Dr Niall Smith

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Dr. Niall Smith

Head of Research

Dr. Niall Smith studied astrophysics at University College Dublin and graduated with his PhD in 1990. He lectured in the Department of Applied Physics & Instrumentation in Cork Institute of Technology for 18 years before becoming the Institute’s first Head of Research in 2005, now providing strategic oversight of a budget of €14m per annum across disciplines from science and engineering to arts and music. Niall is the Founder-Director of the internationally award-winning Blackrock Castle Observatory which has just celebrated its 12th anniversary and over 1.2 million visitors. In 2017, Niall was the host Director for the International Space University Space Studies Programme which is the largest conference programme ever to come to Cork, lasting a total of 9 weeks and involving over 320 global space experts. Niall’s research focuses on space topics including ultra high precision photometry and the uses of small satellites in low earth orbit for a wide range of functions from high resolution imaging to space cybersecurity to rural broadband. He was the Higher Education representative on the National Steering Group for the Irish Government’s recently published Space Strategy for Enterprise and considers Space 4.0 to be a significant opportunity for the Irish business community.

Linkedin: smithniall

Email:  niall.smith@mtu.ie

Phone (direct line): 353 (0) 21 4335304/04

ORCID ID: 0000-0001-7788-1991

Education: Ph.D., Astrophysics from University College Dublin

Publications:

  1. Referred Journal Publications – Journals in scopus, last 5 years
  2. ‘The Locus Algorithm: A novel technique for identifying optimised pointings for differential photometry’, Creaner O. Nolan K., Hickey E. and Smith N., Astronomy and Computing, 38, art. No. 100537, 2022
  3. ‘Escape From Planet Earth: From Directed Panspermia to Terraformation’, Sleator R and Smith N, in Planet Formation and Panspermia: New Prospects for the Movement of Life through Space, p. 119-124, 978-111964091-2, 978-111964039-4, 2022
  4. ‘COVID-19: Mask efficacy is dependent on both fabric and fit’, Derby et al., Future Microbiology, 16 (1), p.5-11, 2021
  5. ‘A catalogue of Locus Algorithm pointings for optimal differential photometry for 23 779 quasars’, Creaner et al., Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 498 (3), 3720-3729, 2020
  6. ‘COVID-19: In the absence of vaccination – Mask the nation’, Sleator R., Darby S., Giltinan A., Smith N., Future Microbiology, 15 (11), 963-966, 2020
  7. ‘Terraforming: synthetic biology’s final frontier’, Sleator R and Smith N., Archives of Microbiology, 201 (6):855-862, 2019
  8. ‘Trappist-1: The dawning of the age of Aquarius”, Sleator R and Smith N., Bioengineered, 8 (3): 194-195, Editorial, 2017
  9. ‘Directed panspermia: A 21st century perspective’. Sleator R and Smith N., SCIENCE PROGRESS, 100 (2):187-193, 2017