Aaron's research interests include LiDAR data capture, 3D modelling, machine learning and GIS.

Project Funding

Aaron's PhD is funded through a US/Ireland research grant.

Research Cluster

Environmental Change and Resilience

Supervisors

Dr Ulrich Ofterdinger and Professor Jennifer McKinley.

Why did you choose this PhD topic?

I previously worked using GIS systems and wanted my next career step to be more towards data collection. This project offered me the opportunity to complete a large amount of fieldwork, build on my current mapping skills and seemed like it would send me down an exciting career path.

Tell us about your PhD?

My PhD work is part of the UrbanARK project, a collaborative project between Queen’s University Belfast, University College Dublin and New York University. The broad aim of the project is to create a more accurate coastal flood model for each of these Universities’ cities using LiDAR, manage this large amount of data, and effectively present the data to the public and local authorities to improve emergency preparedness.

My role, as part of the Belfast team, is to investigate the capabilities of handheld mobile LiDAR in creating an accurate digital twin of each city to be used for flood modelling. A focus will be placed on the extraction of spatial and dimensional information regarding basements within the study areas as these are not currently included in flood models despite being priority risk areas. This will be achieved using automatic feature detection techniques.

How do you see the impact of your research?

This research will improve current coastal flood models, which will aid emergency services and local communities in emergency preparedness.
Knowledge of the capabilities of mobile LiDAR data collection will be advanced.
Communities that are presented with the data will be made aware of the dangers of coastal flooding and climate change.

How have you been supported at Queen’s?

My ability to speak at seminars has been limited due to Covid-19, but I have been put in contact with numerous scientific communities and have attended a large number of webinars. I have been presented with training opportunities specific to my discipline, many of which I have taken advantage of.

Can you describe the postgraduate community at Queen’s?

The community has a diverse background and is supportive. I enjoy every opportunity I get to work with other postgraduates and find myself learning something new every time I do so.

Where do you hope your PhD will lead?

What excites me about my research is that it can lead in many different directions. I don’t have any specific career path that I am currently married to. All I hope is that wherever it leads provides me with the opportunity to continue developing and gets me outdoors. 

Prior to starting his PhD, Alex worked as a policy analyst in the Government of Canada’s Department of Natural Resources, where he contributed to the Government’s priorities on clean energy, gender equality, and science-policy integration.

Alex holds an MSc in Water Science, Policy and Management from the University of Oxford and a BA (Hons) in Political Science and Aquatic Resources from St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, Canada. His research interests include policy processes; energy policy; low carbon energy transitions; climate change; environmental policy; comparative politics; federalism and sustainable development.

Project funding

Alex's project is funded by the MISTRAL network, an Innovative Training Network from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions (Grant Agreement No 813837).

Research Cluster

Sustainable Built Environment

Supervisors

Professor Geraint Ellis (QUB), Professor Brendan Murtagh (QUB), Dr Kristian Borch (Aalborg University, Denmark).

Why did you choose this PhD topic?

I have been interested in renewable energy policy for many years - I wrote my undergraduate thesis on renewable energy policy in Nova Scotia and I worked for the Government of Canada in the field of clean energy policy before coming to QUB.

I wanted to pursue a PhD in this subject in order to develop a deeper understanding of the social, political, and economic complexities of the transition to low carbon energy systems and prepare myself for a career in the field of energy and climate policy.

Tell us about your PhD?

Contemporary decision-making processes regarding energy policy, including the development of renewable energy systems, are conditioned by their historical contexts. Policy decisions are not made in a vacuum; they are influenced by various factors including institutional frameworks, political interests, economic trends, and infrastructural legacies.

Path dependency offers a useful conceptual framework for understanding the ways in which these contextual elements influence the contemporary struggles for decarbonisation in the energy system. Path dependency is a phenomenon which results from the historical co-evolution of social, technical, political, and institutional systems, and can result in the entrenchment of certain systems at the expense of novel approaches.

Through my research, I seek to investigate the influence of the historical contexts of energy systems on efforts to decarbonise and reform existing practices along a sustainable trajectory. Through case studies from the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Canada, the evolution of low carbon energy systems will be examined.

How do you see the impact of your research?

I completed a secondment as a visiting researcher with the Republic of Ireland’s National Economic and Social Council (NESC). The paper I wrote as part of my secondment, which examined Ireland and Denmark’s energy and climate policy priorities in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, was discussed in the Dáil Éireann (Irish Parliament), including by the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications. 

How have you been supported at Queen’s?

I have benefitted from excellent supervision and guidance from staff and students at Queen’s. I have been given many opportunities to share my research with various groups across the university and beyond. The support of staff in the School of Natural and Built Environment and the Graduate School has been incredibly valuable, in terms of opportunities to attend seminars and training sessions. 

Can you describe the postgraduate community at Queen’s?

