Dr Tracey Coady

Biography

Dr Coady joined WIT as a lecturer in Pharmaceutical Science in 2019. Her research interests include green and sustainable organic synthesis and biodegradation of synthetic polymers. Dr Coady lectures in organic chemistry, natural products, spectroscopic characterisation, and pharmacology/ pharmacokinetics.  She is a member of the Science Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Network since 2019, promoting research in the undergraduate curriculum.

Dr Coady graduated from Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) in 2010 with a 1^st Class-Honours degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences and was awarded the HETAC Academic Excellence Award for “Overall Best Final Year Student in Waterford Institute of Technology”. She obtained her PhD in organic chemistry and biotechnology at WIT in 2014 under the supervision of Dr Claire Lennon and Dr Catherine O’Reilly with the thesis; “Biotransformations using nitrile hydrolysing enzymes for stereoselective organic synthesis”. This work encompassed the development of a high-throughput screening strategy for the identification of enzymes capable of preparing enantio-enriched beta-hydroxy acids and amides. During her PhD she completed a placement at Northumbria University under the guidance of Professor Gary Black (performing protein purification and characterisation), published three first author peer-reviewed publications, three patent publications and was engaged as development scientist in the Wales Ireland Network for Scientific Skills (INTERREG 4A).  

Dr Coady took up a post-doctoral role as a Synthetic Process Development Chemist for the Bioenz program at WIT, focusing on the development of an enzyme discovery platform for commercial applications. Following her postdoctoral position Dr Coady was employed as an Organic Chemist in the Process Development and Commercialization department at Merck Sharpe and Dome (MSD). This role involved evaluation and identification of critical process parameters and critical quality attributes during API synthesis and new product introductions. She also worked as a Bioanalytical chemist in industry which saw her building new biologics capabilities within the company (bioanalytical technique development, equipment sourcing and qualification) and taking an active role in sterile injectable product development, facilitating failure mode effects analysis for a range of product platforms.

Research Interests

Dr Coady is a member of the Pharmaceutical and Molecular Biotechnology Research Centre (PMBRC). Her research interests include green and sustainable chemistry. More specifically the applications of enzymes for the biodegradation of synthetic polymers and subsequent conversion of the biodegradation products to produce value added products to achieve a circular economy. Other areas of interest include hydrolase catalysed biotransformations in flow chemistry and organocatalysis and anion recognition motifs. Dr Coady is currently supervising 3 postgraduate students.

Teaching

Dr Coady lectures in organic chemistry, pharmaceutical and natural products, advanced spectroscopic characterisation, and pharmacology at undergraduate level. She has acted as internal examiner for the confirmation of PhD and Masters students. Dr Coady has been a member of the Science Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Network since 2020. This collaborative network developed COPs in response to the Covid-19 crisis including a contingency planning sub-committee with several shared resources, enabling students to complete their final year project. Dr Coady is also a reviewer for Oxford University Press “Global OUP”.

Dr Coady has completed a L9 Module in Blended Learning, Advanced analytical techniques, and is currently completing a module in Environmental Sustainability in Education. She has also received a digital badge from the National Forum for Teaching and Learning in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in 2022.