ProfessorDonal Finn

Donal Finn obtained his BE degree in Mechanical Engineering from University College Galway (UCG) (now the University of Galway) in 1985. In 1987, he was awarded a MEngSc degree by the National University of Ireland (NUI) for reserach on wind convectors - outdoor heat exchangers for heat pump systems. Between 1987 and 1989, he continued to work on wind convector and wind evaporator systems with Erinova Industries, Ltd, Dublin. In 1989, he joined the Hitachi Dublin Laboratory (HDL), located at the University of Dublin (Trinity College). He was awarded a PhD degree in 1996 by the University of Dublin. In 1995, Donal Finn was appointed to a lectureship in Mechanical Engineering at UCD.  In 2004, Dr. Finn was awarded a Research Fellowship by UCD, which allowed him to spend a sabbatical year at the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign (UIUC), IL, USA, where he collaborated with the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Research Center (ACRC).  In 2008, he was promoted to Senior Lecturer at UCD and more recently to Professor in 2021.. His current research interests lie in heat pump systems, demand resonse in buildings and energy flexibility. Dr. Finn has acted as an expert advisor/assessor to Enterprise Ireland, the European Commission, as well a reviewer for several journals and international conferences.