The network of postgraduate students at Queen’s, especially in the School of Natural and Built Environment, has been very welcoming and kind, especially given that I had never been to Northern Ireland before arriving to start the PhD. My fellow students were invaluable in introducing me to the city and the university and helping me learn about Northern Ireland.

Where do you hope your PhD will lead?

I’d like to work in renewable energy and climate policy – either in Canada or internationally.

His PhD thesis investigates the transformative potential of marine community science, a form of participatory research. Power analysis is used to examine the capacity of community science projects to instigate more engaged forms of public participation in marine governance regimes. Ben has published peer-reviewed articles in the field of marine governance and conservation, and currently works as a research assistant on the LiftWEC project at Queen’s University Belfast. His research interests include Spatial planning, marine conservation, participatory research, co-production of knowledge and community engagement.

Project funding

Ben's PhD has been funded by the Department for Economy (Northern Ireland) and he has also been awarded two research grants from the Marine Institute of Ireland to support networking and travel to international conferences.

Research Cluster

This project belongs to the School's Environmental Change and Resilience research cluster.

Supervisors

Dr Wesley Flannery and Professor Brendan Murtagh.

Why did you choose this PhD topic?

Growing up by the coast, I have always had an interest in the marine environment and coastal communities. As my knowledge of the planning field developed, I found the concept of marine spatial planning of particular interest and decided to examine pathways through which it can most effectively support conservation and community engagement. It is a topic that I feel is important, particularly as the environmental, social and economic challenges facing the marine environment are drastically increasing in severity.

Tell us about your PhD?

My PhD study takes a critical approach to examining the participatory practice of citizen science and examines the role that it can play in reconfiguring processes of marine planning. While this study examines the practical elements of how citizen science projects function, emphasis is placed upon questioning how an awareness of power arrangements could significantly strengthen the capability of projects to impact upon planning processes and move beyond the one-dimensional flows of knowledge production that other participatory processes fall into. This includes an exploration of what types of knowledge citizen science projects produce, what forms of power they interact with and the mechanisms that channel knowledge to decision-making levels. The findings of this study suggest that citizen science, should it realize its transformative potential, must facilitate pluralism and the contestation of knowledge,  as well as critical self-investigation.

How do you see the impact of your research?

I have published two research articles and one book chapter during my PhD, all within the field of marine planning. I have also presented work at national and international research conferences in the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands, as well as being invited to speak to a research group at the University of Wageningen. Outside of academia, I have presented aspects of my PhD research to Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and charities that support community engagement in environmental management. The findings of a survey that I conducted with citizen science volunteers was used by a local NGO to shape the participation structure of their latest initiative, whilst other organisations have taken the recommendations on board. I have also published several blogs with online magazines that have translated my research findings and conceptual arguments into practical solutions and recommendations.

How have you been supported at Queen’s?

I have enjoyed a range of training courses and networking sessions provided by the Graduate School. I have found these highly beneficial and educative, with courses on research methods, writing for publication and enhancing research impact being of particular value. The Graduate School also supported the running of a PhD research conference that was organised by myself and other students in the Planning department. Through the conference, as well as other events hosted by the Graduate School, I have been able to develop a strong network with other research students throughout the university. Other ways through which Queen’s have provided support include funding to attend national and international conferences, as well as invitations to engage with research networks and offers to participate in seminars, workshops and summer schools.

Can you describe the postgraduate community at Queen’s?

I have found that Queen’s supports an active and engaging postgraduate community, whereby students from a range of schools and disciplines are encouraged to network and share experiences. Whilst the Graduate School has been specifically helpful in facilitating this, my supervisors have also been extremely supportive in broadening my network and introducing me to other contacts of relevance. Likewise, I have consistently received assistance and help throughout my PhD from other PhD students, which has proved vital when challenges have arisen.

Where do you hope your PhD will lead?

I hope that my PhD will lead to a career in academia, where I can continue to conduct research on issues and topics that are both important and impactful. I would also like to continue engaging with local communities throughout my career and with the experience and skills that I have picked up throughout my PhD.

In 2018, he was awarded first place in the Society for the Protection of Ancient Building’s Philip Webb Award for his work on the re-use of sites associated with the Troubles. Additionally, Chris is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and has been on the board of Hearth Historic Buildings trust here in Northern Ireland since 2020, along with currently being the PGR representative for architecture at QUB.

His research interests include heritage (particularly dark and contested heritage); space and memory; oral history as a research tool in architecture.

Project funding

Chris's project is fully funded by the Department for the Economy (Northern Ireland).

Research Cluster

This project belongs to the Culture and Society research cluster in the School of Natural and Built Environment.

Supervisors

Dr Chantelle Niblock and Dr Colm Donnelly 

Why did you choose this PhD topic?

I’ve always been interested in architectural heritage and the spatial qualities of memory, and have always been drawn to dark or contested heritage sites in particular.

