Biography
Dr Maurice N. Collins is a lecturer in Biomedical Engineering at the School of Engineering and vice lead of composites at the Bernal Institute. He is a member of the Irish composites center (IComp) and the Bernal leadership team. Currently, he is directing the H2020 funded LIBRE project, the largest consortium in Europe for converting lignin to carbon fibre, and is a PI in the SFI funded MOMENTUM project. Dr Collins has a strong track record in attracting multiple industrially funded research projects and in managing multinational research partnerships. His work to date has led to two licensing agreements and three patent applications. Coupled to this, he has authored over 100 publications on Materials Science related topics and his research has featured in various national and international media outlets. His research has been recognised through various awards including: Marie Curie Actions Award, Licensing Agreement Award, Best Journal Paper Award, Highlight Conference Paper Award, and UL Seed Funding Award.He is an active reviewer for international Journals including: Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Growth Factors, Journal of Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules and Carbohydrate Polymers. He is a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry and the European Society for Biomaterials. He sits on the editorial board of Carbohydrate Polymers and Soldering and Surface Mount Technology and is a member of the user group at the Synchrotron facilities at Diamond Lightsource UK. Maurice lectures polymer science and polymer processing related topics. He is the Editor of the book entitled "Hyaluronic Acid for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Applications" published by Smithers Rapra. He is currently supervising 9 PhD and 7 Masters candidates as well as 2 postdoctoral researchers. He is the editor of the international Journal of Biological Macromolecules.
Research Interests
Polymeric materials; Biomaterials; Lead free solder materials; Reliabilty physics.
Teaching Interests
My teaching interests include polymers for biomedical Devices (MT6061), Polymer Therapeutics - (MT6062) and Materials Processing (MT6063) and Materials Technology (MT4905).
My teaching philosophy incorporates two core beliefs: 1) effective communication between instructor and student is vital, and 2) learning in engineering is an iterative process of theoretical study and application. It is through these principles that I reach my teaching goalto provide an environment that allows students to take initiative in their education, and in which every student, comes away with an understanding of core biomedical engineering concepts. This is accomplished through creating interest in the classroom by a research led teaching approach which relates theoretical concepts to state-of-the-art research approaches within the field of materials engineering. My teaching is influenced by my research work in tissue mechanics, regenerative medicine, cell/matrix interactions, materials characterisation, orthopaedic mechanics and tissue scaffold design. I encourage students to engage with course material through class presentations. My experience has shown that when students engage in class presentations they generally work harder to understand the material, recall it more accurately, apply it more effectively and tend to score higher on tests than students who are learning only for their own sake
Professional Activities
Award
- 2014 - Licensing Agreement
- 2013 - UL Seed Funding
- 2012 - IEEE Transactions on Components, Packaging and Manufacturing Technology: Best Paper Award
- 2010 - Licensing Agreement Award
- 2009 - Highlight Paper Award EuroMAt 2009
- 2005 - Marie Curie Actions Award
Education
- 2007 University of Limerick - Doctor of Philosophy
- 2002 University of Limerick - Master of Science
Outreach
- Interviewed in Irish Times, Irish Examiner on the reliability of Orthopaedic Materials
- Interviewed on Diamond Pod Cast on the significance of results obtained at the Diamond Synchrotron
- Reviewer for > 15 ISI Journals including Carbohydrate Polymers, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, Cellulose, Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Med.; Tissue Engineering and Reg. Med.; Journal of Applied Polymer Science; ACS Journals.
- Member of the Editoral Board of Carbohydrate Polymers Impact Factor 5.1
Language
- Spanish
Publications
Book
Hyaluronic Acid for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Applications
Maurice N Collins
Book Chapter
Encyclopedia of Polymer Composites: Properties, Performance and Applications,
Kafil M. Razeeb, Ju Xu, Eric D. Dalton, Muhammad M. Ramli, Maurice N. Collins and Saibal Roy
Thermal properties of carbon nanotube-silicone composites
Conference Publication
International Conference on Soldering and Reliability
Eric Dalton, Amy Fleischer, Maurice N. Collins, Kafil Razeeb, Jeff Punch
ICSR, Toronto, Canada May 16 -18.
