David McCloskey is a CONNECT Funded Investigator at Trinity College Dublin.

He is also the Ussher Assistant Professor of the Science of Energy and Energy Systems at Trinity, and leads the nanothermal research group in the School of Physics. His current research interests include, waste-heat harvesting, time and frequency domain thermal imaging techniques, thermoelectrics, thermal interface materials, heat exchangers, plasmonics, heat transfer in 2D materials, diamond photonics, optical microresonaotors , near field optics, heat transport on nanoscale, and nanofabrication (EBL, UV litho, FIB, Helium ion microscopy and lithography). He is developing a multidisciplinary masters program in the science of energy hosted across the Schools of Physics, Chemistry, Engineering and Geology.

David earned his Bachelor of Arts in Theoretical Physics at Trinity College Dublin in 2008, and his PhD in Experimental Optics in 2012, working with Prof. John Donegan. His thesis examined electromagnetic scattering from non-spherical micron-scale dielectric particles. He also studied whispering gallery modes and visible light integrated optics in silicon nitride.

After completing his PhD, David worked as a postdoctoral researcher on a number of academic and industrial projects related to electromagnetism and thermal transport. In particular he has worked in collaboration with Western Digital Corporation on the optical design of heat assisted magnetic recording heads for the next generation of magnetic hard-drives. Other projects include sub-micron resolution thermal imaging of III-V diode lasers, with Nokia/ Bell Labs. He has worked as a visiting researcher in Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO), Barcelona; Institut Fresnel, Marseille, and NUI Galway.