Tell us about your PhD?

My research uses digital architectural reconstructions to enhance memory recall in interviews with survivors of institutional abuse in Ireland, especially with former residents of the Magdalene Laundries. This in turn also allows for research into the architecture of these sites, and how their design was conducive to the abuses perpetrated within.

How do you see the impact of your research?

I think it is of vital importance to do as much, and as detailed, oral history work as possible while the survivors of these institutions are still with us.  It is also important to bring these stories and memories to the attention to the public at large, as these survivors continue to have their voices suppressed in contemporary Ireland.  I am also keenly interested in filling the ‘gap’ which exists in the literature regarding the architecture and design of these sites – many of which are large, urban and impressive constructions, and yet are conspicuously absent from writings on Irish architectural history.

How have you been supported at Queen’s?

QUB cluster funding has also allowed us to carry out a pilot project with the former Magdalene Laundry on Sean MacDermott St in Central Dublin, which can be explored here: http://atlasoflostrooms.com

Can you describe the postgraduate community at Queen’s?

A small group of PGRs make up the architecture cohort, and they are extremely friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. 

Where do you hope your PhD will lead?

I hope to be able to continue my research into institutional sites in Ireland, continuing to work with groups such as Justice for Magdalene’s Research to ensure their voices are heard and their stories preserved.  I would like to continue teaching and to expand into studio tutoring, and hopefully post PhD I can combine studio work and teaching with practicing as an architect locally.

Currently, Emma works within the Innovate UK funded Ideal Home Project in partnership with Moy Park. The project applies a research-by-design methodology to evaluate, model and recommend best practice in poultry house infrastructure with an aim to increase productivity, improve animal welfare and help the poultry sector meet net zero emissions by 2040. Her recently completed PhD research applies a similar methodology to consider the emergence, development, and potential futures of supermarket shopping. During her PhD Emma presented her work at conferences and workshops in Doha, Vancouver, Nottingham, Nicosia and Belfast. Previously, she worked as an Architectural Assistant within several multidisciplinary architecture practices in both Belfast and Luxembourg. 

Project funding

My project is funded by the Department for the Economy (Northern Ireland). I was also awarded a travel scholarship in 2018 from the William and Betty Mac Quitty fund.

Research Cluster

This project belongs to the Sustainable Built Environment research cluster in the School of Natural and Built Environment.

Supervisors

Professor Greg Keeffe and Professor Gary A Boyd

Why did you choose this PhD topic?

I worked in and designed supermarkets prior to becoming a PhD researcher. It’s safe to say I already knew a lot about them before beginning my research journey, but I was really interested in thinking about how they might change in the future.

Tell us about your PhD?

In the UK, supermarkets are the dominant interface between global food producers and local consumers. Supermarkets operate an agile supply system designed to ensure that consumers have access to cheap food and lots of choice all year round. However, this has resulted in a precarious food system which proliferates over-consumption, disconnected consumers, and vast amounts of waste. As we live through a global pandemic, experience the impacts of Brexit and face a climate emergency, the current systems of food production and consumption require holistic reconsideration.

‘Repacking the Supermarket: Food Retail Evolution and Futures’ reviews the bigger picture of food production and consumption to understand how supermarkets fit today and how they might fit in the future. The research applies a research-by-design methodology to visualise the emergence, development and potential futures of food-retail systems and spaces. The text suggests that supermarkets are not an inevitable architectural typology. If future food systems become more local, more sustainable and more transparent, future shopping spaces and future cities will be radically different as a result.

How do you see the impact of your research?

My PhD topic has received very little attention in the field of architecture. The thesis sets up a broad scope of investigation and lots of future research trajectories. The research has the potential for impact within industry too and I am keen to establish further connections with food producers and retailers. The experimental research-by-design methodology applied in the thesis is also transferable and reproducible – I am using it now in my new job as a Research Fellow but I hope other design researchers might find it useful in the future.

How have you been supported at Queen’s?

Since starting my PhD, I have been really involved in teaching on the Architecture courses at Queens. This has helped me to develop a new way of engaging with the field, but it has also helped me to develop my communication and presentation skills. I have also made use of the Graduate School’s wide range of training courses and workshops.

Can you describe the postgraduate community at Queen’s?

I was a little concerned about feeling lonely when I started my research journey, however I was lucky enough to be placed in an office full of lovely postgraduate students. I now have a big network of friends and connections in my field and from the wider construction industry.

Where do you hope your PhD will lead?

I have just started a postdoctoral research position at Queen’s. I am also currently teaching on a number of Queen’s architecture courses. I really love sitting between the worlds of practice, teaching and research.

Emma's research interests include Geographical Information Science (GIS), Network Analysis/Eco-routing, decision-making, End-of-Life (EOL) wind turbine blades, renewable energy and waste management.

