Padraic Casserly
Padraic Casserly

Hi, I'm Padraic. I'm a technologist, researcher, and global health professional.

I'm currently a PhD researcher in ETH Zürich's Global Health Engineering research group, working to bring new technologies to sanitation workers in Mzuzu, Malawi.

Places I've lived and worked — tap a pin to jump to that chapter.

Zürich Mzuzu Visakhapatnam Ibadan Jimma Réduit Beijing Seattle Madison Minneapolis Iganga Saint-Louis

Professional Experience

Work

Fifteen years working at the intersection of global development, technology, and higher education — across Malawi, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Mauritius, Uganda, India, China, and the United States.

Doctoral Researcher

Global Health Engineering, ETH Zürich

Zürich, Switzerland·Mzuzu, Malawi·Apr 2025 – present

Developing and testing new technologies to support informal sanitation workers ("gulpers") in Mzuzu, Malawi — in partnership with the municipal government.

World Health Innovation Fellow

Kalam Institute of Health Technology — a WHO Collaborating Centre

Visakhapatnam, India·Jul 2024 – Dec 2024

Conducted R&D on novel global health technologies alongside a cohort of twenty policy makers, clinicians, and engineers from the global south, studying how to make quality health products affordable in low- and middle-income countries.

Adjunct Teaching Faculty

University of Washington's Global Innovation Exchange

Bellevue, Washington, USA·Dec 2023 – Jun 2024

Delivered graduate-level laboratory courses in hardware and software development and machine learning, managing a five-figure budget per course. Courses taught included Signal Processing and Machine Learning, Hardware Software Lab 1, and Hardware Software Lab 2.

Global Health & Technology Consultant

Rice University's Institute for Global Health Technologies

Lagos, Nigeria·Oct 2023 – Dec 2023

Coordinated a national undergraduate design competition in Nigeria and guided the design of solar energy solutions for health care facilities in four African countries.

Design Studio Coordinator

Rice University's Institute for Global Health Technologies

Ibadan, Nigeria·Dec 2020 – Aug 2023

Designed, equipped, staffed, and managed a design and prototyping facility at the University of Ibadan — including a solar energy and battery system — while co-developing the biomedical engineering curriculum, training a staff of seven, and managing a six-figure annual budget.

Election Judge

Hennepin County, Minnesota

Rogers, Minnesota, USA·Nov 2020

Served as an election judge in Hennepin County, Minnesota for the local and national elections of 2020.

Data Scientist

LogicStream Health

Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA·Apr 2020 – Nov 2020

Analyzed electronic health records from thousands of U.S. hospitals in Python to better understand pharmaceutical demand during the Covid-19 pandemic, presenting datasets and visualizations to business and government public health stakeholders.

Fulbright Research Scholar

University of Mauritius

Réduit, Mauritius·Nov 2019 – Mar 2020

Piloted a machine-learning groundwater-sensing technology in collaboration with two federal water agencies of Mauritius, and delivered guest lectures on technology and entrepreneurship. Concluded early due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

User Experience Design Intern

PATH

Seattle, Washington, USA·Dec 2018 – Feb 2019

Developed technical solutions for pharmaceutical packaging and user-centered design for a generic drug intended for global distribution.

Makerspace Assistant

University of Washington's Global Innovation Exchange

Bellevue, Washington, USA·Mar 2018 – Jan 2019

Supported graduate students with fabrication and prototyping equipment at a state-of-the-art makerspace, maintaining 3D printers, woodshop, and laser tools and delivering safety training.

University Lecturer

Jimma Institute of Technology, Jimma University

Jimma, Ethiopia·Oct 2014 – Aug 2017

Built curriculum for and taught courses in prototyping, thermodynamics, biomedical design, and entrepreneurship; mentored the undergraduate national champions of Ethiopia's 2016 National Science, Technology and Innovation Contest; and designed a medical water distiller for the university hospital.

WASH Team Leader

Uganda Village Project

Iganga, Uganda·May 2014 – Aug 2014

Led a team of Ugandan and American graduate students on public health and education projects, conducting house-to-house water access surveys in a village of several thousand people.

Academic Background

Education

I've tailored my education to apply technological solutions to the world's most challenging problems — across climate change, higher education, and global health.

Tsinghua University

M.S. Data Science and Information Technology

Dual Degree·Beijing, China·2017–2019

Developed a smart sensor that attaches to a hand-pump handle, using a machine-learning model on vibration signals to predict groundwater depth in resource-poor settings.

University of Washington

M.S. Technology Innovation

Dual Degree·Seattle, Washington, USA·2017–2018

Worked with classmates from Pakistan, China, and Paraguay to build an AI-enabled "cluck recognition technology" for Microsoft — a prototype that analyzed chicken vocalizations to alert farmers when flocks were distressed.

University of Wisconsin

M.S. Biomedical Engineering

Madison, Wisconsin, USA·2011–2013

Independent research on how emerging mobile technologies could monitor the spread of cholera in epidemic-prone countries, specifically Sierra Leone.

