Dr Kieran Curran

From Ballyclough, Co. Limerick, Kieran Curran was the founder and CEO of GenCell Biosystems. He is currently Director of Genomics, Ireland at BD-GenCell. 

Following his education at Crescent College Comprehensive, Kieran graduated from UL in 2002 with a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering. He then embarked on Ph.D. program under the mentorship of Professor Mark Davies at Stokes Institute, UL. Researching as part of a thriving institute, Kieran’s doctoral studies developed novel designs for micro-devices for use in medical diagnostics. Completing his Ph.D. in 2005, he joined an exciting UL start-up called Stokes Bio. 

Founded by Prof. Mark Davies and Dr. Tara Dalton, Kieran spent 3 years at Stokes Bio and was fortunate enough to be exposed to the full gambit of the start-up experience. As an inventor of the company’s core Liquid Bridge Technology, he participated in the design, development and commercialization of an innovative approach to genetic testing. 

Aged 25, Kieran founded his first company, Curran Scientific as a specialist provider of engineering solutions. There, he led a team of engineers to provide design, test and manufacturing assistance to multi-national medical device companies. The desire for independent and novel technology development, however, never went away. In 2011, Kieran took the profits from Curran Scientific and invested them in a new venture called GenCell Biosystems. 

Over the next 4 years, Kieran led GenCell as CEO to develop best-in-class robotic genetic testing systems. With applications as broad as helping to improve human, animal and plant health - GenCell’s technology is helping researchers to explore the complexity of DNA at unprecedented speed and detail. In its 4 years of existence, the company has become a go-to partner for biotech industry leaders along with academic and public institutions worldwide. In 2014, its technical performance was noticed and Becton Dickinson and Company (BD), a global medical technology leader, acquired the company. Currently employing over 80 people at its Raheen facility, BD-GenCell is looking forward to a bright future supported by Limerick’s extraordinary talent base. 

Kieran’s interest in business was acquired from his mother. Alice took the reins of family business, Curran Aluminium when Kieran’s father passed away. With a young family, Alice possessed the drive, resilience and enthusiasm to grow a business in the male-dominate construction industry right up until her death in 2014. 

Kieran Curran is married to fellow UL graduate, Julie Garvey (Engineering Ph.D. 2005) and together, they have 2 children: Caoimhe (4) and Sean (3). Kieran says of his young family “Currently specializing in household destruction, Caoimhe and Sean are well positioned to acquire their parents’ “knack” for technology, enthusiasm for travel and love for Limerick.”