Biography
Dr Coady joined WIT as a lecturer in Pharmaceutical Science in 2019. Her research interests include green and sustainable organic synthesis and biodegradation of synthetic polymers. Dr Coady lectures in organic chemistry, natural products, spectroscopic characterisation, and pharmacology/ pharmacokinetics. She is a member of the Science Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Network since 2019, promoting research in the undergraduate curriculum.
Dr Coady graduated from Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) in 2010 with a 1st Class-Honours degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences and was awarded the HETAC Academic Excellence Award for “Overall Best Final Year Student in Waterford Institute of Technology”. She obtained her PhD in organic chemistry and biotechnology at WIT in 2014 with the thesis; “Biotransformations using nitrile hydrolysing enzymes for stereoselective organic synthesis”. This work encompassed the development of a high-throughput screening strategy for the identification of enzymes capable of preparing enantio-enriched beta-hydroxy acids and amides. During her PhD she completed a placement at Northumbria University under the guidance of Professor Gary Black (performing protein purification and characterisation), published three first author peer-reviewed publications, three patent publications and was engaged as development scientist in the Wales Ireland Network for Scientific Skills (INTERREG 4A).
Dr Coady took up a post-doctoral role as a Synthetic Process Development Chemist for the Bioenz program at WIT, focusing on the development of an enzyme discovery platform for commercial applications. Following her postdoctoral position Dr Coady was employed as an Organic Chemist in the Process Development and Commercialization department at Merck Sharpe and Dome (MSD). This role involved evaluation and identification of critical process parameters and critical quality attributes during API synthesis and new product introductions. She also worked as a Bioanalytical chemist in industry which saw her building new biologics capabilities within the company (bioanalytical technique development, equipment sourcing and qualification) and taking an active role in sterile injectable product development, facilitating failure mode effects analysis for a range of product platforms.
Research Interests
Dr Coady is a member of the Pharmaceutical and Molecular Biotechnology Research Centre (PMBRC). Her research interests include green and sustainable chemistry. More specifically the applications of enzymes for the biodegradation of synthetic polymers and subsequent conversion of the biodegradation products to produce value added products to achieve a circular economy. Other areas of interest include hydrolase catalysed biotransformations in flow chemistry and organocatalysis and anion recognition motifs. Dr Coady is currently supervising 3 postgraduate students.
Department of Science, Waterford Institute of Technology
Traceylectures in organic chemistry, pharmaceutical and natural products, advanced spectroscopic characterisation, and pharmacology at undergraduate level. She has acted as internal examiner for the confirmation of PhD and Masters students. Tracey has been a member of the Science Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Network since 2020. She is also a reviewer for Oxford University Press “Global OUP”. She is currently supervising 3 PhD students in SETU and is a committee member of the Science Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Network.
- Physical & Organic Chemistry
- Organic Chemistry & Biomolecules
- Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry
- Spectroscopic Techniques
- Pharmaceutical & Natural Products
- Pharmaceutical Biotechnology
- Organic Chemistry & Advanced Spectroscopic Techniques
- Sensors & Electroanalytical Chemistry
- Pharmaceutical Synthesis and Characterisation
- Pharmacology, Drug Design and Synthesis
- Advanced Laboratory Techniques
Tracey has completed a L9 Module in Blended Learning, Advanced analytical techniques, and is currently completing a module in Environmental Sustainability in Education. She has also received a digital badge from the National Forum for Teaching and Learning in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in 2022.
My research career to date has afforded me beneficial experience in two frequently divergent scientific disciplines. I am primarily an organic chemist but have substantial experience in biotechnology, namely employing microbial enzyme systems for synthetic transformations. This has allowed me to explore my core research interest of identifying environmentally conscious alternatives to current synthetic practices or “Green Chemistry”. I have been awarded €258,000 in competitive research funding from the following sources; a WIT PhD Scholarship (€86,000) as Principal Investigator and two WIT PhD Scholarships (€172,000) as Co-supervisor.
