Prof Niamh Nowlan was appointed Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at University College Dublin in 2021. Prior to this, she was  Reader in Developmental Biomechanics at the Department of Bioengineering of Imperial College London, UK, and maintains an honorary appointment there. The research focus of her group is in skeletal development, with particular focus on fetal movements. There are two key research areas of interest; how mechanical forces induced by prenatal movements affect bone and joint formation before birth, and how fetal movements may be used as an indicator of fetal health and function. Prior to starting her group as PI, Prof Nowlan held two postdoctoral fellowships in Trinity College Dublin, Ireland and in the Centre for Genomic Research, Barcelona, Spain. In 2009, she travelled to the USA as a Fulbright scholar, and spent six months working in Boston University. Prof Nowlan obtained a PhD in Bioengineering from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland in 2007, and holds a degree in Computer Engineering.