Sean Allen

Sean first entered the Stripe Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition in 2022 with a small experiment on his family’s farm, testing whether the byproduct of anaerobic digestion could replace chemical fertilisers. Two years later, he returned with a full-scale version of the project, running eight-week trials across half a farm with support from Biocore. The research won him the Amgen Biological & Ecological Award, and he has since worked on publishing it in a scientific journal.

That summer, Sean joined the University of Galway’s Start100 accelerator, where he developed LeukoCheck, a continuous blood monitor designed to detect sepsis in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. To promote the device, he also built an AI-powered cold email tool, which he now plans to commercialise.

Outside the lab, Sean is the goalkeeper for the Connacht-winning Roscommon Gaelic football team—and once even found himself at afternoon tea with the president of Ireland. He is studying science at the University of Galway and continuing to develop LeukoCheck with the goal of bringing it into hospitals.

Sean’s advice to Stripe YSTE participants? “Take part! I was kind of lazy before Young Scientist, but the competition gave me a platform and showed me I could actually make things happen.”

Follow Sean’s journey on LinkedIn.