Biography
Tom O'Dwyer was awarded his Ph.D. degree from the University of Limerick in 1993. Prior to joining the University of Limerick in 1996, he worked with the Environmental Division of Bord Na Mona, a division of the company which engages in the design and manufacture of waste treatment technologies as well as broader environmental monitoring and consultancy work. He has also worked in technical roles in the pharmaceutical, dairy and food sectors. His research interests span various areas including pollutant removal from waste streams, environmental technology development, waste minimisation, water recovery and reuse and occupational hygiene. he also has a strong interest in Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Since joining UL Tom has graduated a number of Ph.D. and M.Sc. students and has published extensively in a host of international peer reviewed technology and environmental research journals. He has also worked extensively in the areas of curriculum design and programme development, particularly in relation to the B.Sc. Environmental Science and B.Sc. Health & Safety programmes. He is currently Course Director for the B.Sc. Environmental Science.
Research Interests
- Waste Minimisation, Recovery & Recycling
- Optimisation of industrial waste separation processes
- Application of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to environmental issues
- Adsorbent design for water treatment
- Nutrient (P, N) waste minimisation approaches in the biotechnology sector
- Removal and recovery of metals from waste streams
Teaching Interests
Environmental Technology
Environmental Monitoring
Environmental Fate Modelling
Occupational Hygiene
Geographical Information Systems
Professional Activities
Association
- 2004 Council Member, Occupational Hygiene Society of Ireland
- 2004 Affiliate Member, Institute of Occupational Safety & Health
- 2000 Member, ESAI (Environmental Scientists Association of Ireland)
- 1997 Member, AWMA (Air & Waste Management Association)
Committee
- 2004 Executive Committee Member, Materials & Surface Science Institute,
- 2004 Chairman, Programme Design Team, B.Sc. Health & Safety,
- 2004 National Council Member, Occupational Hygiene Society of Ireland,
- 2002 Chairman, Programme Modification Committee, B.Sc. Environmental Science,
- External Panel Member, Programme Review, B.Sc. (Hons) Health & Safety, Sligo IT,
- External Panel Member, Programme Validation, B.Sc. (Hons) Environmental Bioscience, Dundalk IT,
Award
- 2003 - Research - Special Achievement (Nominated/short-listed)
- 1998 - Teaching - Excellence (Nomination/short-listed)
Employment
- 1994 Bord Na Mona (Environmental) - Deputy Section Head
- 1986 RIMA Pharmaceuticals Ltd. - Development Technologist
- 1982 Tipperary Co-op Creamery - Analyst
Publications
Book Chapter
The Degradation of Oligonucleotide-based Pharmaceutical Products by Selected Chemical Means
Robinson C., Walsh G. & O'Dwyer T.F.
Environmental Engineering & Sustainability,
Removal of copper, nickel and lead from wastewater using a modified cellulose material: A comparison
O'Connell D.W., Birkinshaw C. and ODwyer T.F.
Waste Management & The Environment IV
Design of a Novel Cellulose Based Adsorbent for Use in Heavy Metal Recovery from Waste Streams
O'Connell D.W., Birkinshaw C. and O'Dwyer T.F.
Water Pollution VIII
Conference Contribution
4th International Congress on Green Process Engineering
Witt, M. O'Dwyer, T. and Walsh, G.
Conference Publication
4th international congress on Green Process Engineering
Witt, M. O'Dwyer, T. and Walsh, G.
BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology & Bioprocessing
Witt, M., O'Dwyer, T. and Walsh, G.
Proceedings of the 5th international conference on sustainable energy and environmental protection
Witt, M. O'Dwyer, T. and Walsh, G.
Environ 2010
Witt, M. O'Dwyer, T. and Walsh, G.
The international conference on environmental science and technology (ICEST 2010)
Robinson, C. Walsh, G. and O'Dwyer, T.
5th Annual International Symposium on Environment
Robinson, C., Walsh, G. and O'Dwyer, T.
EPA National Research Conference 2010
Witt, M. O'Dwyer, T and Walsh, G.
EPA National Research Conference 2010
Robinson, C. Walsh, G. and O'Dwyer, T.
Environ 2009
Robinson, C. , Walsh, G. and O'Dwyer, T.
Environ 2009
Cliffe, F., Walsh, G. and O'Dwyer, T.
WASTE MANAGEMENT AND THE ENVIRONMENT IV
OConnell, DW; Birkinshaw, C; ODwyer, TF
DOI: 10.2495/WM080821
Water Resources Management IV
OBrien, J; Curtin, T; ODwyer, TF
DOI: 10.2495/WRM070421
Water Pollution VIII: Modelling, Monitoring and Management
OConnell, DW; Birkinshaw, C; ODwyer, TF
DOI: 10.2495/WP060481
Proceedings of the Second IASTED International Conference on Advanced Technology in the Environmental Field
OBrien, J; Curtin, T; ODwyer, TF
Peer Reviewed Journal
Chemical and physical features of living and non-living maerl rhodoliths
O'Reilly, SS,Hurley, S,Coleman, N,Monteys, X,Szpak, M,O'Dwyer, T,Kelleher, BP
Aquatic Biology
DOI: 10.3354/ab00431
Utilisation of phosphorus nutrient content in industrial scale plasmid DNA production: a waste minimisation study
Cliffe, FE; Walsh, G; O'Dwyer, TF
Journal Of Cleaner Production
DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2010.02.013
A Study of the Mechanisms of Divalent Copper Binding to a Modified Cellulose Adsorbent
O'Connell, DW; Aszalos, B; Birkinshaw, C; O'Dwyer, TF
Journal Of Applied Polymer Science
DOI: 10.1002/app.31889
Heavy Metal Adsorbents Prepared from the Modification of Cellulose: A Review
O'Connell D., Birkinshaw C. and O'Dwyer T.F.*
Bioresource Technology
A modified cellulose adsorbent for the removal of nickel(II) from aqueous solutions
O'Connell, DW; Birkinshaw, C; O'Dwyer, TF
Journal Of Chemical Technology And Biotechnology
DOI: 10.1002/jctb.1609
Removal of lead(II) ions from aqueous solutions using a modified cellulose adsorbent
O'Connell, DW; Birkinshaw, C; O'Dwyer, TF
Adsorption Science & Technology
DOI: 10.1260/026361706779319670
A chelating cellulose adsorbent for the removal of Cu(II) from aoueous solutions
O'Connell, DW; Birkinshaw, C; O'Dwyer, TF
Journal Of Applied Polymer Science
DOI: 10.1002/app.22568
An investigation of amorphous phase separation, leachability and surface area of an ionomer glass system and a sodium-boro-silicate glass system
Rafferty, A; Hill, R; Kelleher, B; O'Dwyer, T
Journal Of Materials Science
DOI: 10.1023/A:1026240525763
Intercalation of benzamide into expanded kaolinite under ambient environmental conditions
Kelleher, BP; O'Dwyer, TF
Clays And Clay Minerals
DOI: 10.1346/00098600260358085
The effect of kaolinite intercalation on the structural arrangements of N-methylformamide and 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidone
Kelleher, BP; Sutton, D; O'Dwyer, TF
Journal Of Colloid And Interface Science
DOI: 10.1006/jcis.2002.8666