Cross-Thematic Activity Team Leader: Dr. Dónal Leech
Environmental Technologies is a research theme that cross-cuts the six major priority research areas of the Ryan Institute: Climate Change, Environment & Health, Energy, Marine & Coastal Processes, Biodiversity & Bioresources, and Sustainability & Built Environment. Environmental technologies are about directly or indirectly improving our marine and terrestrial environments, our health and quality of life, and the sustainability of our urban spaces and lifestyles. Researchers in this field are working on areas such as sensor development, waste treatment, and energy efficient technologies – areas that can be applied to almost all aspects of Environmental, Marine and Energy research.
Below are two of the main approaches that Environmental Technology researchers apply to any number of our priority research areas, and details of some of the people involved.
Environmental Sensors and Analysis
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Dr. Thomas Barry Microbiology Tel: (091) 49 3189; Email: thomas.barry@nuigalway.ie ——— Dr. Barry is the principal investigator of the Molecular Diagnostics Research Group (MDRG) at NUI Galway, which has 20 years experience and an international track record of achievement in the development and application of molecular diagnostics tests for microbial species detection in the clinical, food and environmental sectors. The MDRG has developed a suite of platform technologies, based on proprietary nucleic acid sequence targets, for the detection and identification of bacteria and fungi. The research group has also successfully worked with commercial partners to develop molecular diagnostic products for infectious diseases based on these technologies. |
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Dr. Dónal Leech Chemistry Tel: (091) 49 3563; Email: donal.leech@nuigalway.ie ——— Dr. Leech is the Director of the Biomolecular Electronics Research Laboratory. Environmental diagnostics research in the laboratory focuses on the preparation and characterisation of electron-transfer catalysts and modified electrode surfaces. A recently awarded sensor technology projects is the SFI-funded “Metals In the Marine Environment” (MIME) project, for the development, validation and deployment of autonomous electrochemical instrumentation for analysis of metals in the marine environment. |
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Dr. Brian Ward School of Physics Phone: (091) 49 3029; Email: bward@nuigalway.ie ——— Dr. Brian Ward has received two US-Ireland grants through SFI for sensor development. The first deals with the development of a gas detector for air-sea fluxes of greenhouse gases. The second is a microfluidics device to be developed for an Argo float to measure carbon in the ocean. Other technology development is the autonomous profiler ASIP, and a diamond-coated microsensor for temperature and conductivity in the oceans in collaboration with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. |
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Dr. Chaosheng Zhang School of Geography and Archaeology Tel: (091) 49 2375; Email: chaosheng.zhang@nuigalway.ie ——— Dr. Zhang’s research focuses on using GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and geostatistics to (i) study spatial structure of environmental parameters and (ii) to produce spatial distribution maps. Current projects include:
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Waste Treatment and Mitigation
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Dr. Eoghan Clifford Civil Engineering Phone: (091) 49 2219; Email: eoghan.clifford@nuigalway.ie ——— Dr. Clifford has been involved in the development of a number of water and waste treatment technologies. His research focus is on the development and validation of new environmental and energy efficient technologies for water treatment, wastewater treatment, sludge treatment, and odour & gas treatment. |
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Dr. Henry Curran Lecturer in Chemistry and Director of the Combustion Chemistry Centre Phone: (091) 49 3856; Email: henry.curran@nuigalway.ie ——— At the Combustion Chemistry Centre (C3) the coupling of experimental chemical combustion studies in our shock tubes and rapid compression machine facilities, with detailed kinetic modelling, is a unique feature. C3 is helping deliver an integrated approach to the sustainable development of biofuels for waste mitigation by joining with both the Microbial Bioenergy Group and with the Molecular GlycoBiotechnology Group. Another aspect of our combustion research is its application for optimizing large-scale incineration for municipal waste. |
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Professor Vincent O’Flaherty Head of Department of Microbiology and Director of the Energy Research Centre Phone: (091) 49 3734; Email: vincent.oflaherty@nuigalway.ie ——— Prof. O’Flaherty is the director of the Microbial Ecology Laboratory. Main interests are in the areas of anaerobic biofilm and microbial ecology research, focused on: anaerobic biofilm reactor technology for energy production and wastewater treatment; and the microbial ecology of anaerobic biofilms and soil ecosystems. |
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Dr. Maria Tuohy Biochemistry Phone: (091) 49 2439; Email: maria.tuohy@nuigalway.ie ——— Dr. Tuohy is director of the Molecular Glycobiotechnology Group and has over 15 years experience in the Enzymology, carbohydrate biochemistry, plant biomass conversion and microbial fermentation. Our aim is to harness the full potential of fungi to recover the full energy and biorefinery potential of plant biomass and carbohydrate-rich wastes. |