4 peer-reviewed publications and is named on 3 IDF/patent/PCT applications.
Research interests
- Environmental Chemistry
- Organic Chemistry
- Organic Synthesis
- Analytical Chemistry
- Separation science
- Liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy and applications
- Nuclear Magentic Resonance spectroscopy and applications
Publications
O'Leary, Ciaran; Dunne, Julie; Ryan, Barry J.; Montgomery, Therese; O'Brien, Anne Marie; Quigley, Cormac; Lennon, Claire; McArdle, Fiona; Keaver, Laura; Campion, Eva; Cooke, Gordon; Caraher, Emma M.; Deasy, Mary; Storey, Aubrey; Petti, Carloalberto; O'Leary, Eileen; Finn, Karen; Loughran, Sinead; Byrne, Greg; Van Rossum, Arjan; Brazil, Dina; Smith, Matt; Touzet, Nicholas; Coady, Tracey; McCarthy, Valerie; Walton, Janette; and Tracey, Josephine (2021) "Reflections on the Formation and Growth of the SURE Network: a National Disciplinary Network to Enhance Undergraduate Research in the Sciences," Irish Journal of Academic Practice: Vol. 9 (2021): Iss. 1, Article 7.
T.M. Coady, et al. “Process Optimisation Studies and Aminonitrile Substrate Evaluation of Rhodococcus erythropolis SET1, A Nitrile Hydrolyzing Bacterium”. Chemistry Open, Volume 9 (2020) 512-520.
T.M. Coady, et al. “Substrate evaluation of Rhodococcus erythropolis SET1, a nitrile hydrolyzing bacterium, demonstrating dual activity strongly dependent on nitrile substructure”. European Journal of Organic Chemistry, Volume 2015 (2015) 1108-1116.
T.M. Coady, et al. “A high throughput screening strategy for the assessment of nitrile-hydrolyzing activity towards the production of enantiopure β-hydroxy acids”. Journal of Molecular Catalysis B: Enzymatic, 97 (2013) 150-155
Patent publications
Inventors: Lee Vincent Coffey (IE), Catherine O'reilly (IE), Claire Lennon (IE), Erica Owens (IE), Panagiotis Manesiotis (IE), Karen Tambling (IE) and Tracey Coady (IE). “A nitrile metabolizing enzyme and a process for producing an acid using same”. Publication no. WO/2013/004832.
Inventors: Lee Coffey (IE), Catherine O'reilly (IE), Claire Lennon (IE), Tracey Coady (IE), Erica Owens (IE), Panagiotis Manesiotis (IE) and Karen Tambling (IE). “Isonitrile- and nitrile- metabolizing enzymes and a process for producing amides and acids using same”. Publication no. WO/2013/004835.
Inventors: Lee Coffey (IE), Catherine O'reilly (IE), Claire Lennon (IE), Tracey Coady (IE), Erica Owens (IE), Panagiotis Manesiotis (IE) and Karen Tambling (IE). “A nitrile metabolizing enzyme and a process for producing an acid using same”. Publication no. WO/2013/004834.
Peer-reviewed conference abstracts, presentations and posters
T.M. Coady, et al. “Biotransformations of b-hydroxy nitriles using nitrile-hydrolysing enzymes”. Poster presentation at the Biotrans 2013 conference, Manchester Central, United Kingdom, 21st July – 25th July 2013.
T.M. Coady, et al. “Biotransformations using nitrile hydrolysing enzymes for stereoselective organic synthesis”. Oral presentation at the 2nd Biocatalysis Conference, Mexico, December 3rd-8th 2012.
T.M. Coady, et al. “Biotransformations using nitrile hydrolysing enzymes”. Oral presentation at WIT Research day, Waterford Institute of Technology, Waterford, Ireland, April 30th 2013.
Commercialisation activities
I provided assistance with regards to organic chemistry in the following proposals.
EI Commercial Feasibility study (2012), CF 2011 1770Y, €12,500: “Production of enantiopure pharmaceutical intermediates using biocatalysis”.
