Jemma Redmond (16 March 1978 – 16 August 2016) was an Irish

biotechnology Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that involves the integration of natural sciences and Engineering Science, engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms and parts thereof for products and services. Specialists ...

pioneer and innovator. She was a co-founder of 3D bio-printing firm Ourobotics, developers of the first-ever ten-material bio-printer. Redmond designed a way of keeping living cells alive while printed using 3D printers, making her a leading figure in Irish science and technology.

Early life

Born in

Tallaght Tallaght ( ; , ) is a southwestern outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland. The central village area was the site of a monastic settlement from at least the 8th century, which became one of medieval Ireland's more important monastic centres. Up to th ...

, South Dublin, Redmond studied electronic engineering before earning her undergraduate degree in applied physics at

Robert Gordon University Robert Gordon University, commonly called RGU (), is a public university in the city of Aberdeen, Scotland. It became a university in 1992, and originated from an educational institution founded in the 18th century by Robert Gordon (philanthrop ...

in Aberdeen in 2002. She later returned to university, completing a master's degree in nano-bioscience at

University College Dublin University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...

in 2012, along with qualifications in project management and electronic engineering. Her interest in nano-bioscience was sparked by an

intersex Intersex people are those born with any of several sex characteristics, including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical binar ...

condition that made her infertile. She started bioprinting by building her own devices in her kitchen.

Career

A serial entrepreneur, Redmond created a company manufacturing vending machines in 2008, before co-founding Ourobotics in January 2015, with Alanna Kelly from Galway, Ireland, and backing from

SOSV SOSV is an American venture capital firm that provides pre-seed, seed, Series A and later stage funding to deep tech startups that join its startup development programs, which are located in New York City, Newark, New Jersey, and San Francisco. ...

. Kelly resigned as director in July 2015. Tony Herbert, entrepreneur and owner of technical optics company Irish Precision Optics, from Cork became a director of Ourobotics in August 2015 and the company moved to the optics company premises in Cork City. Redmond designed and marketed two bio-printers including, in 2016, a printer capable of printing human tissue, and at a much lower cost than previous bio-printers. Redmond's first device printed an extended finger, described by Pádraig Belton as "a gentle reply to those who had called printing organs of such complexity impossible." In January 2016, the company won first prize in a prestigious international competition, ''Silicon Valley Open Doors Europe''. The company was also selected as part of a start-up adoption program by Google.

Death

Redmond died unexpectedly in August 2016. Her mother described it as a "tragic accident". She was described as a polymath, an inspiration and great friend. She was survived by her partner, Kay Cairns, a journalist and activist.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Redmond, Jemma 1978 births 2016 deaths 20th-century Irish LGBTQ people 21st-century Irish LGBTQ people Biotechnologists Intersex women Irish intersex people Irish women scientists Irish LGBTQ scientists 21st-century women scientists Women biotechnologists 21st-century Irish biologists Alumni of Robert Gordon University Alumni of University College Dublin Accidental deaths in the Republic of Ireland