Staff - John Colreavy (Associate Director)

John Colreavy has accumulated almost two decades of experience in the surface coatings industry, both in Ireland and the UK. He completed a Diploma in Applied Physics at Kevin St. (DIT) in 1986, after which he gained employment at ICI’s Paint Research Centre in Slough, Buckinghamshire. Here, within the Physics Group, his responsibilities included characterisation and analysis of decorative, automotive, coil and aircraft coatings, as well as research into water-based acrylic latex (film-formation) using cryogenic preparation techniques. He also worked as an assistant scientist within the Analytical Chemistry Group responsible for the wet chemical characterisation of developmental and commercial decorative products as well as competitor’s products.

In order to support his work as an electron microscopist in the Physics Department in ICI Paints Research, he completed an MSc in Advanced Materials Engineering at Surrey University in 1990.

John moved north in 1989 to Sheffield and British Steel where he worked within the coatings unit, Stainless Steels Group, responsible for evaluation of and technical support for coating systems used within the British Steel organisation. John also was an investigator within the Physical Metallurgy Group with responsibility for steel cleanness studies for steel makers within the UK and after completing two years as a materials analyst at British Steel’s Swinden laboratories, embarked upon a course of research leading to the award of PhD from UMIST’s Corrosion and Protection Department in 1995 .The work was sponsored by Courtauld’s International Ltd.

Subsequently hired by Courtaulds, John gained valuable paint formulation experience at the company’s headquarters in Felling, Newcastle-upon-Tyne as a Project Leader within Marine Shop-primers group with responsibility for delivery of value-engineered heat resistant inorganic zinc silicate shop-primers. Also as a Senior Scientist within the Marine Antifouling group he was responsible for polymer design and development replacement for conventional TBT (tributyl tin) SPC systems. John initiated and chaired the Courtaulds-wide Corrosion Skills Group.

Returning to Ireland in 1998, John joined Enterprise Ireland ’s Coatings Research Centre, which traced its origins back to the early seventies in the Institute of Industrial Research and Standards (IIRS). John worked as a Research Officer on industrial R&D and consultancy projects. He worked on significant projects such as the restoration of the Ha’Penny Bridge. In 2001 John Colreavy delivered a study to the EU Commission, which has formed the basis of an EU Directive proposed by DG Environment in 2003. He initiated the Irish branch of the Institute of Corrosion in November 2001 and was promoted to Senior Research Officer in 2002.

John was responsible for the transfer of the CREST Centre to the FOCAS Facility in Dublin Institute of Technology in 2003 and is currently the acting as Centre Director, which provides consultative support to the Irish industry, state agencies and other governmental institutions.

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