University of Limerick Alumni Spotlight: Clíona McCarthy

In the latest instalment of our Alumni Spotlight series, we speak to Dr Clíona McCarthy, a graduate of Biomedical Engineering who also completed her PhD in Biomedical Engineering at UL. 

Clíona, who now works as an Engineer on the R&D Craniomaxillofacial Team at Stryker in Limerick, shares the reasons why she chose to study Biomedical Engineering, what she enjoyed most about the course and the importance of striking a balance between study and life outside of study. 

Can you tell us a bit about yourself? 

I am from Limerick and attended John the Baptist Secondary School in Hospital. I was always interested in reading and sports like swimming, cycling and gymnastics growing up. I always loved science and entered the Young Scientist competition in Transition Year.

When I finished my Leaving Cert in 2010, I studied Children’s and General Nursing in UCC. While I figured out along the way that nursing wasn’t for me, I still wanted to do a job that worked at improving healthcare for patients. I then decided to go back and do a degree in Biomedical Engineering in UL and then I went on to get my PhD in Biomedical Engineering in 2024.

Why did you choose Biomedical Engineering at UL?   

My brother was studying Mechanical Engineering at the time and encouraged me to look into Biomedical Engineering. It was a bit daunting heading back to do another undergraduate degree, but I really enjoyed the course, so it was definitely the right decision for me. 

What did you enjoy most about the course and studying at UL? 

I liked that UL has close connections with industry. The cooperative education programme (work placement) gives you a good skillset to be successful in the workplace, while also allowing for the application of knowledge from course modules like industrial engineering. 

I was on placement in Abbott Vascular in Clonmel. This was my first experience of industry and I loved it! It helped prepare me for the workforce and I was able to develop a lot of key skills like presenting, technical report writing and project management. I was on a great team and had brilliant mentors while I was there. 

The medical device design module in final year was also a great opportunity to combine skills from other modules (e.g. CAD) and learn about the process of bringing new products to market. 

Why did you decide to return to UL for your PhD?

I found during my Final Year Project (FYP) in the Bernal Institute, under the supervision of Dr John Mulvihill, that I really enjoyed research and wanted to pursue this interest further. When John approached me about doing a PhD with him, I was delighted to get this opportunity. While doing a PhD is absolutely challenging, the skills and knowledge that I have gained from my time in research are invaluable. 

My research focused on vascular biomechanics, with a specific focus on microscale mechanics. I did this research in collaboration with the vascular surgical team in University Hospital Limerick. With my background in nursing, I understand the value of having clinical input in research so this was a big factor in deciding my research topic. 

What was the most important thing that you learned while studying at UL? 

I learned that having a balance between study and life outside of study is very important. UL is a beautiful campus with great facilities like the 50m swimming pool and plenty of routes to run and cycle. Striking this balance is definitely easier with so many options for different activities on your doorstep. 

How did UL support you throughout your studies? 

UL has many resources to help students. The Maths Learning Centre organised refresher sessions of leaving cert maths for mature students prior to starting the course to get up to speed with the rest of my classmates. The centre also organised support tutorials throughout the semester which I found very beneficial. 

During my PhD, my supervisors Dr John Mulvihll and Professor Michael Walsh were a huge support throughout. Dr Olwyn Mahon, who was a postdoctoral researcher at the time I was doing my PhD, was a brilliant mentor and friend and always happy to help and give advice.

Tell us about your career journey so far and your work at Stryker.

I graduated from my undergraduate in Biomedical Engineering in 2019 and worked as a manufacturing engineer with Boston Scientific in Galway for a year before returning to start my PhD in UL. 

I was fortunate that as I was finishing up my PhD a position became available on the R&D Craniomaxillofacial Team in Stryker Limerick. This is an exciting and dynamic team as we work on both sustaining and new product development projects with multiple Stryker sites across Germany and in the US.

How did your time at UL help you get to where you are now in your career? 

I had always intended going back to industry with the goal of pursuing a technical career path. Completing a PhD in UL has allowed me to develop the critical thinking and problem-solving skills necessary for this career path.

What are your hopes and plans for the future? 

I hope to keep continuing down the technical career pathway in Stryker. There are lots of opportunities for growth within the team, under the guidance and support of very experienced principal scientists and engineers.

What advice would you give to anyone considering studying at UL?

UL is a great place to study, with a beautiful campus that offers a unique student experience. Biomedical Engineering in UL is a degree that allows students to develop skills to both work in industry and pursue a career in research. 

We encourage our students to ‘Stay Curious’. What keeps you curious and how important has curiosity been in your life and career? 

For me ‘staying curious’ keeps both life and work interesting. Following your passions and pursuing your interests allows you to continuously challenge and improve upon yourself and broaden your horizons.