Aljahdali Awatif

Project title:  Exploring Community Stewardship through Place-based Learning: evaluating impact and potential for knowledge transfer
Supervisor Name:
  Professor Ulf StrohmayerDr Valerie Ledwith
Research Cluster: Geopolitics and Justice  
Email:   awatif.11@gmail.com

Aine Bird

Project title:  Exploring Community Stewardship through Place-based Learning: evaluating impact and potential for knowledge transfer
Supervisor Name:
  Dr Kathy Reilly; Dr Frances Fahy
Research Cluster: Planning and Sustainability 
Email:   a.bird4@nuigalway.ie 

Funded by an IRC employment based scholarship in partnership with the Burrenbeo Trust, this project addresses the intersection of core interdisciplinary concepts such as place, community, conservation, education and stewardship. Prior to commencing this study I completed a B.Sc. (Hons) Science at NUI Galway (2003-2007), followed by an M.Sc. Science Communication at DCU (2007-2008) and more recently an M.Ed. Education at NUI Galway (2015-2017).

John Byrne

Project title:  Exploring the potential for alternative investment platforms in the west of Ireland’s creative industry
Supervisor Name: Dr Pat Collins 
Research Cluster: Planning & Sustainability
Email:  J.BYRNE17@nuigalway.ie

BBS, MBS and PDE. I have worked in the financial services industry for 8 years and as a business lecturer for 4 years. My research interests include investigating alternative mechanisms to achieve start-up finance and the impact of business technology on regional sustainability.

Research interests include regional governance and sustainable economic development. Currently investigating different systems of local government among European members states and their capacity to implement place based strategies that encourage small business creation.    

Research co-ordinator for the Moycullen2030 village development plan. This project is an important example of a multi-stakeholder approach to planning and developing the economic, environmental and social needs of Moycullen.    

Marta Cabello

Project Title: Reconstruction of the oceanic carbon dioxide uptake in the North Atlantic during three different interglacial scenarios. A model-data comparison
Supervisor Name: Dr Audrey Morley 
Research Cluster: Environmental Change
Email:   marta.cabello@nuigalway.ie

I graduated from University of Cadiz (Spain) in 2012 with a Licenciada Degree in Marine Sciences. My main research interests are  Palaeoceanography and Marine Biogeochemistry, with an emphasis on carbon cycle reconstruction.

Frances Carter

Project title:  Labour Agency among the Dubai-Irish 
Supervisor Name:
 Dr Valerie Ledwith
Research Cluster: Geopolitics & Justice
Email:   
f.carter1@nuigalway.ie

I completed my undergraduate degree via distance learning with Oscail at DCU in 2011 whilst living in the Gulf before moving to NUI Galway to complete the MA Environment Society and Development in 2012.  My PhD premieres the Dubai-Irish and investigates how labour agency manifests within intersecting and multi-scalar social, cultural and professional relationships embedded in space-time contexts as "wasta" in a new immigrant destination for Irish expatriates

V'cenza Cirefice

Project title: Local environmental resistance to extractivism in Ireland: A feminist environmental justice lens
Supervisor Name:
 Dr Kathy Reilly & Dr Mary Greene
Research Cluster: Geopolitics & Justice
Email:   
v.cirefice1@nuigalway.ie

Dan Clavin

Project title: 
Supervisor Name:
 Dr Chaosheng Zhang
Research Cluster: Environmental Change
Email:

Michelle Curran

Project title:   Assessing high-impact climate events during warmer than present environments
Supervisor Name:
 Dr Audrey Morley
Research Cluster: Palaeoenvironmental Research Unit
Email:  m.curran18@nuigalway.ie 
Paper: EGU 2018 Paper

I obtained a BA in Geography and Irish from NUI Maynooth (2012-2015), with a focus on physical Geography and an MSc in Marine and Coastal Environments at NUI Galway (2015-2016). My main research interests are in palaeoceanography and climate dynamics within the North Atlantic Region.

