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UCD Earth Institute

UCD's institute for environmental, climate and sustainability research

About the UCD Earth Institute

Our multidisciplinary community of researchers work on topics relating to climate, water, biodiversity, plants for the future, sustainable communities, people, work and society, and the built environment.
We foster interdisciplinary research through an active programme of projects, initiatives and events designed to bring researchers and stakeholders together, to start new conversations, spark new ideas and support new collaborations.

Explore our work

Leaf image with names of academic disciplines overlaid Research
Discover our research across seven thematic areas
Aerial view of fields cliffs sea Projects
Find out more about our current research projects and initiatives
portraits of fifteen people Our members
Find out more about our 200 academic members
Group shot of four people Journalists-in-residence
Meet our journalists-in-residence and find out more about the programme
Seminar and audience Become a member
Join our active multidisciplinary community of researchers
Group shot of UCD academics UCD Climate Fellowships
Our annual fellowships for leaders in climate research

News

Earth Institute researchers contribute to \'Entangled Life\' series on climate, ecosystems and society  13Jun
Earth Institute researchers contribute to 'Entangled Life' series on climate, ecosystems and society 

Egle Gusciute and Tanja Narancic participated in panels on just transition and biomaterials for a new series bringing art, research and communities together to explore climate, ecological and social topics
Staff at desk 11Jun
Plants for the Future event draws enthusiastic crop of budding botanists

Belfield was a hive of activity last Saturday 7 June for the annual UCD Festival, a showcase of the campus’s education, innovation, creativity and research.
Panel discussion 26May
Significant potential to increase partnerships with institutions and industry in Africa

UCD’s research collaboration with African partners has generated rich and impactful outcomes in recent years - but scope remains to develop even more relationships with more universities, industry and societal partners. This was one of the key messages of a keynote panel discussion on Africa, hosted by the Earth Institute and UCD Office of Global Engagement, last Thursday afternoon. 
Collage of photos of people 23May
Winners of 2025 Earth Institute Awards announced

Established to celebrate the contributions and achievements of members of the environmental, climate and sustainability research community in UCD, these awards pay tribute to those who contribute to research across the university and the myriad ways they do so.
What a week! 02May
What a week!

Events this week included our annual early career flash talk competition, a meeting of our sustainable communities theme, a campus walk focused on trees, a research-to-policy seminar on decarbonising buildings and a short talk on geogames.

four panels showing a bird, a plant, a bee on a flower and a lake 29Apr
UCD Biodiversity Week identification workshops

Identification workshops on birds, invertebrates, plants, bumblebees and earthworms in UCD for National Biodiversity Week, 19-23 May
UCD water tower with wildflowers in foreground 14Apr
UCD spring lunchtime walks

Our ever-popular spring campus walks are running again this year from 16 April to 21 May

First paper published from UCD-based COST Action on crop diversification 11Apr
First paper published from UCD-based COST Action on crop diversification

The first paper from a UCD-based COST Action investigating crops that have become underutilised in Europe has been published. The DIVERSICROP network is chaired by Dr Sónia Negrão (UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science) and the lead author on the paper, which features contributors from more than 10 countries across Europe, is Assoc. Prof. Meriel McClatchie (UCD School of Archaeology).
Making (mini) waves in the Science Centre 11Apr
Making (mini) waves in the Science Centre

Lennon Ó'Náraigh from the School of Mathematics has built his own tabletop flume from Lego, Perspex and wood. He is using it to teach students about waves and how they behave, something of interest to many disciplines and with a vast range of real world implications.

End view of a pile of metal pipes

The Perpetual Motion Economy

Can we engineer our way to sustainable growth, asks Dr Kevin Roche from the UCD School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, or does the ideal of the circular economy defy the Second Law of Thermodynamics?

Read more

Events

People studying at desks 18Jul
Earth Institute Writing Retreat 2025

Do you need more time in your calendar to write, analyse or be creative? Sign up for our three day writing retreat! Running this year from 16-18 July 2025.
People studying at desks 17Jul
Earth Institute Writing Retreat 2025

Do you need more time in your calendar to write, analyse or be creative? Sign up for our three day writing retreat! Running this year from 16-18 July 2025.
People studying at desks 16Jul
Earth Institute Writing Retreat 2025

Do you need more time in your calendar to write, analyse or be creative? Sign up for our three day writing retreat! Running this year from 16-18 July 2025.

Latest updates

UCD Earth Institute

University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
T: +353 1 716 7777