A warm welcome to the UCD School of Agriculture & Food Science. Our School’s mission is to develop and apply the science and scholarship of agriculture, food, environmental sciences and rural development for the benefit of society through excellence in education, research, innovation and continuing professional development.
UCD is the only university in Ireland with a dedicated School of Agriculture and Food Science. The School is the first destination of choice for students in Ireland interested in pursuing careers in the agri-food sector. Our teaching and research programmes span the entire food chain, from on-farm food production to human nutrition and health, providing a diverse range of career opportunities for graduates in Ireland and internationally. Agriculture and Forestry is one of the top ranked subject areas in UCD and is ranked 51st in the world based on the QS World University rankings by subject 2021.
The School has over 70 academic staff who teach, conduct research and provide service at many levels to the agriculture and food industry. We are acutely aware of the need for both sustainable and innovative foods for an increasing world population, that demands more sophisticated food and health solutions for a changing lifestyle. At the same time, climate change and environmental, sustainability and societal challenges are becoming more and more relevant in the context of agriculture, food businesses and policy making.
The School has chosen to focus on Production Agriculture, Agribusiness and Rural Development, Agri-Environment and Sustainable Resource Management, Food Science and Human Nutrition as the core elements of its programmes. This creates a unique identity for the School, enabling it to focus on the complete food chain from farm to human health supporting UCD’s Strategy 2020-2024 – Rising to the Future.
Our undergraduate and post graduate education programmes reflect the School’s complete food chain approach; these are delivered at the UCD Belfield Campus, at UCD’s Lyons Farm and online. Please explore the for further details.
The research ethos of the School is to foster curiosity-based and hypothesis-driven research to best international standards in areas of key strategic relevance to Ireland and globally. Our research contributes to improving the productivity and the economic, environmental, and social sustainability of agriculture, to enhancing the quality and security of food, and to consumer well-being.
Please take time to browse our for additional information on the range of research and teaching activities in our School. Please contact us directly for any further information or for informal discussion.
Professor Frank Monahan
Dean of Agriculture, Head of UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science