Project Funding

Emma's PhD is funded by the Department for the Economy (Northern Ireland). The Re-Wind research project is funded by InvestNI/Department for the Economy (DfE), Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and the U.S Nation Science Foundation (NSF).

Research Cluster

Environmental Change and Resilience

Supervisors

Professor Jennifer McKinley, Mr Conor Graham and Dr William Megarry.

Why did you choose this PhD topic?

I always wanted to do a PhD and I was interested in spatial analysis so when the opportunity arose to work on a collaborative project I was keen to get involved.

Tell us about your PhD?

My research forms part of a collaborative US-Ireland project known as Re-Wind which aims to find sustainable repurposing options for End-of-Life (EOL) FRP composite material wind turbine blades. My PhD research builds on the Re-Wind project by developing a GIS-based network analysis decision framework to aid stakeholders. EOL disposal of FRP blade waste is becoming an urgent issue needing to be addressed. This research aims to show how thinking spatially can aid the decision-making process by developing support tools to evaluate EOL alternatives and to assist in the designing of location-specific circular economy solutions.

How do you see the impact of your research?

The geospatial wind farm database created as part of the research can be used to predict waste quantities and locations providing a reference for policy makers and decision makers. This information highlights the challenges faced by the wind industry and can be used to prepare waste management options and assist in the designing of circular economy strategies. Further GIS work within the project involves the 3D scanning of blades to improve the modelling and design of repurposing prototypes. These scans enable to the physical geometry to be modelled in 3D and provide high quality and accurate models which are valuable to the team.

Potential impacts of research:

• Economic (renewable energy, GIS databases and resource estimation for wind turbine blades)
• Environmental (developing sustainable energy solutions)
• Societal (community co-production in repurposing solutions)

How have you been supported at Queen’s?

I have taken part in several training workshops through the Graduate school, some additional conference workshops as well as completed a series of online E-learning Web courses. As a PhD student I have also attended multiple conferences and presented my research at three of them. Working on a collaborative project has also involved visiting our partner universities (University College Cork, Ireland and Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, US) to work with the other students and team members. 

Can you describe the postgraduate community at Queen’s?

My experience with the postgraduate community has been really positive. The postgraduate students in my school organise a series of social events as well as student-led postgraduate skills and afternoon talk sessions. These sessions provide an opportunity to get together with other students, learn from each other and develop skills for presenting your research.

James worked in the civil service in different departments for 10 years, before choosing to study archaeology and enter the world of academia. Once he had completed his undergraduate and Masters degrees, he worked as a freelance consultant for the Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology, advising on the creation of 3D models. James also created 3D models for community-led projects such as the Mapping Magnus project in Orkney. He additionally worked with the geomatics officer at the Ness of Brodgar excavations and created a GIS of small finds, excavated at the site over the past few years. James has also worked with SULA diving, helping with marine archaeology projects along Scapa Flow, in Orkney, where he helped with Side-Scan Sonar recording of ship wrecks, and also helped with exploring archives, dating to the 1930s, of salvage operations in Scapa Flow.

His research interests include use of Photogrammetry, GIS and virtual world creation to help understand developments of structures in the past.

Project funding

My project is funded by Northern Bridge.

Research Cluster

Culture and Society 

Supervisors

Dr Patrick Gleeson, Dr Chantelle Niblock and Professor Sarah Semple.     

Why did you choose this PhD topic?

My interest has always been in digital heritage, and my undergraduate dissertation was about the value of 3D models of artefacts, and their dissemination to the general public, along with their use in research for archaeology. I continued this work during my Masters, where I undertook a placement at the Ness of Brodgar ‘Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site’ in Orkney, during an excavation season. I created 3D models of trenches during excavation, which helped structure and site supervisors with planning. This proved to be so successful, that I was taken on as staff for the next excavation season after I had completed my Masters degree. I wanted to develop my research further, and so with help, created a PhD project which utilised digital heritage techniques by recording the landscape in 3D, and digitally recreating structures. This topic particularly interests me as little has been done to recreate structures and examine their impact on the landscape at the selected case study sites.

Tell us about your PhD?

This project will harness the potential of 3D models and virtual reality to establish new insights into the prehistoric developments of selected ostensible ‘royal sites’ in Ireland. Utilising a multidisciplinary approach, it will digitally record and survey areas of interest using UAV drones, gather and use pre-existing remote sensing data and critically assess current excavated materials and plans of excavated sites. This will enable creation of a visually and spatially accurate virtual landscape in which interpreted 3D models of structures can be created and placed in order to generate an empirically centred dataset for cognitive approaches.

How do you see the impact of your research?

