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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

200 18Mar
Our 200th member(s)!

We have welcomed thirteen new Earth Institute members since the turn of the year whose arrival brings our academic membership to over 200. Welcome to Sourav Bhattacharjee, Gary Boyd, Sarah Browne, Michelle Carey, Allen Higgins, Devon Kerins, Brian Leonard, Alessia Paccagnini, Saptarshi Sen, Seaneen Sloan, Italo Sousa de Sena, Ye Tian and Yunpeng Zhang.

Earth Institute International Women\'s Day Research Celebration 07Mar
Earth Institute International Women's Day Research Celebration

UCD Earth Institute held an International Women's Day Research Celebration on Thursday 6 March at 15:00 in Quinn School of Business, focussing on the gender dimension of research. UCD President Professor Orla Feely opened the event and we heard from Dr Marion Boland from Research Ireland as well as six research case studies.
UCD artists in residence in RHA exhibition about bogs 28Feb
UCD artists in residence in RHA exhibition about bogs

UCD artists in residence Fiona McDonald and Siobhan McDonald feature in BogSkin exhibition in the Royal Hibernian Academy which runs until 20 April 2025. Fiona collaborated with staff from the School of Agriculture and Food Science on the creation of her installation.

Mite on the head of a bee pupa Gilles San Martin 24Feb
Tackling the varroa mite: A global threat to honey bees

The invasive Varroa parasitic mite has contributed to significant decline in honey bee populations since the 1960s. Newly published meta-analysis by UCD researchers has evaluated the efficacy of different treatments against the Varroa mite.
Views of beech trees from below 20Feb
Communications vacancy at the Earth Institute

We're looking to recruit a communications professional to work with our environmental, climate and sustainability research community, helping us build relationships with stakeholder groups, communicate our research findings more widely and to further the societal impact of our work
people watching a presentation 28Jan
Coffee morning research talk programme for 2025

Our coffee morning research talk series kicks off this week with talks on AI, ancient Greece, migration and more - join us each Thursday from 10.45.
Embroidered quilt 17Dec
Exploring Plant Memories: Bridging Art, Science, and Sustainability

In Memory of Plants, a collaboration between Joanna Kacprzyk and artist Lorna Donlon, demonstrates how art and science can intersect to foster sustainability by addressing Plant Awareness Disparity and reconnecting people with the natural world through personal and emotional engagement.
Group shot of four people 11Dec
Earth Institute journalist in residence scheme 2025 open for applications

Applications are open for our 2025 journalist-in-residence scheme which offers journalists a unique chance to work with top environmental, climate and sustainability researchers at UCD.
Group of people next to excavated hole 02Dec
Discovery of a 2000-year-old fig in Co. Dublin highlights ancient trade links with the Roman Empire

A collaboration between Fingal County Council and UCD School of Archaeology's Meriel McClatchie has unearthed the charred remains of a fig that is almost 2000 years old. How did a fig make its way from distant lands to a field in Fingal almost two millennia ago?
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

Pattern of green and blue dots 25Mar
Technology, Sustainability and Democracy

How can technological advancements support sustainability efforts while aligning with democratic values? Seminar in partnership with the Advance Centre Professional Education for Digital Transformation.
Microplastics 20Mar
Exploring microplastics: What we know and what we don't

Earth Institute coffee morning research talk with Junli Xu
under water 19Mar
World Water Day early career researcher poster competition

Find out more about water research from across UCD
Speech bubbles 19Mar
Communication channels for environmental research at UCD

Panel discussion with key research communications contacts in UCD

Latest updates

UCD Earth Institute

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