International recognition for TUS doctorate researchers
Congratulations to doctorate scholars Brian McEvoy and Terra Kremer who were recognised for their outstanding contributions to terminal sterilisation microbiology and international standards respectively at recent AAMI/FDA awards.
Dr McEvoy is Senior Director for Global Technologies at Steris Advanced Sterilization Technologies, based at the IDA Tullamore Business & Technology Park. He conducted his stellar PhD on the development of new vaporised hydrogen peroxide technology as an important gas sterilization modality under the co-supervision of Professor Neil J Rowan, and Dr Mark Lynch at Technological University of the Shannon.
He has published extensively in leading journals including receiving the most cited paper award by the Journal of Applied Microbiology in 2022. His related published research informed the safe reprocessing of PPE and future medical waste management during COVID-19 pandemic under Emergency Use Authorization.
Terra Kremer, Senior Director for Microbiological Services at Johnson and Johnson, successfully defended her PhD thesis earlier this summer at TUS on the development of a new cleaning classification system for safe processing of reusable medical devices in healthcare.
This timely PhD will inform future design thinking, risk mitigation and patient safety for next generation medical devices. Terra has published eleven journal and 10 conference papers on novel findings arising from her thesis that has also informed a new international standard in this topic. This is the first totally remote PhD delivered by TUS.
Both stellar doctorate scholars were supervised by Professor Neil Rowan at TUS, who lives locally in Coosan, Athlone. Neil was first Director of the Bioscience Research Institute before transitioning to founder and lead Principle Investigator of the Centre for Sustainable Disinfection and Sterilization at TUS. He has supervised 40 PhDs to completion in these areas.
He is recognised by Standford University and by ScholarGPS as being in the top 1% of world scientists in his field of study and received the ‘outstanding contribution to research award’ by TUS for 2024.
Neil remarked: “I’m absolutely thrilled for Brian and Terra. Both are exceptional doctorate researchers and have made outstanding contributions to the fields of medical devices, pharmaceutical sciences and healthcare. Both are highly respected leaders internationally in sterilization microbiology and in medical device processing respectively. Their achievements highlights the position TUS holds in forging, supporting and enabling outstanding researchers in making real impactful changes for society”.