Maurice N. Collins, Gavin J. Jackson, Eric Dalton, Jeff Punch, Hector Steen, Puwei Liu, Matthew Holloway
Bipoco 2012, Siofok, Hungary,
Maurice N Collins
Surface Mount and Technology Association (SMTAi)
Gavin Jackson, Ian J. Wilding, Richard Boyle, Puwei Liu, Matthew Holloway, Maurice N. Collins, Eric Dalton, Jeff Punch
Surface Mount Technology Association International (SMTAi)
C. Xu, B. Wright, K. Demirkan, R. L. Opila, K. Hannigan, M. Reid, J. Punch, M.N. Collins, W.D. Reents, Jr., D.A. Fleming, J.P. Franey, G.E. Derkits Jr., P. Ahern,
ICSR, Toronto, Canada
Eric Dalton, Maurice N. Collins, Michael Reid, Jeff Punch (2012) May 16 -18.
62nd IEEE Electronic Components and Technology Conference (ECTC),
Cillian Burke, Jeff Punch and Maurice Collins
EuroMat 2009
11. Lei Zhao, Maurice N. Collins and Colin Birkinshaw (2009)
EuroMat 2009
Maurice N Collins, Michael Reid & Jeff Punch (
EuroMat 2009
Maurice N Collins and Colin Birkinshaw
SMTAi
Michael Reid, Maurice N. Collins, Richard Coyle and Jeff Punch
Electrochemical Society (ECS)
Michael Reid and Maurice Collins
SMTA International (SMTAI)
Mauro V. Aguanno; Maurice N. Collins; Cillian Burke; Michael Reid; Claire Ryan; Jeff Punch
SMTA International (SMTAI)
Maurice N. Collins; Mauro V. Aguanno; Michael Reid; Claire Ryan; Jeff Punch
24th International Manufacturing Conference
L. Zhao, M. Collins & C. Birkinshaw
19th European conference on Biomaterials (ESB)
M. Collins & C. Birkinshaw
IUPAC World Polymer Congress
M. Collins & M. Buggy
IUPAC World Polymer congress
M. Collins & M. Buggy
Peer Reviewed Journal
Lamella alignment ratio: a SAXS analysis technique for macromolecules
Eric Dalton and Maurice N Collins
Journal Of Applied Crystallography
DOI: 10.1107/S1600576714005706
Hyaluronic acid solutionsA processing method for efficient chemical modification
Collins, MN,Birkinshaw, C
Journal Of Applied Polymer Science
DOI: 10.1002/app.39145
Morphology of Cross linked Hyaluronic Acid Porous Hydrogels
Collins, MN; Birkinshaw, C
Journal Of Applied Polymer Science
DOI: 10.1002/app.33241
A Phenomenological Study of the Effect of Microstructural Evolution on Pb-free Solder Joint Fatigue Resistance
Coyle, R; Reid, M; Osenbach, J; Ryan, C; Read, P; Fleming, D; Popowich, R; McCormick, H; Punch, J; Collins, M; Koshmeider, T; Manock, J; Kummerl, S; Chatterji, I
Journal Of Electronic Materials
Development of the powder reaction moulding process
Zhao, L; Collins, MN; Birkinshaw, C
Journal Of Chemical Technology And Biotechnology
DOI: 10.1002/jctb.2063
Investigation of the swelling behavior of crosslinked hyaluronic acid films and hydrogels produced using homogeneous reactions
Collins, MN; Birkinshaw, C
Journal Of Applied Polymer Science
DOI: 10.1002/app.27631
Physical properties of crosslinked hyaluronic acid hydrogels
Collins, MN; Birkinshaw, C
Journal Of Materials Science-Materials In Medicine
DOI: 10.1007/s10856-008-3476-4
Comparison of the effectiveness of four different crosslinking agents with hyaluronic acid hydrogel films for tisslue-culture applications
Collins, MN; Birkinshaw, C
Journal Of Applied Polymer Science
DOI: 10.1002/app.25993