn carbon dioxide into useful chemicals 2. To travel to the south pole
Tell us a joke.
A man walks into a bar… Ouch!
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