University of Wisconsin

B.S. Biomedical Engineering

Certificates in African Studies & Biology in Engineering·Madison, USA·2005–2010

Dean's Honor List. Studied abroad for a year at Université Gaston Berger in Saint-Louis, Senegal, where I studied the French and Wolof languages.

Press & Media

Padraic in the News

Digital clippings in which I've been profiled or interviewed — largely about efforts to apply entrepreneurship and technology innovation to global health, climate, and agriculture challenges.

Finding fertile ground for global health innovations UW Global Innovation Exchange UI, NEST360 hold first design competition to stir innovation, entrepreneurship among students Nigerian Tribune Two graduate students named Fulbright Fellows 2019–2020 UW Graduate School Tomorrow's innovators: First-class graduates from Global Innovation Exchange Microsoft News Wisconsin Entrepreneurial Bootcamp alum extends global reach of entrepreneurship training UW–Madison School of Business

Honors & Fellowships

Awards

A selection of awards, fellowships, and honors, in reverse chronological order.

World Health Innovation Fellowship

Kalam Institute of Health Technology (WHO)·2024

Six-month fellowship studying the medical product landscape with fellows from African countries and organizations including the WHO and UNICEF.

Alumni Impact Award

University of Washington·2023

First-ever recipient, nominated by fellow alumni of the Technology Innovation program for using that knowledge to make a positive impact on the world.

Fulbright Scholarship

U.S. Department of State·2019

Awarded to implement groundwater research with the environmental engineering department at the University of Mauritius.

1st Place, Maker Summit

University of Washington·2018

Won the University of Washington's Maker Summit grand prize with two classmates on my design team. We developed a "smart mat" that recognized users' identities from their foot-pressure profiles using machine learning, and received a cash prize. Watch

Wisconsin Entrepreneurial Bootcamp

Weinert Center, UW–Madison·2012

Selected for a one-week intensive training program in technology entrepreneurship for STEM graduate students.

Eagle Scout

Boy Scouts of America

Earned the organization's highest rank — planning a service project, serving as Senior Patrol Leader, and earning dozens of merit badges.

Scholarship & Output

Research

My prior research has focused on global health technologies, engineering education in Africa, energy solutions for health systems, and environmental sensing in low-resource settings. My current interests explore the policies that address the most important social, natural, technological, and health challenges impacting the planet.

Publications

Mkandawire, T., et al. Bridging engineering education and local innovation ecosystems in Africa through the invention education model. Innovation and Emerging Technologies, vol. 12, 2025. DOI

Casserly, P., Dare, A., Onuh, J., et al. Leveraging an open-access digital design notebook for graduate biomedical engineering education in Nigeria. Biomedical Engineering Education 4, 267–274, 2024. DOI

Casserly, P. A machine-learning approach for measuring groundwater depth using handpump infrastructure as a medium. Tsinghua University Library Press, 2019. Read the thesis

Kirby, R., Taylor, A., & Casserly, P. Innovation Technology Landscape: Technologies from African universities designed to solve local and global challenges (1st ed.). NEST360 Technical Report, 2022. Read the report

Conference Proceedings

Taylor, A., Casserly, P., Osifuwa, D., Arena, S., Arena, C. Beyond Curricular Silos: A Problem-Based Learning Approach Integrating Ethics and Design using the World Health Organization's Global Breast Cancer Initiative. Presented at the Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Conference, San Diego, CA, USA, 2025.

Casserly, Padraic S., et al. "Development of a Non-Contact Handwashing Device to Prevent the Spread of Communicable Diseases in Nigeria." American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Annual Meeting, 2022, Seattle, WA. Poster presentation.

Casserly, Padraic S., et al. "Limited-Contact Posture Change Device for ICU Patients in Nigeria." Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Annual Meeting, 2021, San Antonio, TX. Poster presentation.

Patents

Non-contact, adaptable handwashing device. F/PT/NC/2024/11732 · Issued by the Nigerian Federal Government, Apr 2024. A piece of hardware which, when interfaced with a water bucket, automatically dispenses water and liquid soap onto a user's hand when a proximity sensor is triggered — for use where piped water is unavailable.

Limited-contact, posture change device for patients. F/PT/NC/2024/11733 · Issued by the Nigerian Federal Government, Apr 2024. A mechanical device which turns a critically ill (and potentially infectious) patient from the supine position to the prone position, thereby reducing the number of healthcare workers required to handle a patient.

Panel Appearances

Transforming invention education to solve local and global health challenges. 2022 Skoll World Forum. Watch

Where is the power? Solutions for small and sick newborn care in the context of power outages. NEST360 & UNICEF, 2024. Watch

The design and development of appropriate MedTech products in West and East Africa. Worldwide University Network, 2022. Details

Reviewer

Peer reviewer for submissions to the Journal of Biomedical Engineering Education.

Peer reviewer of manuscript submissions for the International Symposium on Academic Makerspaces conference proceedings.

Reviewer of Mandela Washington Fellowship applications from aspiring African leaders, for the U.S. Department of State.

Reviewer for applicants to the University of Washington's Technology Innovation program.