EI Commercial Feasibility study (2013) CF 2013 3731Y, €15,000: “High-throughput platform to generate enzyme banks for industrial applications”.
Publications
O'Leary, Ciaran; Dunne, Julie; Ryan, Barry J.; Montgomery, Therese; O'Brien, Anne Marie; Quigley, Cormac; Lennon, Claire; McArdle, Fiona; Keaver, Laura; Campion, Eva; Cooke, Gordon; Caraher, Emma M.; Deasy, Mary; Storey, Aubrey; Petti, Carloalberto; O'Leary, Eileen; Finn, Karen; Loughran, Sinead; Byrne, Greg; Van Rossum, Arjan; Brazil, Dina; Smith, Matt; Touzet, Nicholas; Coady, Tracey; McCarthy, Valerie; Walton, Janette; and Tracey, Josephine (2021) "Reflections on the Formation and Growth of the SURE Network: a National Disciplinary Network to Enhance Undergraduate Research in the Sciences," Irish Journal of Academic Practice: Vol. 9 (2021): Iss. 1, Article 7.
T.M. Coady, et al. “Process Optimisation Studies and Aminonitrile Substrate Evaluation of Rhodococcus erythropolis SET1, A Nitrile Hydrolyzing Bacterium”. Chemistry Open, Volume 9 (2020) 512-520.
T.M. Coady, et al. “Substrate evaluation of Rhodococcus erythropolis SET1, a nitrile hydrolyzing bacterium, demonstrating dual activity strongly dependent on nitrile substructure”. European Journal of Organic Chemistry, Volume 2015 (2015) 1108-1116.
T.M. Coady, et al. “A high throughput screening strategy for the assessment of nitrile-hydrolyzing activity towards the production of enantiopure β-hydroxy acids”. Journal of Molecular Catalysis B: Enzymatic, 97 (2013) 150-155
Patent publications
Inventors: Lee Vincent Coffey (IE), Catherine O'reilly (IE), Claire Lennon (IE), Erica Owens (IE), Panagiotis Manesiotis (IE), Karen Tambling (IE) and Tracey Coady (IE). “A nitrile metabolizing enzyme and a process for producing an acid using same”. Publication no. WO/2013/004832.
Inventors: Lee Coffey (IE), Catherine O'reilly (IE), Claire Lennon (IE), Tracey Coady (IE), Erica Owens (IE), Panagiotis Manesiotis (IE) and Karen Tambling (IE). “Isonitrile- and nitrile- metabolizing enzymes and a process for producing amides and acids using same”. Publication no. WO/2013/004835.
Inventors: Lee Coffey (IE), Catherine O'reilly (IE), Claire Lennon (IE), Tracey Coady (IE), Erica Owens (IE), Panagiotis Manesiotis (IE) and Karen Tambling (IE). “A nitrile metabolizing enzyme and a process for producing an acid using same”. Publication no. WO/2013/004834.
Peer-reviewed conference abstracts, presentations and posters
T.M. Coady, et al. “Biotransformations of b-hydroxy nitriles using nitrile-hydrolysing enzymes”. Poster presentation at the Biotrans 2013 conference, Manchester Central, United Kingdom, 21st July – 25th July 2013.
T.M. Coady, et al. “Biotransformations using nitrile hydrolysing enzymes for stereoselective organic synthesis”. Oral presentation at the 2nd Biocatalysis Conference, Mexico, December 3rd-8th 2012.
T.M. Coady, et al. “Biotransformations using nitrile hydrolysing enzymes”. Oral presentation at WIT Research day, Waterford Institute of Technology, Waterford, Ireland, April 30th 2013.
Commercialisation activities
I provided assistance with regards to organic chemistry in the following proposals.
EI Commercial Feasibility study (2012), CF 2011 1770Y, €12,500: “Production of enantiopure pharmaceutical intermediates using biocatalysis”.
EI Commercial Feasibility study (2013) CF 2013 3731Y, €15,000: “High-throughput platform to generate enzyme banks for industrial applications”.