Alumni Stories - Robert Wylie
"My time in NCAD gave me the core skills to be the innovator I am today and I’m constantly using these skills in my day-to-day role."
Name: Robert Wylie
Current Career: Leading a Medical Device startup that’s developing a new technology to improve the delivery of insulin for people living with Type 1 Diabetes
Graduation Year: 2015 & 2018
Disciplines: BDes Industrial Design & MSc Medical Device Design
Location: Galway, Ireland
What career path did you want to follow as a child?
I knew from a very young age that I wanted to pursue something creative and practical as I was always very curious about how things worked (and always questioned why certain things didn’t work!).
Why did you decide to study at National College of Art & Design?
In secondary school, I had two teachers who taught Art and Technology who spotted my creative side and really encouraged me to pursue a creative degree. Both teachers had studied at NCAD themselves and helped me understand the possibilities of pursuing a career in innovation. I always remember my technology teacher recommending a documentary about the German product designer Dieter Rams and his principles about “Good Design” and I was immediately hooked!
I directed my attention towards studying Industrial Design (now Product Design) at NCAD when studying for the Leaving Certificate. I elected to study all creative subjects (Art, Technology and Construction Studies) and used the knowledge and skills from these subjects to compile my portfolio.
How did you develop your career towards your current job / practice?
One of the topics that struck me during my bachelor’s degree was “Human Centred Design”; the idea of designing around the end user by understanding their needs first. Through Human Centred Design methodology, the goal is to immerse yourself in the world of the user you are designing for to really understand what problems they may have before you ever dream of the solution that could solve this problem. There are many layers to this approach and many industries of which it can have a positive impact. One of these areas that it is particularly important is in Healthcare and Life Sciences, where identifying and understanding the problems of a patient can lead to a solution that can ultimately improve their quality of life or even life expectancy.
I applied to the Master’s programme in Medical Device Design in NCAD after spending a year in the US working for an industrial design studio. It was during this programme where I got to further pursue a human centred approach to product development whilst learning new research methods and knowledge of regulatory pathways that have stood to me in my career to date. During the later stages of this programme, I worked on my thesis project with a startup company based in Galway called Feeltect to develop a smart bandage for compression therapy of Venous Leg Ulcers. This was my first insight into the commercialisation side of early-stage research and upon the completion of my master’s degree, I was offered a job in the lab Feeltect were based in the University of Galway. The experience of being involved with Feeltect’s development journey with founders Dr Andrew Cameron and Dr Darren Burke was something that really encouraged me to pursue a research commercialisation journey of my own. I got to see first-hand how a solution like Feeltect’s “Tight Alright” connected health solution for compression therapy can address a critical unmet need in healthcare by understanding the need of the end user.
From working with Professor Garry Duffy in the Duffy Lab in University of Galway I’ve been involved in numerous early-stage research and startup projects and have worked across many commercial and product development functions. Since 2021 I’ve raised €1.1 million in direct funding from Enterprise Ireland and other funding sources for my own research – developing an extended duration infusion set cannula technology to improve the delivery of insulin for people living with Type 1 Diabetes and I’m now leading a startup that’s developing from this research called Fada Medical.
My time in NCAD gave me the core skills to be the innovator I am today and I’m constantly using these skills in my day-to-day role.
What career development tips or advice do you have for students and recent graduates?
I consider myself very fortunate as I’ve met some incredible people in my career to date at various stages and I’m constantly surrounded by some incredible people every day in my current role. My main advice to anyone at the beginning of their career is that people are your most important and valuable resource. If you have the right people by your side, you will always be taking a step in the right direction.
The second piece of advice I would give is learn the art of presenting. I will never forget my first experience of this in NCAD. The very first presentation I gave for our first project in Industrial Design I couldn’t of been more nervous for. I remember it going horribly wrong where I just rushed through what I was presenting just to get it over with as I didn’t have the confidence in myself to show off the work I had done, even though I had worked hard at the project. Over the course of my time in both the Bachelors and Masters degrees it was something that I made sure to improve on, practicing my communication, my graphic design and my narrative skills over the many years of end-of-project presentations. This is a skill I now do regularly in my current role and am always continually refining. Learn to present yourself to the world and tell your story with confidence. If you are on stage or in a meeting presenting then you are there for a reason as you have worked hard to be there, so back yourself and show your audience why you are there.
Briefly, tell us about one specific project or experience you found interesting, or challenging, and/or inspirational while you were studying at NCAD?
One project that sticks out during my time in NCAD was our mini-project for the final year of Industrial Design. This project was one of the briefs from the RSA Student Design Awards competition where myself and classmate Timothy O’Sullivan focused on the human microbiome. This was the first project where we took a research approach – deep diving into how the microbes in our gut can influence our moods and how our diet can impact the diversity of these microbes. We interviewed many experts in the research field – Professors and Researchers from UCC and Trinity College and came up with a solution of a nightlight that can teach kids about their microbiome, developing as they develop. This concept received a “Highly Commended” Award in the 2015 RSA Student Design Awards in London and was subsequently included in an exhibition at the Eden Project in Cornwall where we got to see it on display.
