Professor Paul Maguire

Overview

Paul Maguire is Professor of Plasmas and Nanofabrication within the School of Engineering, Ulster University. His main research focus is on the science and engineering of microplasmas at atmospheric pressure with particular interest in novel applications. Recently he has developed systems for studying the interaction of low temperature plasmas with liquid droplets leading to interesting discoveries in microreactor chemistry for high synthesis rate growth of monosized nanoparticles. Plasma – droplet interactions have enabled the creation of highly charged micron-sized droplets which are proving to be an invaluable tool for the study of ultra-low energy electrons (< 1 eV) and short-lived radicals directly interacting with living cells. The design and integration of microplasmas with microfluidics and microfabrication is now opening up opportunities for developing new clinical and environmental lab on chip devices. Examples include real-time airborne pathogen detection and remote deep-ocean CO2 chemical analysis. Atmospheric pressure plasma synthesis of nanomaterials and/or atomic scale surface engineering offers opportunities for new nanomaterials, surfactant and ligand free synthesis, new delivery mechanisms to substrate, device or biological tissue.

Paulreceived his Ph.D. degree from Faculty of Applied Science, Queens University Belfast in 1986. He is a fellow of the Institute of Physics and a Chartered Engineer. He has published over 90 scientific publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals, holds a number of patents and has attracted funding from Research Council (EPSRC_Maguire_Grants-details) in collaboration with colleagues at Ulster, Glasgow, Cambridge and St Andrews. His ocean lab on chip work has been funded by NSF through the US-Ireland programme in collaboration with NUI Galway and Scripps Institute, UC San Diego.  Other industry-related collaborations have included funded projects with e.g. TFX-Medical, Seagate Ltd and AVX Ltd.