Combining the potential of 3D reconstruction as an analytical tool to existing methods of recording and analysis (e.g. GIS) can significantly enhance holistic interpretation of monuments, structures and landscape at the ‘royal-sites’, helping to more clearly define the use of space, light, and construction materials, as well as how buildings and their associated landscapes were experienced, changed over time, collapsed or were destroyed. The research will challenge traditional phenomenological approaches, using virtual reality to examine the impact of the structures within the landscape.

How have you been supported at Queen’s?

I have undertaken two writing skills courses offered by AHRC Northern Bridge to help with thesis writing. I will also be teaching a photogrammetry workshop in February, for students studying architecture.

Can you describe the postgraduate community at Queen’s?

Due to Covid restrictions, I haven’t been able to meet the postgraduate community in person since starting my PhD, although I have had online meetings, where the community has been supportive and helpful.

Where do you hope your PhD will lead?

I hope that the PhD will lead to further post-doctoral research, or employment undertaking digital heritage.

Jess began her PhD in January 2019. Her research interests include osteology, human remains, forensics and forensic anthropology.

Project funding

Self-funded 

Research Cluster

Culture and Society

Supervisors

Professor Eileen Murphy, Dr Alex Lennon.

Why did you choose this PhD topic?

Having spent much of my free time at motocross and seen many people severely injured but coming back to the sport so quickly with medical help and support from family and friends, it got me thinking about the archaeological populations I worked with and some of the injuries they experienced. How would they have coped on a day-to-day basis with little-to-no medical help?

Tell us about your PhD?

My research looks at the day-to-day quality of life of physically impaired individuals in medieval Ireland. I am working with skeletal remains of three individuals, two had injuries to their lower limbs and one had a disease. Osteological analysis, radiography and 3D computer simulation technology will be used to assess how debilitating the injuries and diseases were? How these individuals would have coped on a daily basis? If they needed care from other individuals and what this care would have been?

I will use the osteological analysis to look for signs of wear from possible crutch use on the upper limbs, and x-rays will be used to measure cortical bone thickness of the limbs. Disuse of a bone will cause a decrease in bone thickness and vice versa, a limb that is bearing most of the weight will have an increase in bone. The analysed skeleton will then be CT scanned for use with 3D computer modelling allowing a visualisation of how this individual may have walked.

How do you see the impact of your research?

Assessing the impact of physical impairment in an archaeological setting will reveal information about the care and treatment in the past and will also show the development and outcome of diseases and injuries if left untreated medically.

How have you been supported at Queen’s?

Queen's University run regular lunchtime seminars that are extremely good for networking. The Graduate School and McClay Library also run excellent workshops, seminars and training days on a wide range of subjects, which I have found very helpful for upcoming APRs, conferences etc. I feel the cohort all across QUB to be very accommodating, people from different departments are so willing to lend their expertise to help with whatever they can.

Where do you hope your PhD will lead?

My background is in forensic science; I would ideally like to incorporate this into my osteology education and work with human remains in a forensic setting.

Project funding

Lorraine's research is funded by the Department of Agricultural, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).

Research Cluster

Culture and Society

Supervisors

Dr Gemma Catney, Professor Aileen Stockdale and Dr Roy Nelson.

Why did you choose this PhD topic?

I think it is very important to give farming families in Northern Ireland a ‘voice’ or a platform to understand their own experiences, current challenges and fears in an increasingly challenging industry.

Tell us about your PhD?

My research is based on the very important industry of family farming in Northern Ireland, where the family farm and agri-food industry plays a more significant economic role than in the rest of the UK. Family farming which remains traditionally patrilineal in structure is also more than just an economic advantage; it is the ‘heart of rural communities’.
The family farm and rural communities have transformed over the last 100 years due to technological advances, globalisation and demographic changes where government intervention and EU policies have in part been successful. However, a recent survey in Northern Ireland by the UFUNI (2017) highlighted that there are still shortcomings evident in Northern Ireland concerning:

• Only 48% of farmers in Northern Ireland making retirement plans.
• 54% of farmers in Northern Ireland are over the age of 55.
• Only 5% of farmers in Northern Ireland are under the age of 35.
• A confusion of ‘belongingness’ evident amongst rural participants.

To date agricultural and rural literature has focused on farmers’ economic ‘roots’ to place, yet there is limited research on how modern rural communities can affect the emotional temporal & spatial connection to place amongst farmers e.g., attachment to the land or farm animals.

International research in Australia has already identified that it is through a loss of a ‘sense of belonging’ that can affect not only farm decision-making but also the health and well-being of farming families (Bryant & Graham 2014). Agricultural and rural literature needs to move beyond an economic focus of the effects of rural change towards an emotional one to understand why farmers can be reluctant to let go of the family farm. Emotions are not only essential to helping us describe the world around us, they also help us shape what we think of it and how we want to respond to it (Wood, 2004). Unresolved or unrecognised emotions could also be signalling habits and policies that require attention to things that have for various reasons been excluded (DeBeauvoir, 1976).

