Technology Class Acts - UCD Connections

BRIAN CAULFIELD

BPhysio 1992, MMedSc 1994, PhD Physiotherapy 2002

Brian Caulfield, Martin O'Reilly, Darragh Whelan and Julian Eberle co-founded Output Sports. UCD sports technology spin-out Output Sports has expanded into the US market. Output’s products enable strength and conditioning coaches, sport scientists and rehab professionals to understand and optimise their athletes’ performance using a single wearable sensor system. The company’s technology is currently used by sports practitioners across 30+ countries, including the US, and in multiple sports. The company hopes to collaborate with the Boston Red Sox baseball team as part of its investment in Massachusetts.

JULIAN EBERLE

BSc Theoretical Physics 2014

Julian Eberle, Brian Caulfield, Martin O'Reilly and Darragh Whelan co-founded Output Sports. UCD sports technology spin-out Output Sports has expanded into the US market. Output’s products enable strength and conditioning coaches, sport scientists and rehab professionals to understand and optimise their athletes’ performance using a single wearable sensor system. The company’s technology is currently used by sports practitioners across 30+ countries, including the US, and in multiple sports. The company hopes to collaborate with the Boston Red Sox baseball team as part of its investment in Massachusetts.

DARRAGH WHELAN

PhD Public Health, Physio and Sport Science 2018

Darragh Whelan, Julian Eberle, Brian Caulfield and Martin O'Reilly co-founded Output Sports. UCD sports technology spin-out Output Sports has expanded into the US market. Output’s products enable strength and conditioning coaches, sport scientists and rehab professionals to understand and optimise their athletes’ performance using a single wearable sensor system. The company’s technology is currently used by sports practitioners across 30+ countries, including the US, and in multiple sports. The company hopes to collaborate with the Boston Red Sox baseball team as part of its investment in Massachusetts.

MIRIAM MURPHY

BComm 1990

Miriam Murphy has been named President, Europe, of tech distributor and aggregator TD Synnex, and will be responsible for leading the company’s 7,000-strong European workforce, driving strategy and operational execution. She will serve on the company’s global executive team and lead the European executive board. Murphy returns to TD Synnex following two years as CEO, Europe, at NTT Data Services Ireland. Prior to this, she served at TD Synnex for more than 20 years.

SANJAY ABRAHAM

MSc Management 2018

Sanjay Abraham has been named on the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the Europe/Technology category. He is the co-founder of healthcare staffing platform Xpress Health, which provides software to connect vetted professionals (namely, registered nurses) to facilities needing flexible shift coverage while managing compliance and payments. Xpress Health supports over 25,000 workers on the platform and 2,500 facilities in Ireland and the UK. Expansion to Canada and Australia is planned this year.

ABEBA BIRHANE

MA 2015, PhD 2022

Cognitive scientist Abeba Birhane has been included on the 2023 TIME100 AI list which recognises the 100 most influential individuals in AI today. Birhane’s research demonstrates that AI models trained on larger datasets are more likely to display harmful biases and stereotypes, as few people systematically check them for harmful material, which can result in AI becoming structurally racist, sexist, and otherwise biased. Just, equitable, and fair models are more likely to be achieved using relatively small-scale datasets.

PHILIP BROPHY

BSc Chemistry 2008, MMgt 2014, ProfDip 2016

Philip Brophy, CEO of start-up PushMe, was named winner of the Most Likely to Scale Award, in the 2023 New Frontiers Programme run by IADT Media Cube in partnership with NovaUCD. PushMe is a digital coaching platform grounded in the latest behavioural and performance science to help companies retain their top talent. The platform is designed to help professionals feel more engaged and connected at work by empowering them to find solutions to challenges.

FERGAL MEEGAN & BARRY MURPHY

BBLS 2001, MBS 2002 & BE Civil 2010, ProfCert Stockbroking 2013

Fellow alumni Fergal Meegan (CEO) and Barry Murphy (COO) co-founded Assiduous, a capital markets technology company dedicated to helping owners of aspiring growth companies build valuable businesses and achieve financial independence. The start-up was awarded the One to Watch Award in the 2023 New Frontiers Programme run by IADT Media Cube in partnership with NovaUCD. Assiduous has secured €500k in funding to develop a digital platform to prepare business owners and executive teams for efficient and credible market engagement and capital raising.

CONOR WALSH

BE Mechanical 2005

UK-based neobank Monzo has appointed Conor Walsh as CEO of its US business as it attempts to expand in the market for a second time. Monzo first attempted to set up a US operation in 2019 but withdrew its application for a US banking licence after more than two years of negotiations with regulators. CNBC recently named Monzo on its Disruptor50 list and the company has raised $610m to accelerate its US expansion.

NGOZI ELOBUIKE

MA Race, Migration and Decolonial Studies 2022

Ngozi Elobuike created Dublin’s premier Black-led wine and spirits social club, Hi Spirit, utilising cutting-edge AI technology, including ChatGPT, Gamma.AI, and Notion AI. She manages a growing membership pool of over 100 individuals, fostering a vibrant community united by a shared passion for fine wines and spirits. She was named by The Irish Times as one of its Top 50 People to Watch in 2024 and has recently launched Zorelle, Ireland’s first pan-African gin.