Bronagh Dillon

Project title:  
Supervisor Name:
  Dr Frances Fahy
Research Cluster:  Planning and Sustainability 
Email:   B.Dillon10@nuigalway.ie

Bronagh is a PhD researcher with the international CCC -Catapult research team investigating educational, worldview and intercultural influences in children’s climate and environmental literacy. She was awarded a scholarship through the project in 2020 to undertake a PhD in Geographies of Education in the Discipline of Geography.  Prior to commencing this PhD award, she completed a MSc in Education, Training and Management (Leadership) in 2020 from DCU. The title of her dissertation was Teachers’ Perceptions of Climate Change Education in Irish Primary Schools”.

Desiree Farrell

Project title: Unpacking the Wild Atlantic Way: A Community Perspective
Supervisor Name:
 
Dr Liam CarrDr Frances Fahy
Research Cluster: Planning and Sustainability 
Email: d.farrell12@nuigalway.ie

BSc in Conservation Biology and Ecological Sustainability (Arizona State University, 2014); MSc Coastal & Marine Environments (NUIG, 2015). My research interests are at the crossroads of tourism, community identity, and environmental conservation

Kate Flood

Project title:  Cultural Ecosystem Services in community-based conservation initiatives: participatory and multi-stakeholder approaches to decision making
Supervisor Name:
 Dr Marie Mahon; Dr John McDonagh
Research Cluster: Rural Cluster
Email:  k.flood1@nuigalway.ie
Links:  Twitter / LinkedIn

Kate holds a BA in Communication Studies from Dublin City University (1995) and an MSc in World Heritage Management & Conservation from University College Dublin (2015). She was awarded a Hardiman Scholarship in 2017 to pursue PhD research on cultural ecosystem services and the role of community conservation initiatives in the protection of wetlands and peatlands.

Adrienne Foreman

Project title: Abrupt climate change in Ireland: Assessing the role of seasonality in the last glacial termination and ramifications for future climate under global warming conditions  
Supervisor Name: Dr Gordon Bromley
Research Cluster: Environmental Cluster
Email:  a.foreman1@nuigalway.ie

Nessa Golden

Project titleMonitoring metals in the urban environment using magnetic susceptibility
Supervisor Name:
 Dr Chaosheng Zhang
Research Cluster: Environmental Cluster
Email:  n.golden1@nuigalway.ie

Thomas Gorman

Project title: Developing quantitative assessment of habitat condition and restorative capacity
Supervisor Name:
 
Dr Terry Morley
Research Cluster: Environmental Cluster
Email:  t.gorman1@nuigalway.ie

Dilovar Haydarov

Project title: 
Candidate Name: 
Dr Chaosheng Zhang
Research Cluster: 
Email: 
d.haydarov1@nuigalway.ie

Dakota Holmes

Project title:  A palaeoceanographic investigation of abrupt high-magnitude Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC)-related climate change
Supervisor Name: 
Dr Audrey Morley
Research Cluster: Palaeoenvironmental Research Unit
Email: d.holmes1@nuigalway.ie
Links:  Twitter / LinkedIn

I obtained my BSc in Biology at Mercyhurst University (2014-2017) and my MSc in Coastal and Marine Environments (Physical Processes, Policy & Practice) from NUI Galway in 2018. My research area of interest is palaeoceanographic and palaeoclimate studies with a focus on determining the boundary conditions of abrupt high-magnitude climate events.

TJ Hughes

Project title: Responding to the Mediterranean Refugee Crisis: Towards a Transformative Envisioning of Human Security
Supervisor Name:
 
Dr John Morrissey
Research Cluster: Geopolitics and Justice
Email:  thomas.hughes@nuigalway.ie
Links:
  Twitter / Linked In / NUIG Academia

I gained my BA in Geography and Political Science and Sociology, and a MA in Environment, Society and Development from NUIG (2010-2013; 2014-2015) with a emphasis on critical geopolitics, development, and security. My main research foci centre on refugee studies, post-conflict development, and the human geographies of forced population displacement at the global and local scale.

