Two of the principle researchers of the DairyWater project, Prof. Xinmin Zhan and Dr. Liwen Xiao, along with Dr. Connie O’Driscoll, Project Manager, were recently awarded funding for the assessment of natural organic matter (NOM) and ptaquiloside (Pta) in Irish waters under the EPA Research Programme 2014. The project commenced in March 2014. In summary, the overall objective of this project is to quantify more accurately the risk of NOM (a precursor for harmful carcinogenic tri-halomethanes) and Pta (a carcinogenic by-product of bracken) to surface water and groundwater supplies in Ireland. Specifically, high risk catchments for public and private water supplies in relation to NOM and Pta across Ireland will be identified and NOM and Pta concentrations in raw surface and groundwater sources will be monitored and estimated in selected catchments.

Congratulations to Dr Jamie Goggins, Senior Lecturer in Civil Engineering at NUI Galway, who was one of five NUI Galway Researchers Among Ireland’s Most Promising Young Scientific Talent in €23 Million Announcement. Dr. Goggins’s project “nZEB-RETROFIT: Achieving nearly zero-energy buildings: A lifecycle assessment approach to retrofitting existing buildings”  will focus on achieving low energy sustainable buildings using a lifecycle assessment approach. This project will evaluate the effectiveness of innovative technologies for retrofitting existing buildings, regarding their structural, environmental and energy performance, and their influence on health, safety and comfort of building users. This project will provide strategically important products and tools to transform existing buildings into retrofitted high performance sustainable buildings with high energy efficiency, low costs and optimal user comfort. Currently, there are vacancies for 3 research positions on the project. For further information, click here. 

National University of Ireland, Galway: Civil Engineering

Since its foundation in 1849, the National University of Ireland, Galway has served as a center of excellence for teaching and research in Civil Engineering, equipping thousands of graduates with the skills needed to contribute significantly to the profession all over the world. Research activities span a broad spectrum of Civil Engineering subjects, which include (but are not limited to) concrete, steel and timber structures, wind engineering, environmental engineering, highway engineering, geotechnics, earthquake engineering, building energy management, offshore and coastal engineering, construction management, advanced materials and computational mechanics. This topical and strategic research is funded by industrial partners and several national and international funding agencies, including the European Union (EU).

University College Cork: Environmental Research Institute

The Environmental Research Institute (ERI) was established in 2000 through the Higher Education Authority (HEA) Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions Cycle 2 (2000-2003). The mission of the Institute is to support environmental research and education at UCC. The Institute aims to foster collaborative, multidisciplinary environmental based research; facilitate the development of a number of key research thematic areas; train post-graduate research students for careers in the environmental sciences and engineering and finally, where possible, to facilitate the transfer of technology to industry.

The ERI brings together expertise in the biological, chemical and environmental sciences as well as environmental engineering, energy and environmental law (from 11 cognate departments and four centres of excellence thereby facilitating a critical collaborative approach to a subject area that straddles many different disciplines.  The interdisciplinary research environment at the ERI enables researchers t o work together in large, multi-skilled teams that draw on each discipline’s core competences to address scientific questions of environmental relevance in a synergistic manner. The strategic approach of grouping environmental science, technology, engineering, and law in a single institute has sown the seeds for a regional and national resource in the broad environmental research area.

Trinity College Dublin: Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering

Civil Engineering has been taught at Trinity College Dublin since 1841 and has played a prominent role in the development of civil engineering as an academic subject since then.

The core of our teaching is the BAI undergraduate course, but we also offer several post-graduate taught courses, as well as post-graduate research degrees.  Following two years of a common engineering programme, students select which engineering stream they wish to follow at the end of the second year.  At the moment there are 80-100 civil engineering students in each of the JS and SS classes.  In addition, there are 230-240 post-graduate taught and research students working in the Department.

There are currently 14 full-time academic staff, 8 part-time academic staff, 7 technical, 3 administrative, and 2 attendant staff, along with several external experts who deliver specialist lectures throughout the year.

The Department has a wide and diverse range of research interests.  There are five research groups – Environmental, Geotechnical, Transport, Structures and Materials (see the research pages on the website). It is also home to the PRTLI Centre for Transport Research.

Athlone Institute of Technology: Bioscience Research Institute

The Bioscience Research Institute acts as a campus-wide conduit for facilitating Bioscience R & D and contract research in Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT). It particularly serves and facilitates R & D that traverses the School of Science encompassing staff of complementary expertise spanning microbiology, toxicology, chemical synthesis and analysis, cell and molecular biology, immunology, parasitology, biotechnology, food science, nutrition and health promotion from the sister departments of Nursing and Health Science and Life and Physical Science.

Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, Co. Cork

The Teagasc Food Programme focuses on quality, safety and food product innovation. It is undertaken in collaboration with universities and research institutes in Ireland, the European Union and the USA.

The Food Programme is internationally competitive from a scientific point of view while being targeted and applied to generate new opportunities for the Irish food industry.