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Dr. Seamus O'Shaughnessy

Associate Professor (Mechanical, Manuf & Biomedical Eng)
PARSONS BUILDING
      
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Dr. Seamus O'Shaughnessy

Associate Professor (Mechanical, Manuf & Biomedical Eng)
PARSONS BUILDING

 oshaugse@tcd.ie

 3531896 1778


I am a Mechanical Engineer with almost 20 years research experience in the field of fluid mechanics and heat transfer. I graduated with first class honours from the Dept. of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering in Trinity College Dublin in 2006 before pursuing a PhD, during which I studied a form of natural convection termed thermocapillary or Marangoni convection. I used a combination of analytical, numerical, experimental and computational techniques to validate my research findings, which have been published in several peer-reviewed journals. In 2010 I was appointed to the role of Research Fellow in TCD, and over the next few years I worked on a variety of research projects, many of which involved collaborations with industry partners on interdisciplinary topics, such as an investigation of novel methods of cooling biomedical grade polymers during machining processes, new thermal interface materials, and valve design for industrial fuel pipelines. From 2011 to 2016, my main research focus was on energy and sustainable international development. My research team was involved in a project in Malawi which aimed to bring off-grid electricity to those in the developing world by using the waste heat produced during cooking. In September 2016 I was appointed as the Ussher Assistant Professor in Energy & Sustainable International Development. I established new international development energy-related projects in countries such as Benin and Tanzania. A key focus of my current research is the thermal management of electronics, and particularly the batteries used in electric vehicles, which is investigated through the use of dual jets, pulsed liquid flows, and two-phase mechanisms of boiling and condensation. Additionally, I have active collaborations with various industry partners in this field.
  Applied thermodynamics and energy   BIOMASS ENERGY   Boundary Layer Control   Boundary Layers   Combined Heat and Power Systems   Composite materials   Computer aided engineering   Computer-Aided Engineering   Control Engineering   convective heat transfer   COOLING   Cooling of Manufacturing Processes   Design Engineering   Development economics   Direct Energy Conversion   Electric Powered Systems   Electromagnetism   Electronic circuit design   Electronic Cooling Techniques   Electronics Cooling   Emission   Energy and Climate Change   Energy Conservation   Energy Education   Energy from biomass (see Forestry also)   Energy from waste   Energy management system   Energy Materials Sciences   Energy/Environmental Studies--Developing Coun   Engineering Design   Environmental engineering   EVAPORATIVE COOLING   Flow Control   Fluid Dynamics   Fluid Mechanics   Fluid Physics   Fluid/Magnetohydrodynamic Physics   Fluids and Heat Transfer   Heat Transfer   Imaging, image processing   Industrial Engineering   Information technology in education   INFRARED, GENERAL   Innovation in learning   Integration of Renewable Energy Systems   Interfaces   International development   JET IMPINGEMENT HEAT TRANSFER   Laminar Flow   Magnetic Materials   Magnetohydrodynamic Generators   Magnetohydrodynamics   Manufacturing engineering   Materials Sciences   Materials technology, engineering   Materials, Physical Properties   Materials, Preparation/Fabrication   Materials, Structure and Phase   Mechanical Properties, Materials   Nanotechnology   Numerical Analysis   Optical materials   Photovoltaic Materials   Plastics   Polymers   Renewable energies   Renewable Energy Sources   Software Engineering   Solar   SOLAR ENERGY   Solar, Biomass Conversion   Solar, Photovoltaic Conversion   Solar, Thermoelectric Conversion   Solid/Liquid Interfaces   Solid/Solid Interfaces   Space technology   Surface and interface physics   Surfaces and Interfaces   Sustainable Development   Telecommunication Engineering   THERMAL ENERGY   Thermal Engineering   Thermodynamics   Thermodynamics Engineering   Thermoelectric Generators   Thermoelectricity   THERMOELECTRIC-POWER   Thermosciences Engineering   TRANSIENT AND UNSTEADY HEAT TRANSFER   Two-phase Flow and Heat Transfer   Virtual learning environments   WATER-IMMERSION COOLING
Project Title
 Additive Manufacturing of Integrated Electronics Heat Sinks
From
01 August 2020
To
31 July 2022
Summary
Details of this project are covered by an non-disclosure agreement between TCD and the industry partner.
Funding Agency
Science Foundation Ireland
Programme
AMBER centre
Project Type
Industry Collaboration
Person Months
24
Project Title
 SolarCool - Passive Cooling of Solar Panels for Increased Efficiency
From
01 January 2020
To
31 December 2020
Summary
We have developed a novel way to cool solar photovoltaic (PV) panels which will increase their power output and efficiency and ultimately make them a more attractive solution for the decarbonisation of the energy grid. This solution should ultimately provide end users with cheaper electricity.
Funding Agency
Science Foundation Ireland
Programme
Future Innovator: Zero Emissions Challenge
Project Title
 TEMPER - Thermally Energised Magnetic Pump for Energy Recovery
From
01 September 2019
To
31 August 2021
Summary
This project investigates the use of magnetism to aid in energy recovery for heat-pump like devices. Details of this project are subject to a non-disclosure agreement.
Funding Agency
Enterprise Ireland
Programme
Innovation Partnership Programme
Project Type
Industry Collaboration
Person Months
24
Project Title
 Novel Thermoelectric Generators
From
01 September 2020
To
August 31st 2024
Summary
This is a collaborative project between TCD Engineering and Physics and is funded by the SFI AMBER centre. This project will investigate new thermo-electric materials and aims to produce high figure of merit samples from non-toxic materials which can be used in various waste heat applications.
Funding Agency
Science Foundation Ireland
Programme
AMBER centre
Project Type
PhD research
Person Months
48
Project Title
 A Novel Method to Thermally Regulate High-powered Microscopes
From
01 September 2020
To
31 August 2023
Summary
This project will exploit technologies adapted from renewable energy environmental design to improve the design of temperature-stabilised water-cooling technologies used in the control of electron lenses.
Funding Agency
Science Foundation Ireland
Programme
AMBER centre
Project Type
PhD research