Darren Keegan

Project title: Spaces and Networks of Care in Post - Drone Strike Yemen
Supervisor Name:
 Professor Ulf Strohmayer
Research Cluster:  Geopolitics and Justice
Email: 
 d.keegan1@nuigalway.ie

Funded by a Galway Doctoral Research Scholarship, Darren’s research focuses on the spaces and networks of care provided for the victims of US drone strikes in Yemen. A particular focus of this research will centre upon the ability of Yemen’s healthcare system to provide care in the context of an ongoing war, and whether the IGO/NGO community can supplement these therapeutic spaces and networks.

Natasha Keenaghan

Project title:  Developing an Alternative? Social Entrepreneurship in the International Development project
Supervisor Name:
 Dr Kathy Reilly
Research Cluster: Geopolitics and Justice 
Email: n.keenaghan1@nuigalway.ie

 My PhD aims to further engage critiques of the contemporary international development project in order to evaluate the potential of a new and steadily emerging model within development: social entrepreneurship. 

Axel Leahy

Project title:  A bottom-up approach for climate change adaptation
Supervisor Name:
 Dr Kevin LynchDr Kathy Reilly
Research Cluster: Environmental Cluster
Email:  a.leahy8@nuigalway.ie

I graduated with a BA in Geography, Land-Use Planning and Environment at the University of Rennes 2 (Brittany) in 2015. I then completed an MSc in Coastal and Marine Environments at NUI Galway in 2016. I commenced my PhD at NUIG in September 2017.

Daithi Maguire

Project title:  The application of satellite-borne remote sensors for monitoring coastal erosion and ecosystems in Ireland
Supervisor Name:
 Dr Eugene Farrell
Research Cluster: Environmental Change
Email:   d.maguire11@nuigalway.ie  

Having working as an engineer in the energy industry for 15+ years, I decided to return to academia to pursue my PhD (2016 – 2020). My research focuses on developing a technique to measure and monitor coastal erosion using satellite synthetic aperture radar.

Helen Maguire

Project title: 
Supervisor Name:
 Dr Frances Fahy
Research Cluster:
Email:

Maeve McGandy

Project title:  Exploring the Human Geographies of Climate Adaptation
Supervisor Name: Dr John Morrissey
Research Cluster: Geopolitics and Justice 
Email: m.mcgandy1@nuigalway.ie 

Yuting Meng

Project title: Quantifying and visualizing the decimeter-scale spatial variation of phosphorus in sediments and measuring spatial variations in correlations between phosphorus and other geochemical variables
Supervisor Name
: Dr Chaosheng Zhang
Research Cluster: Environmental Cluster
Email: y.meng2@nuigalway.ie

There are two parts in my research. Firstly, assess the feasibility of using neighbourhood statistics within a GIS environment to quantify and visualise spatial variation of bio-available phosphorus (dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP)) in sediments with decimeter-scale. Secondly, investigate the use of a geographically weighted regression (GWR) method for the spatial modelling of DRP. The environment factors such as dissolved sulfide, dissolved iron (Fe) and other relative metals will be estimated and included as the independent variables to establish the GWR model. Discuss the correlations between phosphorus and other relevant geochemical variables.

Megan Murphy-O'Connor

Project title:  Assessing the response of the AMOC during times of abrupt climate change
Supervisor Name: 
Dr Audrey Morley
Research Cluster:  Environmental Cluster
Email:   
M.OCONNOR51@nuigalway.ie

 I obtained my BSc in Earth and Ocean Science at NUI Galway (2013-2017), and then completed an MSc in Physical Oceanography at Bangor University (2017-2018). My main research interest is in paleoceanography, particularly the stability of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation and how it is linked to abrupt climate events during warm periods.

