DrEamonn Ahearne

Dr Ahearne has a primary degree in Mechanical Engineering, a Master’s Degree in Engineering Management and a Doctor of Philosophy Degree by research in the field of Manufacturing Engineering. He has over 20 years experience in industry and 18 in academia. After graduating as a Mechanical Engineer he was employed by Donnelly Mirrors Ltd., a subsidiary of the Donnelly Corporation of America, and a global supplier of "vision systems" to the automotive industry. His roles at Donnelly included as Manufacturing Engineer, Research and Development Manager and Engineering Manager. After more than 18 years at Donnellys, he left to co-found an engineering design company, Setanta Design International Ltd., and operated in the roles of Managing Director and Engineering Director. He subsequently joined Green Isle Foods (GIF) Ltd. as Group Process Development Manager, responsible for projects across all GIF plants. His roles in industry involved management of a wide range of projects with different levels of scale and uncertainty. In particular, he has been responsible for many successful research and development projects, providing competitive advantage through new knowledge and innovation.
His research interest may be described as "the complex fundamental mechanisms in manufacturing processes" and specifically in cutting, grinding and polishing processes for metals, ceramics and semi-conductors. These are the very mechanisms that determine the quality and precision of "high end" engineering components and present common challenges across key industry sectors including; medical devices, aerospace, automotive and semi-conductors. While he was recognised as a corporate expert in glass processing science and technologies at Donnelly Mirrors Ltd., it was not until he moved to academia in 2001 that he was able to formally express this interest through open research and publication. He completed doctoral studies after joining UCD, submitting a topical thesis titled "Modelling and Simulation of the Rotational Grinding Process". He has since authored over 60 publications on materials processing and other topics in Manufacturing Engineering. He has developed strong international networks, in particular as an Associate Member of "The International Academy for Production Engineering (CIRP)".
Since joining UCD, he has secured over 4M€ in funding for research projects and infrastructure. Most of the research projects involved collaborations with high end manufacturing industry and delivered patents, know-how and significant returns to industry partners. Dr Ahearne has lectured at undergraduate level over the past 15 years on the introductory and advanced modules in Manufacturing Engineering, contributing to the advanced module by introducing lecture topics based on industry needs and as advocated by accreditation bodies. He pioneered the introduction of tutorials and laboratories on Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) and Computer Numerical Control (CNC), supported by facilities awarded through his efforts, which included a unique five axis DMG Mori machining centre and Esprit CAM software. In 2016, he was assigned responsibility for the Project Management modules under the ME with Business and the postgraduate Master's of Engineering Management (MEM) programmes. He is "College Lecturer in Project Management".