Michael Walsh

Michael’s research activity focuses on an improved understanding of the host response to the treatment of vascular diseases.  His primary area of research is focused on vascular disease properties and how such properties can be leveraged for improved medical device design.  His secondary area of research investigates how disease caused by vascular surgical interventions (intimal hyperplasia) is instigated/mediated by hemodynamics.  Elucidating the role of diseased tissue in device performance is a crucial step towards the understanding of how surgical treatments lead to disease formation and also how treatments can be improved to minimise intimal hyperplasia.

Michael’s former post-doctoral researchers are all working in Irish industry as are 13 of 20 PhD graduates.  Five other PhD graduates are all pursuing academic careers at institutions such as Georgia Institute of Technology, Edinburgh University, University of Pittsburgh, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam and the University of Limerick.  He has published 74 peer-reviewed journal papers and 8 book chapters.  He has 4 granted patents, 2 in review and a spin-out company, Class Medical, established in 2014.

Additional Links

Google Scholar Publications
UL Research Gate
Science Foundation Ireland Programme


Cunnane, E.M., Mulvihill, J.J.E., Barrett, H.E., Healy, D.A., Kavanagh, E.G., Walsh, S.R., Walsh, M.T. Mechanical, biological and structural characterization of human atherosclerotic femoral plaque tissue (2015) Acta Biomaterialia , 11 (1), pp. 295-303.


Davis, N.F., Mooney, R.O., Cunnane, C.V., Cunnane, E.M., Thornhill, J.A., Walsh, M.T. Preventing urethral trauma from inadvertent inflation of catheter balloon in the urethra during catheterization: Evaluation of a novel safety syringe after correlating trauma with urethral distension and catheter balloon pressure (2015) Journal of Urology, 194 (4), pp. 1138-1145.


Mulvihill, J.J., Cunnane, E.M., McHugh, S.M., Kavanagh, E.G., Walsh, S.R., Walsh, M.T. Mechanical, biological and structural characterization of in vitro ruptured human carotid plaque tissue (2013) Acta Biomaterialia , 9 (11), pp. 9027-9035.