Dr Martin McHugh
Biography
I am Head of Department of Visual and Human Centred Computing at Dundalk Institute of Technology, where I lead a multidisciplinary team across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in computing and creative technologies. My role includes programme development, staff management, and strategic planning, and I have led the creation of multiple new online and blended postgraduate programmes. I am actively involved in institutional committees focused on equality, diversity and inclusion, recognition of prior learning, and data-driven student success, with a particular emphasis on supporting neurodiverse learners.
I have extensive experience in higher education teaching and leadership, having previously held lecturing roles at TU Dublin and Dublin City University, where I delivered modules in computing, information systems, and IT forensics. I have also served as an external examiner at multiple higher education institutions, contributing to quality assurance and assessment consistency at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Prior to my academic career, I worked in industry with Fujitsu Ireland and IQon Technologies, gaining hands-on experience in IT service delivery, systems implementation, and customer-focused technical support.
My research expertise lies at the intersection of software engineering, medical device software, agile and regulatory-compliant development, and inclusive education. I have supervised doctoral research funded by national and international bodies and have published widely in journals, book chapters, and international conferences. My recent work focuses on inclusive assessment practices and the experiences of autistic students in higher education, alongside ongoing research into agile frameworks for safety-critical and regulated software development.
Qualifications & Awards
- B.Sc. (Hons) in Information Technology Management
- M.Sc. (Hons) in Computing
- PgDip in Third Level Learning and Teaching
- PhD in Computing
Research & Interests
My research focuses primarily on software engineering for safety-critical and regulated domains, with a particular emphasis on medical device software. Much of my work examines how agile software development practices can be integrated with plan-driven and regulatory-compliant lifecycles, especially in the context of EU and US medical device regulation. A recurring theme in my research is the challenge of balancing agility and discipline in environments where safety, traceability, and compliance are essential.
A second major strand of my research concerns software process improvement and quality assurance. This includes work on defect prevention, requirements engineering, lifecycle adaptation, and the application of agile practices to improve software quality in high-risk and highly regulated settings. My publications in this area are largely grounded in empirical studies of software organisations and aim to develop evidence-based frameworks and models that support both compliance and continuous improvement. This work also underpins my doctoral supervision on agile-based frameworks for reducing defects in medical device software.
More recently, my research has expanded into inclusive education within computing and technology disciplines, with a particular focus on the experiences of autistic students in higher education. This work explores inclusive assessment practices and the structural and regulatory challenges faced by neurodiverse learners in third-level education. Alongside this, I have developed an emerging research interest in AI-enabled medical devices and their regulatory frameworks, examining the socio-technical implications of introducing advanced technologies into safety-critical healthcare environments.