Holly received her Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering from Queen’s University in 2003. During her Bachelor’s degree, she spent 15 months working as an intern at Gennum Inc, a silicon device manufacturing firm. She received her PhD in Engineering Physics from Queen’s University in 2011, with a thesis focusing on the design and manufacture of a high-frequency annular array system for medical ultrasound imaging. Between 2011 and 2013, she worked at Sonavation Inc., a US-based firm specializing in ultrasound-based fingerprint detection for security systems. She joined the Sonopill team in October of 2013 as a post-doctoral research assistant working in Theme 2.

Holly is currently working on the ultrasound array system for the Sonopill system. This will involve research into the most suitable materials, electrical characteristics and acoustical properties for imaging the gut. The first steps toward this include building a computer model of the ultrasound array and testing various levels of acoustic power, frequency and focal depth. This modelling can save time and money when the team reaches the manufacturing phase. Simultaneously, she is working with the rest of the team on a joint system specification, which will help identify potential points of conflict between the themes and suggest compromises early enough for them to be implemented.