Page 1 of 5
Details Date
Associate Editor for Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (iMechE), Part C: Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science From 2022 (ongoing)
External examiner of PhD thesis on 3 occasions: PhD Thesis, Polytech Nantes, France 2023 PhD Thesis, University of Nottingham, November 2019 MSc Thesis, University of Business & Applied Sciences, Malawi, 2018 Upcoming: PhD Thesis, Atlantic Technological University Sligo, Ireland, 2025
Member of the scientific advisory committee for the 28th International Workshop on Thermal Investigations Of ICs And Systems (THERMINIC 2022) 2022
Member of the scientific advisory committee for the 29th International Workshop on Thermal Investigations Of ICs And Systems (THERMINIC 2023) 2023
Member of the scientific advisory committee for the 30th International Workshop on Thermal Investigations Of ICs And Systems (THERMINIC 2024) 2024
Journal Reviewer I also act as expert reviewer for the journals below. I try to produce 12 to 15 quality journal reviews per annum, on average. Some of these details will appear in my ORCID and Publons profiles. -Applied Energy -Applied Thermal Engineering -Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering -Case Studies in Thermal Engineering -Crystals -Electronics -Energies -Energy -Energy Conversion and Management -Energy for Sustainable Development -Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science -Heat Transfer -Heat Transfer Engineering -International Communications in Heat & Mass Transfer -International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer -International Journal of Thermal Sciences -Journal of Energy Storage -Journal of Thermal Science -Numerical Heat Transfer -Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part C: Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science -Sensors -Thermal Science
Member of the scientific advisory committee for the 10th Conference On Experimental Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics And Thermodynamics (ExHFT-10) 2024
Member of the scientific advisory committee for the 8th European Thermal Sciences Conference (EUROTHERM 2020/21) 2020 (2021 due to COVID-19)
Member of the scientific advisory committee for the 9th European Thermal Sciences Conference (EUROTHERM 2024) 2024
Member of the scientific advisory committee for the 14th International Conference On Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics And Thermodynamics (HEFAT-2019) 2019
Language Skill Reading Skill Writing Skill Speaking
English Fluent Fluent Fluent
French Basic Basic Basic
German Basic Basic Basic
Irish Basic Basic Basic
Details Date From Date To
Assembly of World Conferences on Experimental Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics, and Thermodynamics (AWC) (member and Irish representative) 2024 present
European Two-Phase Flow Group (member) 2023 present
AMBER SFI Centre (Funded Investigator) 2020 present
CONNECT SFI Centre (Funded Investigator) 2023 present
Engineers Ireland (member) 2016 present
International Society for Computational Fluid Dynamics (member) 2021 present
Heat Transfer Society (member) 2016 present
Trinity International Development Initiative (TIDI) (member) 2016 2021
David W. Salter, Ciaran Huckfeldt, Kantharuphan Annathurai, Rajesh Nimmagadda, Daniel Trimble, Seamus M. O'Shaughnessy, An Experimental Investigation of Guided Flow Liquid Cooling Methods on a Four Cell Prismatic Module, 2025 31st International Workshop on Thermal Investigations of ICs and Systems (THERMINIC), 2025, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED  DOI
Rajesh Nimmagadda, David W. Salter, Kantharuphan Annathurai, Daniel Trimble, Seamus M. O'Shaughnessy, Electrochemical-Thermal Modelling of Forced Convection Immersion Cooling of an 8-Cell Lithium-Ion Prismatic Battery Module, 2025 31st International Workshop on Thermal Investigations of ICs and Systems (THERMINIC), 2025, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED  DOI
David W. Salter, Rajesh Nimmagadda, Kantharuphan Annathurai, Daniel Trimble, Séamus M. O"Shaughnessy, Forced Convective Liquid Immersion Cooling of a Prismatic Battery Module, 2025 24th IEEE Intersociety Conference on Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems (ITherm), 2025, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED  DOI
Rajesh Nimmagadda, David W. Salter, Kantharuphan Annathurai, Daniel Trimble, Seamus M. O"Shaughnessy, Hybrid Static Immersion Cooling of a Single Lithium-Ion Prismatic Battery Cell, 2025 24th IEEE Intersociety Conference on Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems (ITherm), 2025, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED  DOI
David W. Salter, Aidan Mullaney, Kantharuphan Annathurai, Rajesh Nimmagadda, Daniel Trimble, Seamus M. O'Shaughnessy, Numerical and Experimental Investigation of Liquid Tab Cooling of a Prismatic Battery, 2025 31st International Workshop on Thermal Investigations of ICs and Systems (THERMINIC), 2025, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED  DOI
Williams, N.P., Trimble, D., O'Shaughnessy, S.M., Electrochemical-thermal numerical model of a lithium-ion battery under natural convection liquid immersion cooling conditions, Energy Conversion and Management X, 27, 2025, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Murphy, P.J., Alimohammadi, S., O'Shaughnessy, S.M., Experimental investigation of a wall-bounded dual jet flow for varying Reynolds number: Flow visualisation, hydrodynamic characteristics, and associated heat transfer, International Journal of Thermal Sciences, 211, 2025, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Murphy, P.J., Alimohammadi, S., O'Shaughnessy, S.M., Experimental investigation of the effect of the offset ratio on the flow characteristics and heat transfer behaviour of a wall-bounded dual jet flow, International Journal of Thermofluids, 26, 2025, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
N.P. Williams, D. Trimble, S.M. O"Shaughnessy, Thermal performance of lithium-ion battery tabs under liquid immersion cooling conditions, Future Batteries, 2025, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Evgeny Shatskiy, Parth S Kumavat and Seamus M O'Shaughnessy, Experimental investigation of condensation heat transfer on vertically inclined grooved aluminium surfaces, 9th European Thermal Sciences Conference (EUROTHERM), Bled, Slovenia, 2024, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
  

