Galway native Claire Lillis has been awarded the prestigious Chartered Engineer of the Year Award by Engineers Ireland, the professional membership body for engineers.
Supported by Arup, the Chartered Engineer of the Year Award title was presented to Ms Lillis, a Senior Programme Manager with Aerogen, at a virtual awards ceremony hosted by Engineers Ireland on Thursday evening.
Claire Lillis was honoured with the accolade having been shortlisted from nearly 400 members of Engineers Ireland who attained the Registered Professional Title of Chartered Engineer between June 2020 and June 2021 and following a rigorous interview and presentation to a panel of expert judges.
She holds a degree in Biomedical Engineering from NUI Galway and a MSc. in Design Innovation from Maynooth University, where she graduated at the top of her class.
Since joining Aerogen in 2006, Claire has worked in Mechanical Design, Project Management and Programme Management roles within R&D. She has worked to develop products that help provide life-critical interventions from the ER through to ICU in over 75 countries.
Speaking to the Advertiser, she said that she was delighted with the accolade and with the groundbreaking work that she is involved in at Aerogen.
“We’ve designed a device to deliver surfactant to premature babies in respiratory distress. We are currently in clinical trials in the US and we are well on our way to changing the face of neonatal care across the world,” she added.
The fact that her work impacts on the health on premature babies is a welcome continuation of the work conducted by her father Dr. David Lillis. A retired paediatrician, who worked in UHG for 40 years, he treated many premature babies throughout his career.
Donal McDaid, Transport and Resources Group Leader at Arup said Arup is proud to partner with Engineers Ireland to support the Chartered Engineer of the Year Award. This award recognises the high calibre of Ireland’s professional engineers and celebrates their achievements
“On behalf of Arup, I would like offer my sincere congratulations to Claire Lillis on being awarded the prestigious title of Chartered Engineer of the Year 2021 and praise each Chartered Engineer shortlisted for this year’s award,” Mr McDaid concluded.
