MEET DELANEY LAB

Colm is Assistant Professor of Inorganic and Materials Chemistry at the University of Dublin, Trinity College Dublin. He is an emerging leader in the field of self-assembly, micro-fabrication, microfluidics, and materials development. After completing his PhD in 2016 in Trinity College Dublin, under the supervision of Prof. Sylvia Draper, he took a Postdoctoral role at Dublin City University. During this time, he served as scientific coordinator of an FP7 Project, lead researcher and co-applicant on a Technology Innovation Development Award (TIDA) and directed a research project in conjunction with Air-Force Research Laboratories (USA) and GE Global Research. From December 2018 he led a research group at University College Dublin. In October 2020 he returned to TCD upon receiving a 2-year Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Research Fellowship entitled `Bio-Inspired Photonic Sensors". In 2021, Colm was awarded a MSCA International Fellowship at University of Cambridge. In 2022, he accepted a position as Assistant Professor in the School of Chemistry, TCD and was awared a prestigious ERC Starting Grant to establish his own research group in the School of Chemistry and AMBER Centre, Trinity College Dublin. 

Jing holds a B.Eng and M. Eng. In 2024 she completed a Ph.D in Physics at Trinity College Dublin under the supervision of Prof. Louise Bradley, focusing on responsive photonic structures fabricated by two-photon polymerisation. Jing’s currently works as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow on an ERC-Stg entitled BIO4D, where her expertise marries numerical simulations with material design, microfabrication, and optical characterization for the development of hydrogel gratings.

?????????????

Teodora is a final-year PhD candidate, co-supervised with Prof. Larisa Florea, whose research focus is on ordered composite materials. Teodora completed her undergraduate studies at Trinity College Dublin and subsequently began her PhD studies after being awarded an Irish Research Council (IRC – Research Ireland) postgraduate grant.

Aoife joined the group in 2023. She previously completed her BA(mod) in TCD, undertaking a research project under the supervision of Prof. Tianning Diao at NYU. Aoife is also a Laidlaw Scholar. Her work focuses on synthesis, fabrication, and characterisation of photonic cellulose microstructures.

Estela completed her BSc (2017) in Nanotechnology and Molecular Engineering at Universidad de las Americas Puebla (UDLAP) in Mexico and MSc (2020) in Nanoscience and Functional Nanomaterials at the University of Bristol in England. Her MSc thesis focused on designing ways to conjugate protocellular materials to living tissues. She joined the group in 2025 as a PhD student. She works on designing and synthesising core-shell nanoparticles which interface plasmonic and photonic optical responses. 

Aoife studied Chemistry at Trinity College Dublin (TCD), graduating in 2025. During her degree, she completed internships at Tyndall National Institute, where she worked on polymer-based neuromorphic memory devices, and at HT Materials Science, focusing on heat transfer fluids. She carried out her final-year project in the Delaney Lab in 2024 and joined the group as a PhD student in 2025, where her research focuses on structurally coloured liquid crystalline materials.

Grace’s work focuses on the development of responsive magnetic nanoparticles. Grace has a B.A in Medicinal Chemistry from Trinity College Dublin, and is passionate about sustainability, outreach and science communication. Grace is a committee member of the Royal Society of Chemistry in Ireland, a member of the Green Labs committee and was featured on BBC for promoting diversity and inclusion within chemistry. In 2025, she won the Royal Society of Chemistry’s: Chemistry Communicator Challenge for her project ‘AI as a catalyst for Green Chemistry’. Outside the lab, Grace loves travelling, art and reading

Emma graduated with a BSc in Chemistry from University College Dublin. Her final year thesis focused on self-assembling hydrogels with embedded photoactive polymer nanoparticles with a view toward antibacterial coatings. She joined the Delaney Group as a Research Assistant in October 2025, applying her background in chemistry and nanomaterials to help optimise photonic arrays as a key sensor in a smart implantable device for cardiovascular disease. She has now returned as a postgraduate student in 2026 working on fluorescent nanocomposite materials for sustainable energy.