This research will explore how, and in what ways, the patriarchal farming family, alongside farmers’ emotional sense of ‘belonging’ to place, contributes to their retirement and succession decision-making in Northern Ireland. As the field of Emotional Geography has developed over the last twenty years to understand the emotions and attachment to ‘place’ (Anderson & Smith, 2001) it will, therefore, inform and guide the Aims & Objectives of this research:

Research Aim:
To explore how farmers’ sense of rural ‘belonging’ contributes to their retirement decision-making in Northern Ireland.

Research Objectives:
1. To unravel the patrilineal family farm decision-making process; how decisions/practices are made, experienced and communicated to date in Northern Ireland.
2. To define how the role and identity of farming participants within their family unit and communities contributes to their retirement/succession decisions (through family relationships, attachments, social hierarchies and how do they see themselves within rural communities.).
3. To discover how older farming men’s emotional sense of identity through their life-course alongside their sense of ‘belonging’ to the farm and rural communities influences their retirement decision-making (i.e. through hopes and fears; can they leave, bond to animals, where will they live now etc.).
4. To report findings of research to the funding body DAERA to inform or make recommendations to improve future Rural Development Policies (retirement/succession policies).

How do you see the impact of your research?

The outcome of this research is to inform future rural development policies to ensure that Northern Ireland remains competitive, especially now in this increasingly pressurised industry. These policy messages will also help relieve significant gaps in academic literature by continuing to rehumanise geography through a deeper subjective understanding of the emotional ‘spatial experiences in place’ for farming families.

How have you been supported at Queen’s?

I have received extensive training from the graduate school to support not only my academic writing but also my academic journey.  As a postgraduate researcher at Queens University I feel so lucky to have such great support in any training or personal needs.

Can you describe the postgraduate community at Queen’s?

The postgraduate community at Queens is so inclusive and caring, even through a year of social isolation with Covid I always feel connected.  

Where do you hope your PhD will lead?

I am hoping to secure a research or post doctoral position in my area of research.

Neil's research interests include Soil Erosion and Muddy Flooding; Climate Scenario Development and Impacts Modelling; Resilience of Environmental Management Strategies to Climate Change; GIS.

Project funding

His project is funded by the Department for the Economy (Northern Ireland).

Research Cluster

Environmental Change and Resilience 

Supervisors

Dr Donal Mullan and Professor Jennifer McKinley.

Why did you choose this PhD topic?

I had been introduced to this topic during my BSc and MSc, and it was clear that this is a pressing research concern that largely remains unresolved with regard to the pressures of a changing climate.

Tell us about your PhD?

Muddy floods may be defined as runoff generated from bare or partially vegetated agricultural fields carrying large quantities of soil as suspended sediment or bedload that causes downslope damage to property, roads, and freshwater systems. With rainfall totals and the frequency of high-intensity rainfall events expected to increase, mitigation measures are unlikely to remain effective to manage MF under a changing climate. MF events have recently been simulated to increase in magnitude and in frequency under 1.5°C and 2°C warming, while an earlier and longer muddy flooding season is also projected (Mullan et al., 2016 & 2019). Current mitigation measures must be modified to account for the impacts of climate changes. This research aims to examine how existing mitigation measures can be adapted to become more resilient to future climate change. Soil erosion models will be employed to develop quantitative baseline projections of MF diagnostics for a representative sub-catchment, while daily site-specific future climate change scenarios will be developed. A list of revised mitigation measures will then be developed and stress-tested under the future climate scenarios.

How do you see the impact of your research?

Findings from this research will ensure that mitigation remains effective in the future under a changing climate, such that the financial costs associated with the off-site damages of muddy flooding will remain low under a changing climate. The total annual damage cost of muddy flooding to private householders in Flanders, Belgium, has been estimated to be between €55 million and €165 million, while damages to public infrastructure are estimated to be similar. A pilot project in the Melsterbeek catchment in Flanders has confirmed that mitigation measures are successful in reducing the impact of MF events and are cost-effective in three years under current climatic conditions. This research aims to suggest revisions to existing mitigation measures so that similar cost-effectiveness may be achieved in the future with an intensified global hydrological cycle.

The project also holds wider significance for the water sector since effective mitigation measures can help improve water quality. Finally, there is more general significance for the field of climate adaptation since the project proactively builds climate scenarios into future natural disaster planning.

How have you been supported at Queen’s?

I have participated in multiple trainings, conferences, and travelled to Belgium several times to support my research.

Where do you hope your PhD will lead?

I hope that I can continue moving up the academic ladder following this PhD. Another welcome option includes environmental consultancy, where I hope my PhD will allow for accelerated entry to a more experienced role.

Robert enjoys hiking and doing judo, and he trains and competes with the QUB judo team. His PhD research addresses his interests relating to the low-carbon transition, renewables, political economy and rentier capitalism. He is also interested in the philosophy of science (critical realism) and distributed generation/P2P energy systems.

