TU Dublin School of Mechanical Engineering Hosts the 29th Sir Bernard Crossland Symposium
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Two days of poster and paper competitions at Bolton Street showcased the work of 35 PhD research students from across the island of Ireland, including TU Dublin’s own David Salter, who took third place in the Best Poster Competition.
TU Dublin’s School of Mechanical Engineering welcomed Ireland’s mechanical engineering research community to its Bolton Street campus on Thursday 3 and Friday 4 September 2026 for the 29th Sir Bernard Crossland Symposium.
The event was organised by Dr Kevin Delaney, Professor Fergal Boyle and Dr Sajad Alimohammadi of the School of Mechanical Engineering, in association with Engineers Ireland, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and the Council of Professors of Mechanical Engineering in Irish Universities. The annual symposium and postgraduate research workshop brings together academics, industry professionals and PhD researchers to share and celebrate research across the breadth of mechanical engineering.
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Established in 1997, the Symposium pays tribute to Sir Bernard Crossland’s strong commitment to education and research in mechanical engineering, as well as his recognition of the critical importance of design and manufacturing in engineering practice. It continues his legacy by encouraging collaboration between academia and industry through high-quality research.
The first day was dedicated to the postgraduate research workshop and poster competition, which is open to PhD students at any stage of their studies. Twenty-seven researchers delivered strictly timed three-minute flash presentations before discussing their research with delegates during poster viewing sessions and a closing reception. The Best Poster prize was decided by a delegate vote.
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Day two opened with a keynote address from guest speaker Professor Brian Norton, followed by the Best Paper Presentation Competition. Eight early-stage PhD researchers, each nominated by their institution, presented research spanning offshore energy, energy storage and conversion, biomechanics and advanced manufacturing.
Presentations were assessed by a panel of judges against criteria including scientific content and technical merit, communication skills, innovation, mechanical engineering and industrial relevance, and the student’s individual contribution to the research.
TU Dublin was represented in the paper competition by Elham Zafarrazzaghnia, whose research examines how calcination temperature affects hydroxyapatite powders and slurries for digital light processing 3D printing. Kriti Bhalla and David Salter represented TU Dublin in the poster competition.
2026 Prize Winners
Orlaith McSweeney of the University of Galway won the Best Paper Presentation Competition with research on an experimental-computational platform for characterising the biomechanics of tumours to support personalised cancer care. The prize recognises the best paper presentation by a PhD student in mechanical engineering on the island of Ireland.
Michael Gamble of Queen’s University Belfast took second place for research on carbon-based electrocatalysts for vanadium flow battery electrodes, while Colm McAlister of University College Dublin placed third for work on the computational modelling of offshore dynamic cables.
In the Best Poster Competition, first prize went to Blánaid Fogarty of South East Technological University, with Adam Hanlon of Queen’s University Belfast taking second place and TU Dublin’s David Salter third.
David is an Assistant Lecturer in TU Dublin’s School of Mechanical Engineering and a PhD researcher in the Thermo-Fluids and Energy Systems (TFES) Research Group. His PhD, supervised by Dr Sajad Alimohammadi and Professor Tim Persoons of Trinity College Dublin, explores air amplifier technology for cooling data centre servers.
Speaking on behalf of the organising committee, Dr Kevin Delaney said:
“Congratulations to all the participants. We were delighted to host the Sir Bernard Crossland Symposium again and to welcome so many researchers from across the island of Ireland to TU Dublin. It is inspiring to see the breadth and quality of research being undertaken and, in particular, to see the students communicate their work so confidently and demonstrate how their research is addressing real-world challenges across the many areas of mechanical engineering.”
Speaking on behalf of the School of Mechanical Engineering, Head of School, Dr Charlie Cullen said:
“The Sir Bernard Crossland Symposium gives PhD researchers from across the island of Ireland a valuable platform to share their work with academic and industry peers. I congratulate the organising committee on an excellent event, and I am especially pleased to see David Salter’s research recognised in the poster competition.”
The organisers also thanked Professor Norton, the judges and everyone who voted, as well as Engineers Ireland and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), whose support funds the prizes alongside a bequest from Sir Bernard Crossland himself.
The Symposium concluded with the presentation of the 2026 prizes, celebrating the achievements of the participating PhD researchers and continuing a long-standing tradition of bringing Ireland’s mechanical engineering research community together. The organisers are already looking ahead to the 30th Sir Bernard Crossland Symposium in 2027.