Satellite view of storm over the British Isles

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.

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Research

Learn about the Marine & Energy Social Sciences & Humanities Interdisciplinary Research Group (MESSAGE)

News

21May

Dr Orla Kelly to co-lead €3 million project exploring impact of shorter working weeks

Earth Institute member and UCD Climate Fellow Dr Orla Kelly (UCD School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice) will co-lead a new €3.1 million Horizon Europe-funded international research project investigating the impact of shorter working weeks across Europe. Shorter working weeks refer to companies implementing a four-day, 32-hour working week without loss of pay.

19May

Student Research Internship opportunities

This year we are running a pilot programme of paid summer research placements. Undergraduate and graduate students from any discipline are invited to apply for internships on these faculty-led research projects in the areas of climate, environment and sustainability. Two projects are currently open for applications!

$Gabriela Martinez Sainz named \'Research Collaborator of the Year\' at UCD College of Social Sciences and Law College Principal Awards$ 12May

Gabriela Martinez Sainz named 'Research Collaborator of the Year' at UCD College of Social Sciences and Law College Principal Awards

UCD Climate Fellow Gabriela Martinez Sainz has been named 'Research Collaborator of the Year' at the inaugural UCD College of Social Sciences and Law College Principal Awards. Dr Sainz, whose research interest is understanding the role of education in creating more just, peaceful and sustainable societies while empowering children and young people as active citizens, was recognised for bringing together diverse partners across disciplines and borders.

$Experts in Ireland\'s Nature Restoration Plan bring their insights to \'Adapt for the Future\' event$ 30Apr

Experts in Ireland's Nature Restoration Plan bring their insights to 'Adapt for the Future' event

“Restoring nature is not a simple process and it’s not a linear process either. Each habitat, each species responds differently and even within habitat and species groups, depending on the site, the response will be different.” These were among the remarks made by David Fenner, Assistant Principal Officer in the International and EU Affairs Directorate, National Parks and Wildlife Service, earlier this week, as he described the mammoth task of drafting Ireland’s Nature Restoration Plan (NRP).

16Apr

Disaster risk reduction event showcases breadth of expertise in adaptation and resilience

We were delighted to team up with UCD Centre for Humanitarian Action last week for ‘Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Adaptation: An Interdisciplinary Seminar for Early Career Researchers’. Led by UCD Climate Fellow Dr Ronan McDermott, and co-organised and chaired by Chloe ten Brink and Angelina Heil, the seminar brought together early career researchers working on topics relating to disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation from across disciplines and higher education institutions.

07Apr

Put a spring in your step with our lunchtime campus walks

Each spring, the Earth Institute hosts a series of lunchtime Belfield walks led by members of the Institute community which explore the campus from different perspectives while highlighting current research.

07Apr

See out the rest of the term with our coffee morning talks

Now in their tenth year, our weekly coffee mornings are a central part of the life of the Institute. Join us every Thursday during the academic term to hear short informal talks on new environmental, climate and sustainability research and initiatives from UCD and beyond.

$\'Adapt for the Future\' audience learns why participation in heritage management matters$ 30Mar

'Adapt for the Future' audience learns why participation in heritage management matters

Last week’s 'Adapt for the Future' session, entitled 'Managing Heritage for the Future: Participation, Policy and World Heritage', was a fascinating exploration of how heritage management is moving towards more participatory and sustainable approaches. The lunchtime event took place in Museum of Literature Ireland on Tuesday 24 March.

13Mar

Research workshop explores communicating across disciplines

A workshop recently organised by the Interdisciplinary Climate PhD Network brought together postgraduate students working on climate change-related topics from different academic backgrounds including economics, geography, archaeology, environmental policy and the natural sciences. Participants were encouraged to discuss how key climate-related terms can carry different meanings across these disciplines, and how these differences can create misunderstandings in interdisciplinary collaboration.

Prehistoric policies - how simplistic theories about the past inform current climate and biodiversity strategies

In the latest edition of our Earth Comment series, Professor Graeme Warren (UCD School of Archaeology) questions the wisdom of looking to our deep past to address biodiversity and climate challenges – writing that many ideas about prehistory that support current policy include false or simplistic assumptions, or are simply outdated or flawed. If we are to guide today’s decision-making by looking to the past, he insists, we should at least ensure that it is an accurate version of that past. To that end, he writes that his new project, Prehistoric Policies, will interrogate how popular science, academic research and policy interlink to show why and how the ancestral condition features in future-focused debates, why this matters and what the implications are.

21May

Marine Institute shiptime call the topic for final coffee morning of academic year

Hosted by Dr Mark Coughlan (UCD School of Earth Sciences), the talk will focus on the Marine Institute Shiptime Call for 2027/2028. This call allows you to apply for a number of days on-board the RV Tom Crean, RV Celtic Explorer or RV Dulra na Mara to carry out inter- and multidisciplinary research surveys and data collection campaigns, with access to the full suite of surveying and monitoring equipment and infrastructure held by the Marine Institute.

18May

Spot the species at our Biodiversity Week identification workshops

Join us this Biodiversity Week for a series of beginner level species identification workshops with our biodiversity experts in UCD. These hands-on sessions led by UCD biodiversity academics and researchers will teach you how to spot and identify local plants, birds, mammals, invertebrates and more!

$Carbon debt the hot topic at this week\'s coffee morning$ 14May

Carbon debt the hot topic at this week's coffee morning

This week's coffee morning talk from Lisa Sheenan (UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School) explores the concept of carbon debt and examines what happens when a country’s emissions exceed its fair share of the remaining global carbon budget. Using Ireland as a case study, the presentation will outline how carbon budget overshoot can be linked to climate finance, legal responsibility, and long-term fiscal governance.

$Get the inside track on the Nature Restoration Plan at our next \'Adapt for the Future\' seminar$ 28Apr

Get the inside track on the Nature Restoration Plan at our next 'Adapt for the Future' seminar

With the draft Nature Restoration Plan opening for public consultation in the coming weeks, we are delighted that our next 'Adapt for the Future' event will feature presentations from four individuals key to its development.

$This week\'s coffee morning examines how research can help address land-use challenges$ 23Apr

This week's coffee morning examines how research can help address land-use challenges

This presentation by Stephen Barry, Technical Scientific Advisor at DCEE's Environment and Climate Research Advisory Unit looks at the future challenges facing our land use sector and how research can support Ireland’s journey to address these challenges by supporting and interacting with policy, ensuring that the country's research output is relevant and fit for purpose.

$Tune into Belfield\'s birdlife at our next campus walk$ 22Apr

Tune into Belfield's birdlife at our next campus walk

Join our campus walk and discover more about Belfield's birds with the help of Dr Adam Kane from UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science.

16Apr

Take a deep dive into water micropollutants at our next coffee morning

Micropollutants can be challenging to remove from water, so they require innovative approaches that balance water quality with energy efficiency. In this talk, Liana Zoumpouli (UCD School of Chemistry) will describe how she uses materials science and environmental chemistry to develop water treatment technologies that address this challenge.

15Apr

Explore sound at the first of our springtime campus walks

Find out more about sound on campus with Abigail Lindo (UCD School of Music) in the first of our spring lunchtime walks for 2026.

09Apr

Coffee morning talk: How gas tracers in groundwater can bring climate and nitrogen-related findings to the surface

Presented by Dr Alan Seltzer from UCD School of Earth Sciences, this presentation will give a conceptual overview of how dissolved gas tracers in groundwater quantitatively record physical and biogeochemical signals relevant to climate change and nitrogen cycling.

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