Padraic Morrissey, Technology Manager of PIXAPP, World’s First Open Access Photonic Packaging Pilot Line

1 Jul 2019

"UCC had a large role in getting me where I am right now. My Physics degree provided a great background in critical thinking and problem solving, which I use daily in my current role."

Current job title:

Technology Manager of PIXAPP, World’ First Open Access Photonic Packaging Pilot Line

What appeals to you most about your current role?

 In my role as Photonics Technology Manager, I find the diversity and variety of the work the most rewarding aspect. We work with some of the biggest companies in the world to develop technology solutions, this means there are constantly new problems to solve and exciting cutting edge research to get involved in.

Course/subjects studied in UCC and year of graduation:

Single Honours Physics Degree. Physics, Mechanics, Quantum Mechanics, Photonics

Most relevant main or subsidiary topic studied:

I think this would definitely be the Photonics course that I took in my final year. It provided a great foundation to the work I would go on to do in my PhD.

Best memory of UCC:

My best memory of UCC is meeting my wife there!

What role do you feel UCC played in getting you to where you are today?

UCC had a large role in getting me where I am right now. My Physics degree provided a great background in critical thinking and problem solving, which I use daily in my current role. The strong links the Physics Dept. has with the Tyndall National Institute and industry, made it easy to transition from an academic environment to the applied sciences.

Brief overview of work history (to highlight the path to where you are now):

After completing my undergraduate degree in UCC, I started my PhD at the Tyndall National Institute. My PhD focussed on Photonics, where I was designing, testing and developing new optically integrated circuits. After my PhD, I worked in the Integrated Photonics Group at Tyndall as a postdoctoral researcher, where I was developing new PICs for high speed optical communications. In 2016, I joined the Photonics Packaging Group at Tyndall as a researcher, where I was leading EU projects and developing standardized photonic packaging technologies leading to new optical and electrical packaging schemes for Si and InP based photonic systems.