Katie Cavanagh

Katie Cavanagh is a key contributor to Northern Ireland’s growing photonics and advanced manufacturing ecosystem, working across both Smart Nano NI and Yelo Ltd. Her role focuses on bridging cutting-edge nanotechnology research with real-world industrial applications, particularly in sensing, data-driven manufacturing, and product development. At Smart Nano NI, Katie has been involved in collaborative programmes that connect academia with industry partners to accelerate innovation in areas such as nanofabrication, photonic sensing, and intelligent manufacturing systems. Alongside this, her work at Yelo Ltd places her at the forefront of commercialising emerging technologies, helping translate research outputs into scalable, market-ready solutions. Katie brings a strong understanding of how advanced materials and photonics can be used in practical manufacturing environments, from improving process monitoring to enabling next-generation sensing platforms. She is particularly interested in how interdisciplinary collaboration spanning physics and engineering can unlock new capabilities for industry. Her experience across both research-led and commercial settings gives her a valuable perspective on how innovation can move from lab to factory floor, making her a strong advocate for industry-academia partnerships.