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Sunday Business Post, TCD generator brings electricity to Malawi's poor, 2013, -, Miscellaneous, PUBLISHED
Seamus M O'Shaughnessy, Off Grid Electricity for the Developing World, TCD Research Showcase 2011, Trinity College Dublin, 2011, Oral Presentation, PUBLISHED
S.M .O'Shaughnessy, A.J. Robinson, Bubble Induced Marangoni Convection, Sir Bernard Crossland Symposium, University of Limerick, Ireland, 2008, Poster, PUBLISHED

  


Award Date
TCD Excellence in Teaching Award (nominee) 2023
TCD Excellence in Research Supervision Award (nominee) 2022
TCD Research Excellence Award (nominee) 2020
Knowledge Transfer Ireland - Award Shortlist Nominee (Consultancy Category) 2019
Senior author on paper awarded best paper at HEFAT 2018 conference 2018
Irish Research Council & Intel Corporation Postdoctoral Enterprise Partnership Scholarship 2011
1st Prize, Poster Presentation, Sir Bernard Crossland Symposium, University of Limerick 2008
Irish Research Council (formerly IRCSET) Embark Postgraduate Research Scholarship 2006
My research focusses on energy and sustainability, topics with application across many fields. I study the fundamental physics of fluid flows to better understand how to optimise heat transfer processes. My research can be categorised into 3 areas: (i) Improved thermal management of electronics The biggest obstacle facing the development of next generation of electronics is the efficient removal of heat. This topic underpins most engagements with industry (see Section 3.9). Moreover, there is growing demand to achieve component operating temperature targets passively, i.e., without consuming electrical power. Passive cooling is challenging technically, and often requires an interdisciplinary approach involving thermal-fluid science, additive manufacturing, and materials science. Much of my funded research focusses on the study and application of enhanced natural connection and two-phase heat transfer processes like evaporation, boiling, condensation to real-world electronics. (ii) sustainable energy usage Particularly interested in the development/improvement of sustainable and renewable energy processes, my related research projects include the development of more efficient solar photovoltaic panels (SFI Zero Emissions 2020), off-grid electricity generation from biomass cooking stoves in Malawi (Irish Aid & Concern Universal), clean cooking stove usage analysis in Benin (CO2Logic & Proximus), body heat harvesting for thermoelectrically powered wearable sensor technology, and the development of innovative mechanical ventilation heat recovery units for domestic homes (Enterprise Ireland & Magnitherm Ltd). (iii) space related research I have a growing interest in space related research, as the absence of gravitational effects enables a deeper understanding of underlying physics. I have participated in 2 European Space Agency parabolic campaigns (droplet evaporation), and in 2025 my experiment on colloidal suspensions will use the soft matter dynamics platform onboard the International Space Station. In 2026 we expect to send our experiment on droplet thermocapillary effects on Virgin Galactic sub-orbital flight with Dr Norah Patten (see https://press.virgingalactic.com/virgin-galactic-announces-new-research-flight-contract-with-repeat-customer or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16Nr6jOPh0U).