Sinéad O’Carroll

After completing my PhD in the field of bio-inorganic medicinal chemistry and chemical biology under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Andrew Kellett at Dublin City University in December 2021, I decided to pursue a career path at the interface of science and law and begin my formal training to become a patent attorney. My interest in the intellectual property field stemmed from observing my supervisor and colleagues go through the patent application process of their novel scientific inventions.

From a young age, I have always been fascinated by the world of science, medicine, and pharmaceuticals and so completed my undergraduate degree BSc. (Hons) in Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences at DCU in 2017. At the end of my undergraduate studies I received the runner-up prize of the Paraic James Memorial Award for Undergraduate Academic Excellence. During my undergraduate degree I completed a placement in an industrial laboratory as a Quality Control Chemist and Laboratory Technician.

My PhD thesis covered a range of areas in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology with a particular emphasis on oncology, chemotherapeutics, diagnostics, and nucleic acid therapies. During my studies I collaborated with world leaders in medicinal chemistry from The University of Oxford and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and had the opportunity to spend some time at The University of Oxford for some of this collaborative research.

During the final year of my PhD studies I was awarded the Colin Barnes Commemorative Award for Postgraduate Academic Excellence at DCU.

Outside of my studies, I enjoy playing piano and completed my eight grades at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, I’m a keen tennis player and spent a summer coaching in the US, and I love to practise yoga and have a personal goal of attaining my yoga teachers training qualification at some stage in the future.