Project funding

Robert's project is part of the MISTRAL innovative training network funded under the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme.

Research Cluster

Sustainable Built Environment.

Supervisors

Geraint Ellis, John Barry, and Ger Mullally (University College Cork).

Why did you choose this PhD topic?

I think a political economy perspective can shed a lot of light on many of the sustainability challenges we face today. The energy transition is resulting in shifting power relations on many levels and will continue to do so. When thinking about the shift from fossil fuel-based energy systems to systems based on renewables, it is important to ask who holds what rights with regard to these new resources? Landowners and the institution of landownership play a key but understudied role in this regard.

Tell us about your PhD

My research explores the role of landownership and landowners in onshore wind energy production. The relatively extensive spatial requirements of renewable energies like wind, solar and biomass situates the landowner as a central political and economic player in the low carbon transition. Drawing on political economy/political ecology, I examine the role of rent relations within the wind industry. I employ a comparative analysis of three European countries (Ireland, Netherlands, Germany) to explain the distributive and structural effects of private landownership in these different contexts. The research aims to understand how different systems of property rights can contribute to fair but rapid decarbonisation.

How do you see the impact of your research?

The role of landowners in the energy transition has not received much attention from an academic impact standpoint. In terms of social impact, I hope my findings can contribute new knowledge, ways of conceptualising and understanding property rights in the energy transition, which may be adopted by communities, civil society organisations and/or policymakers.

How have you been supported at Queen’s?

I have received a lot of support through the MISTRAL network in terms of training and networks with other researchers. I have also made use of some great PhD training courses offered by the QUB Graduate School.

I presented at a symposium last year and will present at a couple more this year (2021). I am assisting with teaching some of the courses on offer for planning studies in SNBE.

Where do you hope your PhD will lead?

I hope to apply for a postdoctoral position and remain in academia.

Her research interests include microplastic; uptake and exchange of microplastics; microplastic transport and fate; marine litter; plastic pollution; modelling and simulation of anthropogenic pollutants in the ocean; sustainable ecosystem management.

Project funding

Her project is funded by NERC through the Queens University Belfast & University of Aberdeen Doctoral Research and Training (QUADRAT) DTP and a CASE partnership with AFBI NI. QUADRAT provides a platform for PhD research and training under the themes of Biodiversity, Earth Systems and Environmental Management with a broad spectrum of projects addressing the most significant environmental and societal challenges we face now and in the future.

Research Cluster

Environmental Change and Resilience

Supervisors

Dr Kieran O’Driscoll, Professor Ursula Witte (University of Aberdeen), and Professor Gary Hardiman. 

Why did you choose this PhD topic?

I developed an interest in the impact of anthropogenic pollutants on the ocean during my undergraduate studies when I undertook a research project on Microplastics in the Marine Environment. This PhD topic is very exciting as it provides an opportunity to further the understanding of the ecological harm caused by pollutants, contribute towards efforts to mitigate against these impacts and promote positive change through sustainable ecosystem management practices.

Tell us about your PhD?

Microplastics are small, ubiquitous particles of plastic which are less than 5mm in size. They are easily transported and dispersed and have been identified in all areas of the marine environment where they persist for long periods of time. Due to their small size and low density, microplastics are also readily available for uptake into the marine ecosystem. As microplastics cannot be digested or absorbed they will either be egested or will accumulate within the organisms’ tissue which facilitates the transfer and biomagnification of microplastics within the food chain and potentially leads to significant ecological impacts. The aim of my PhD is to develop a system of high-resolution numerical models to simulate microplastic uptake and exchange processes at lower trophic levels of marine ecosystems in the Northwest European Continental Shelf Region. The model will be implemented utilising the NERC NOC hydrodynamic and ecosystem output, receiving forcing from the NEMO and ERSEM models.

How do you see the impact of your research?

The output from the microplastic model will contribute towards the determination of the ecological harm caused by microplastics, which is a key target within the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD 2008/56/EC). It will also promote sustainable environmental management by providing knowledge relating to the implementation of an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management, which is a major goal of the common fisheries policy in EU law. It will contribute to national and international efforts to mitigate against ocean pollution, especially ecosystems under pressure from stressors, and relates to meeting government strategy for clean, healthy, safe and biodiverse seas and supporting a thriving rural economy underpinned by fishing.

How have you been supported at Queen’s?

The staff and students at Queen’s provide an invaluable network of knowledge, guidance and support. I have been greatly supported by the various training opportunities available in the SNBE and the Graduate School and in particular the QUADRAT DTP training programme.

Can you describe the postgraduate community at Queen’s?

The postgraduate community at Queen’s is vibrant, diverse and connected. The students are very supportive of one another and are always happy to share their knowledge and experience to help each other out, which is especially advantageous in the School of Natural and Built Environment where students span a broad range of disciplines.  There is also a great interconnection between the schools in Queen’s University and with other Universities and research institutions, providing an extensive network of research.

