Tech Talk: MTU Innovation – Forging the Future of Digital and Advanced Technologies

Tech Industry Alliance and MTU are pleased to present our next Tech Talk: MTU Innovation – Forging the Future of Digital and Advanced Technologies.

Join us at the Nimbus Research Centre, MTU, on Thursday 26 March, from 7.30am to 9.30am, for a forward-looking industry briefing that explores the power of collaborative innovation. Registration, refreshments and networking will commence from 7.30am.

This is a future-focused industry event hosted at Nimbus, MTU, in collaboration with the Tech Industry Alliance. The showcase presents MTU as a whole-of-institution advanced technology and capability ecosystem, bringing together applied research excellence, state of the art infrastructure, and industry collaboration across AI, cybersecurity, engineering, smart and connected systems, digital product development, and emerging technologies.

Designed for a technically informed audience, the event combines short, high-impact talks with live demonstrations, lab-based showcases, and real-world case studies that illustrate how MTU research translates into practical, industry-relevant solutions. Rather than a traditional academic open day, this is a capability-led showcase highlighting MTU’s role as a future-technology partner, supporting innovation, collaboration, and real-world impact for industry today and into the future.

Panellists:

• Dr Aidan O’Mahony, Senior Principal Research Scientist at Dell Technologies 
• Brenda Cooper Horner, Managing Director at Horner APG Europe
• Dr. George O’Mahony, Head of Department of Computer Science at MTU
• Faye Murphy, South West Regional Executive at IDA Ireland
• Facilitator: Dr. Susan Rea, Director of the Nimbus Research Centre at MTU

Who Should Attend

• Industry leaders seeking to stay ahead of technological and digital transformation.
• Business professionals exploring R&D, innovation and partnership opportunities.
• Technology innovators and researchers interested in collaborative engagement.
• Decision-makers looking for insight into funding pathways and applied research opportunities.

Overview of Speakers

Aidan O’Mahony

Dr. Aidan O Mahony is a Senior Principal Research Scientist and Distinguished Member of Technical Staff in the Office of the CTO at Dell Technologies. With nearly 20 years of experience spanning embedded systems, cryptography, and cloud computing , his primary expertise lies in advanced data management, edge computing, and cybersecurity. His recent research focuses on Agentic DataOps.

Aidan has a strong background in leading multi-year, multi-stakeholder research initiatives. He previously served as the Technical and Scientific Coordinator for the Horizon Europe project GLACIATION and led edge solutions for the Horizon 2020 project SILVANUS. An avid innovator, he has authored numerous academic papers and holds multiple patents. He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical & Electronic Engineering from University College Cork and is a Senior Member of the IEEE.

Brenda Cooper

Brenda Cooper Horner is a pioneering leader in industrial automation and a passionate advocate for STEM innovation and education. As Managing Director of Horner APG Europe, Brenda has guided the company’s Cork-based operations for over 27 years, building a high-performing team and delivering automation solutions across Europe in sectors ranging from food and pharma to energy and water management.

Her career began in Galway with Digital Equipment Corporation during the rise of the personal computer, sparking a lifelong passion for emerging technologies. In 1997, Brenda took a bold leap to establish Horner’s European base in Cork, where she has led with strategic brilliance, operational precision, and a deep-rooted belief in empowering people. Brenda’s leadership style blends analytical rigor with human insight, shaped by her experience in auditing and European Operations. She is known for fostering trust, continuous improvement, and inclusive growth in a traditionally male-dominated industry.

Faye Murphy

Faye Murphy is the South West Regional Executive with IDA Ireland, where she works closely with over 240 multinational companies based across the region. Her role focuses on promoting the South West region as a compelling location for foreign direct investment, while supporting existing client companies to continue to grow and thrive locally.

IDA Ireland’s current strategy, Adapt Intelligently 2025–2029, supports companies on their transformation journey and is underpinned by four key objectives: strengthening long-term investment, driving sustainable change, scaling cutting-edge innovation, and maximising regional opportunities. Faye works collaboratively with colleagues across the organisation to deliver on these objectives at regional and national level.

Prior to joining IDA Ireland, Faye worked with Technology Ireland in Ibec, where she represented and supported Ireland’s indigenous and multinational technology sector, engaging closely with industry and policy stakeholders.

George O’Mahony

Dr. George O’Mahony is the Head of Department of Computer Science at Munster Technological University and a cybersecurity/AI researcher specializing in cyber resilience, IT/OT/IoT cybersecurity, cyber-range technologies, anomaly detection, offensive security and AI-driven cybersecurity. He completed his PhD at UCC, developing low-complexity AI techniques to enhance security on resource-constrained Wireless Sensor Network, IoT and GPS devices.

Since joining MTU, his work has advanced cyber resilience through cyber range technologies, AI-driven security, anomaly detection and explainable AI, contributing to peer-reviewed publications, national and EU projects, and high-impact IT/OT demonstrators. Dr O’Mahony is Ireland’s WorldSkills Cybersecurity Expert, an Associate Investigator in the CONNECT Centre, a PI within MTU’s Cybersecurity Research and Innovation Group, and a contributor to the €4M HEA North–South CyberUnite initiative. He led the development of MTU’s cloud and mobile cyber ranges and supervises multiple PhD and MSc researchers. He works on national and EU initiatives supporting critical-infrastructure security and leads research projects on maritime cybersecurity, trusted digital ecosystems, and human-centred AI.

Susan Rea

Dr. Susan Rea is the Director of the Nimbus Research Centre at MTU. She leads a team focused on trusted and distributed infrastructure management, digital transformation, and design-led technology development. Dr. Rea is a Principal Investigator with the Research Ireland CONNECT Centre for Future Networks, Research Ireland ADVANCE Centre for Doctoral Training  and serves as an Academic Advisory Body member of the International Association for Trusted Blockchain Applications (INATBA). She is also a board member of the European Technology Platform Software, Services, and Data (NESSI).  She holds a Ph.D. in Electronic Engineering from Cork Institute of Technology, with her research interests encompassing IoT, cyber-physical systems, and cybersecurity for large-scale next-generation networks. Dr. Rea is an advocate for women in STEM and actively promotes gender equality in higher education.

Nimbus specialises in applied research in areas including Cyber-physical Systems (CPS), Internet of Things (IoT), trusted and secure digital technologies. The Nimbus Centre hosts a multidisciplinary team that collaborates with industry, academia, and government agencies to develop human centric solutions that drive digital transformation, sustainability, and economic growth.