PATRICIA MAGUIRE

BSc 1995, PhD Pharmacology 1999

Professor Patricia Maguire has launched the UCD AI Healthcare Hub (AIHH) to revolutionise healthcare with AI. She developed PALADIN, a unique platform combining platelets, omics and AI, for ground-breaking disease diagnostics, which has led to patented diagnostics for pre-eclampsia, resulting in the AI_PREMie project, recognised in October 2023 in the UNESCO Global Top 100 for using AI to address UN SDGs.

MARTIN O’REILLY

PhD Public Health, Physio and Sport Science 2018

Martin O'Reilly, Julian Eberle, Brian Caulfield and Darragh Whelan co-founded Output Sports. UCD sports technology spin-out Output Sports has expanded into the US market. Output’s products enable strength and conditioning coaches, sport scientists and rehab professionals to understand and optimise their athletes’ performance using a single wearable sensor system. The company’s technology is currently used by sports practitioners across 30+ countries, including the US, and in multiple sports. The company hopes to collaborate with the Boston Red Sox baseball team as part of its investment in Massachusetts.

DONNCHADH CASEY

BE Civil 2003, MEngSc Civil 2006, MBA 2012

Donnchadh Casey has been named Chief Operating Officer at Calypso AI which specialises in AI Security and Enablement and works with enterprises and governments to leverage the potential of generative AI solutions and large language models (LLMs) responsibly and securely. Based in Dublin, Casey will work closely with CEO and Founder Neil Serebryany to oversee the company’s go-to-market strategy and manage customer success. Casey most recently served as Chief Customer Officer at leading technology company Qualtrics.

KATE KILLEEN

BA English with Film 2014, MSc HR 2016, DipEmpL 2018, MBA 2022

As People Lead, Ireland, for EPAM Systems, an American company specialising in software engineering services, digital platform engineering, and digital product design, Kate Killeen has been awarded the Tech Excellence Ireland 2023 Rising Star award, which recognises outstanding achievements made by a recent entrant into the IT industry, whose contribution to his or her organisation has had a significant impact on its business. Killeen was also named Mentor of the Year 2024 by The Big Idea creative education initiative.

MARK KELLY

MBS 2005

Mark Kelly, founder of AI Ireland, has published AI Unleashed: Navigating the AI Revolution as a Business Executive, a guide to mastering the intricacies and seizing the opportunities of Artificial Intelligence and Generative AI. Informed by interviews with more than 450 leaders in the AI field, the book blends theoretical acumen and actionable advice, and highlights AI’s pivotal role across a range of industries. Real-world case studies from diverse sectors provide a practical toolkit for executives.

ALISON DARCY

BA Psychology 1999, MLitt Psychology 2005, PhD Psychology 2007

Founder and President of Woebot Health, Dr Alison Darcy has been named on the prestigious 2023 TIME100 AI list which recognises the 100 most influential individuals advancing conversations about how AI is reshaping the world. The list includes leaders, policymakers, artists and entrepreneurs in various fields who are pushing the boundaries of AI, driving change, fostering innovation and shaping the future of their industries. Dr Darcy was also a UCD Alumni Awardee in Social Sciences in 2023.

FERGAL REID

PhD Computer Science 2013

Fergal Reid has been named VP of AI at Intercom, which is pioneering the development of new products, primarily in the area of customer support, the first of many industries that the company believes will be revolutionised by machine learning. Reid has been with Intercom since 2017. His machine learning start-up Synference was acquired by Optimizely in San Francisco. His PhD was in machine learning applied to network analysis.

BRIAN CAULFIELD

JULIAN EBERLE

DARRAGH WHELAN

MIRIAM MURPHY

SANJAY ABRAHAM

ABEBA BIRHANE

PHILIP BROPHY

FERGAL MEEGAN & BARRY MURPHY

CONOR WALSH

NGOZI ELOBUIKE

PATRICIA MAGUIRE

MARTIN O’REILLY

DONNCHADH CASEY

KATE KILLEEN

MARK KELLY

ALISON DARCY

FERGAL REID

BRIAN CAULFIELD

BPhysio 1992, MMedSc 1994, PhD Physiotherapy 2002

JULIAN EBERLE

BSc Theoretical Physics 2014

DARRAGH WHELAN

PhD Public Health, Physio and Sport Science 2018

MIRIAM MURPHY

BComm 1990

SANJAY ABRAHAM

MSc Management 2018

ABEBA BIRHANE

MA 2015, PhD 2022

PHILIP BROPHY

BSc Chemistry 2008, MMgt 2014, ProfDip 2016

FERGAL MEEGAN & BARRY MURPHY

BBLS 2001, MBS 2002 & BE Civil 2010, ProfCert Stockbroking 2013

CONOR WALSH

BE Mechanical 2005

NGOZI ELOBUIKE

MA Race, Migration and Decolonial Studies 2022

PATRICIA MAGUIRE

BSc 1995, PhD Pharmacology 1999

MARTIN O’REILLY

PhD Public Health, Physio and Sport Science 2018

DONNCHADH CASEY

BE Civil 2003, MEngSc Civil 2006, MBA 2012

KATE KILLEEN

BA English with Film 2014, MSc HR 2016, DipEmpL 2018, MBA 2022

MARK KELLY

MBS 2005

ALISON DARCY

BA Psychology 1999, MLitt Psychology 2005, PhD Psychology 2007

FERGAL REID

PhD Computer Science 2013

Interested in a different year?