Where do you hope your PhD will lead?

I hope the project will shed some light on the extent of the impacts of microplastic pollution on the marine environment and will contribute towards positive change towards the implementation of more sustainable marine management practices.

Sarah had the opportunity to work at the Organic Geochemistry Unit at the University of Bristol where she learned to perform lipid residue analysis on Neolithic potsherds. She based her fifth-year master’s project on her work on amino acid compound specific radiocarbon dating at the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit. Sarah's research interests include stable isotope analysis, radiocarbon dating, tephrochronology, testate amoebae, palynology and the nitrogen cycle. 

Project funding

My project is a QUADRAT DTP, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

Research Cluster

'Environmental Change and Resilience' and 'Culture and Society'

Supervisors

Dr Gill Plunkett, Prof Eileen Murphy, Dr Neil Ogle, and Dr Kate Britton (University of Aberdeen).

Why did you choose this PhD topic?

Although I’m from a chemistry background, I have always been interested in archaeology and environmental sciences. This project combines all three of these fields.

Tell us about your PhD?

My project aims to uncover changes in climate and land-management strategies in the Irish Bronze Age using a multi-proxy approach. I will analyse peat and lake sediments from locations of known Bronze Age settlements in Ireland as well as archaeobotanical, zoological, and human remains.

The peat cores will be sampled from ombrotrophic bogs. Comparison with nitrogen stable isotopic values from lake sediments will help me uncover whether changes in the nitrogen cycle were caused by palaeoclimate changes and/or land-management strategy changes. Other stable isotopes will also be recorded (δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O), and pollen analysis will be performed. Testate amoebae will be counted alongside pollen in peat cores. Stable nitrogen isotope analyses will be performed on archaeobotanical, zoological, and human remains. Herbivore bone collagen δ¹⁵N values reflect several years of dietary intake and hence provide a broader spatio-temporal perspective.

How do you see the impact of your research?

My research aims to understand how past humans shaped their surroundings.

Humans have doubled the amount of bioavailable nitrogen on the Earth’s land surface. This was mainly affected through the industrial production of nitrogen fertiliser and the burning of fossil fuels. The problem is that most of anthropogenic reactive nitrogen is lost to the environment, causing numerous negative impacts that are magnified as the reactive nitrogen moves along its biochemical pathway. This phenomenon is referred to as nitrogen cascade. This includes acid rain, smog, eutrophication, greenhouse effects, etc.

By understanding how land management strategies influenced the nitrogen cycle in the past, we can better understand how we are currently affecting our environment.

How have you been supported at Queen’s?

I have participated in training events at Queen’s. I have also been able to meet a few of the students’ representatives and members of the Students’ Union.

Can you describe the postgraduate community at Queen’s?

I have been able to meet some of the SNBE postgraduate community at online events, but I have not been able to interact with anyone in close contact because of COVID-19.

Where do you hope your PhD will lead?

I hope to advance research skills and answer my research questions as well as develop a better understanding of my subject area. I hope this experience will also help me decide what career I wish to pursue.

Her research interests include energy transition, governance, policy, public participation and community energy 

Project funding

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie action grant agreement No 813837 MISTRAL.

I am an Early Stage Researcher in MISTRAL-ITN project.

Research Cluster

Sustainable Built Environment

Supervisors

Professor Geraint Ellis (QUB), Dr David Rudolph (DTU) and Professor Brendan Murtagh (QUB)

Why did you choose this PhD topic?

I find the processes of how policies are implemented to practice fascinating, and governmentality approach provides a great analytical tool to study this. I also have interest in the energy transition and how countries are responding to climate change.

Tell us about your PhD?

The project seeks to increase understanding of the governance of public participation in the energy transition, and implementation of a specific governance approach, a whole-of-society governance. This approach has previously been adopted to answer comprehensive crises facing societies, relating to topics such as health, war and immigration. This research argues that this approach has also been adopted to answer the climate crisis and energy transitions, and seeks to conceptualise the approach, start a discussion on it and then to analyse the implementation processes of the approach to the energy transitions in Scotland and Republic of Ireland. Governmentality approach and concepts of problematisation, technologies and rationalities are used as analytical tools to study how the approach has been adopted.

How do you see the impact of your research?

This research can guide energy and climate policy and provide recommendations to stakeholders on public engagement and participation.

How have you been supported at Queen’s?

I am a member of The Centre for Sustainability, Equality and Climate Action at Queen’s.  

Can you describe the postgraduate community at Queen’s?

I have been able to meet some of the SNBE postgraduate community at online events, but I have not been able to interact with anyone in close contact because of COVID-19.

Where do you hope your PhD will lead?

I hope to continue on academic career and research.