Biomedical Engineering.

Steve Young

Hi Guys,

I'm looking for info on biomedical engineering. I've just started back studying as a mature student doing an access foundation course in Science, Technology and Engineering. I'm interested in doing a degree in biomedical engineering and I was wondering what job opportunities there are in Ireland, what it is like to work in this field and what the future of biomedical engineering is with regards to cell research(is cell research big in Ireland?). I have limited knowledge of this subject but what I'm finding out is very interesting and I've always been interested in biology

josey_whale

The application of engineering principles to biology and medicine or "Biomedical Engineering" is a huge field.

I am glad you narrowed it down a even little... but even "cell research" in this field is very broad. What do you mean by this term?

The biopharma industry is big in Ireland. However, if you wanted to carry out research for the pharma industry, I would suspect that opportunities would be limited. Most of what goes on in Ireland in terms of biopharma is production. There does appear to be plenty of jobs however in this field - especially in QC and validation. There will always be jobs in the application of engineering principles to this industry - think of what would be required to scale up a process from lab to production scale.

Medical devices are also big in Ireland - especially in and around Galway. You have the likes of Boston Scientific, Metronic, etc.

Both the above industries are involved in "cell research" in one way or another. Another relatively new field is biomaterials, or materials that interact with biological systems - think implants, artificial organs, drug delivery. Have a look at the NFB in Galway for some info on biomaterial research in Ireland http://www.nfb.ie/.

What of microfluidics, lab-on-a-chip type technologies and how these can be applied to understanding fundamental cell processes?

To summarise, there are plenty of jobs in Ireland - it's more a case of what you want to do with a qualification in biomedical engineering.... Look here for what grad Ireland has to say on the subject http://gradireland.com/careers-advice/job-descriptions/biomedical-engineer

If you want to do research.... find a university lab working in the area and talk to them.

If you have more specific questions, I'll do my best to answer them.

JW

Steve Young

Thanks for replying Josey,

As I said my knowledge at the moment is quite limited and I'm only starting to realise how big an area Biomedical Engineering is. And fascinating

I spoke with students at NUI Galway who did the course and they talked about design and build of medical devices and production, they also mentioned stem cell research and how human tissue could be used in implants. I'm interested to learn more about these areas. would Bio/Med Engineering be the right choice for someone who wanted to be involved in the design and build of medical devices such as implants and prosthetics and is there much demand for someone with these skills in Ireland.

josey_whale

Steve Young wrote: »

would Bio/Med Engineering be the right choice for someone who wanted to be involved in the design and build of medical devices such as implants and prosthetics and is there much demand for someone with these skills in Ireland.

I think it would be a good route to take. It would give you a sound understanding of the basics. After that, it would be up to you.

One thing I would say though would be chose the course carefully. From what limited searching I have done... degree courses in or a variant of biomedical engineering are offered at;

NUIG http://www.nuigalway.ie/mechbio/
UL http://www3.ul.ie/courses/BiomedicalEngineering.php
CIT http://www.cit.ie/course/CR520
DCU http://www.dcu.ie/prospective/deginfo.php?classname=BMED
UCD https://myucd.ucd.ie/program.do?programID=97
TCD http://www.tcd.ie/bioengineering/

I am sure there are more than this

So, what I would do, is research the courses (modules), the academics involved, their research, reputation, etc. Talk to them, and pick a course that most suits your needs.

In terms of jobs.... there will always be jobs out there for good engineers. This field is evolving and growing rapidly.

Steve Young

Thanks so much Josey that's very helpful.

I'm in NUIG next week and trying to get a meeting with more students and maybe a lecturer. I've looked over the prospectus at the syllabus and hopefully the lecturer will be able to fill me in on anything I don't understand.

Thanks again

Steve.