Konrad Metzer

Project title:
Supervisor Name:
 Dr Chaosheng Zhang
Research Cluster:
Email:

Aoife Ni Fhlatharta

Project title:  Women and Rural Entrepreneurship: The Search for Peripheral Sustainability
Supervisor Name:
Dr Maura Farrell; Dr John McDonagh
Research Cluster: Rural Cluster
Email:  a.nifhlatharta7@nuigalway.ie
Links: LinkedIn

I completed my primary degree in Geography and Gaeilge in NUI Galway in 2013, after which I pursued a Masters in Nua-Ghaeilge.  In 2015, I received a First Class Honours Degree from the MA in Rural Sustainability which further sparked my interest in Rural Geography and Rural Gender Studies. My research aims to explore the contribution of female entrepreneurs to the development of the economic and social trajectories of Ireland’s hinterlands, furthermore to comprehend the implications of women’s involvement in the formal economy on gender relations and hegemonic structures within the rural.

Syed Muhammad Abbas

Project title:  Spatial Classification, Modelling and Analysis of Geochemical and environment variables
Supervisor Name:
 Dr Chaosheng Zhang
Research Cluster: Environmental Cluster
Email:  jaffri12th@gmail.com

I obtained my Master Degree in Environment Engineering from National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Islamabad. I worked as Environment Scientist with Mott MacDonald Pakistan (MMP) for 4 years. My main research interest is spatial modelling and analysis of Geochemical characteristics using ArcGIS and machine learning technologies. The research is aimed at identification, classification, modelling of hidden spatial pattern for the geochemical variables/datasets, and their correlation with environment and health variables.

Elaine Williams

Project title:  Creating Opportunities for Engagement: Exploring the relationship between the Burren landscape and civil society
Supervisor Name:
 Dr Frances Fahy; Dr Kathy Reilly 
Research Cluster:  Environment and Planning 
Email: 
e.williams1@nuigalway.ie

Funded by the Irish Research Council and under the umbrella of a participatory action research (PAR) framework, Elaine's work examines the role civil society organisations play (in this instance Burrenbeo Trust) in encouraging engagement across communities and with the unique Burren landscape. The research unpacks questions of community agency, recognising opportunities for enhanced wellbeing. It also delivers original and innovative insights into building strong community-university relationships.

Haofan Xu 

Project title:  Use of advanced spatial analysis to reveal hot spots in soil geochemistry and their potential associations with socio-economic factors

Supervisor Name: Dr Chaosheng Zhang
Research Cluster: Environmental Cluster
Email:  h.xu2@nuigalway.ie  

I obtained my Bsc in Human Geography and urban planning in China, and Msc in Urban and Regional Development in Cardiff University with a focus on urban and regional planning. Now my main research interests are environment and health, and soil geochemistry especially total organic carbon (TOC), with GIS as the main tool in my research.  My main focus is using GIS and machine learning (R) to identify the hot spots on the soil geochemistry (especially TOC) and its potential socio-economic factors in Europe countries, the data mainly comes from GEMAS project. Soil is important due to its strong relationships with agricultural activities and environment.

Yumin Yuan

Project Title:  Hazard assessment of rare earth elements in soils of a REEs mining site based on diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) and geostatistical technique
Supervisor Name: Dr Chaosheng Zhang
Research Cluster: Environment and Planning 

This research plans to assess REEs hazards in soils of Maoniuping rare earth tailing dam in Mianning county of Sichuan province, which is the second large bastnaesite reserve in China. There are two parts in this research, Firstly, in order to investigate the current status of REEs pollution of soils in the tailing dam area and the potential hazards, this project would assess the bioavailability of REEs in soils using the novel diffusive gradients in thin films technique (DGT) analysis. Later, spatial distribution and hazard assessment of REEs in soils will be investigated using statistic, geostatistic and GIS techniques.