UCD's New Programme MEngSc Robotics and Intelligent Manufacturing: Insights from Programme Director, Nikolaos Papakostas
UCD College of Engineering & Architecture
The UCD College of Engineering & Architecture is a key player in our future as a knowledge-based, sustainable economy.
Tell us a little about this master’s being offered at UCD.
The development and deployment of robotic as well as smart manufacturing technologies have become very important for a significant number of industrial sectors in Ireland and the rest of the world, including biomedical, pharmaceutical, agricultural as well as electronics manufacturing companies.
MEngSc Robotics and Intelligent Manufacturing aims at providing the necessary skills to engineers and scientists so that they can immediately start working in real robotic and automation projects.
What is unique about this master’s?
This Master’s Programme provides students with an understanding of the tools that are required for designing and deploying novel production and business environments. These tools include digital manufacturing, simulation, data analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence software, industrial, collaborative, and mobile robots, advanced sensors, and smart devices. Graduates will be capable of getting involved in advanced robotics and smart automation projects.
This Master’s Programme takes advantage of a series of advanced, state-of-the-art robotic and automation equipment that will allow students to familiarise themselves with modern hardware and software technologies. The Programme combines theory and practice in a learning-friendly manner, focusing on delivering sufficient hands-on training to students. The summer project will be carried out in cooperation with prominent Irish industrial and automation companies, thus increasing the employment opportunities for students.
What type of student should consider taking this master’s?
Applicants should hold a NFQ Level 8 (or international equivalent) degree in a relevant Engineering or Science programme or equivalent. Students with a Mechanical, Electrical, Electrical Engineering or Science or Software Engineering background are particularly welcome.
Applicants whose first language is not English must also demonstrate English language proficiency of IELTS 6.5 (no band less than 6.0 in each element), or equivalent.
Tell us about the course content and the structure of the master’s programme.
The programme is a full-time, one-year 90 credit master's. Overall, the programme offers:
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What does the UCD School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering have to offer students and what facilities are available to the students on this master’s?
This programme is delivered by a highly research-intensive school, which is in the top 150 in the QS world subject rankings. An example of this research activity is the coordination of the 2.23-million-euro Horizon Europe iCircular3 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions project, with one of its main research goals being to take advantage of circular economy principles for improving the efficiency as well as for extending the lifecycle of industrial robots.
A number of state-of-the-art robotic and automation equipment located in the Laboratory for Advanced Manufacturing Simulation and Robotics will be used for training labs and tutorials, including industrial, collaborative, and mobile robotic platforms as well as automation equipment and programmable logic controllers.
How will it benefit students and their career?
The main barrier towards implementing modern, smart automation technologies in standard manufacturing practices is the lack of skills of automation experts in the areas of robotics and digital manufacturing. In Ireland, this is manifested in the difficulty Irish robotic and system integration companies have in recruiting engineers who can be readily involved in today’s complex automation cell and line building projects. This is also reflected on the average salary of automation experts, which is among the highest in the country. The main goal of this programme is to produce experts with sufficient scientific and practical skills in the areas of robotics and smart manufacturing.
All production systems and business environments will be sooner or later automated. This Programme will provide students with all necessary skills to allow them to have an active role in future automation projects.
Leading automation companies as well as biomedical manufacturing companies are continuously looking for automation experts in the Irish job market. Some of which are:
Is there anything else we should know about this programme?
The Programme is delivered by a group of highly qualified academics with a long-standing industrial and research experience. It is endorsed by leading industrial and automation companies in Ireland.
About Dr. Nikolaos Papakostas:
Dr. Nikolaos Papakostas is an Associate Professor at the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering in University College Dublin. He is the Director of the Master of Engineering with Business Programme. His research areas include the following fields: Simulation, Control and Scheduling of Manufacturing Systems, Digital Manufacturing Applications (CAx, PLM), Virtualization of Manufacturing Systems and Processes using Industry 4.0 technologies Engineering / Manufacturing Knowledge Management and Big Data Analytics Internet of Things (IoT) technologies for the Management of Supply Chains and Dynamic Manufacturing Networks. He worked at the Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems and Automation (LMS) of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics, University of Patras, Greece from 2005 to 2015, and was the technical coordinator of a number of European Research Projects.
To find out more click here or email katie.oneill@ucd.ie