The Team

Dr. Jonathan Turner

Assistant Professor

Dr Jonathan Turner is a lecturer based in the School of Geography, University College Dublin, specialising in fluvial geomorphology and applied river science. His research focuses on understanding river dynamics, particularly related to physical form and sediment transport, and how this can support more effective river catchment management. Alongside HymoGuide, he currently leads hydromorphology work packages currently on the EPA-funded WaterFutures project and the DAFM-funded HydroSED project, which focuses on the impacts of forestry operations on fine sediment in small streams.

Dr. Mary Kelly Quinn

Professor

Professor Mary Kelly-Quinn is an applied freshwater ecologist in the School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin (UCD) and a member of the UCD Earth Institute. Her current research is primarily based on streams and rivers, but she has undertaken projects on lakes, ponds, canals, hyporheic fauna and riparian zones. The focus of her research is on assessment of land-use and other anthropogenic activities on the physical, hydrochemical and ecological quality of surface waters with particular reference in recent years to multiple stressors and climate change. She is particularly interested in the small stream network and the level of intervention needed to not only protect water quality and biodiversity in headwaters but also to improve water quality further downstream. She has also led projects and published on ecosystem services and engaged in research on natural capital accounting.

Dr. Fiachra O'Loughlin

Lecturer / Assistant Professor

Dr Fiachra O'Loughlin is an Assistant Professor of Hydrology in the UCD School of Civil Engineering and is the Deputy Lead of the Water theme in the UCD Earth Institute and a member of the UCD Dooge Centre for Water Resources Research. His research interests include the development and testing of hydrological and hydraulic models and the utilisation of remote sensing technologies to monitor our natural and built environment with the overall aim to improve our understanding of the underlying processes to help quantify past, current and future risks.

Dr Brian Tobin

Lecturer/Assistant Professor

Dr Brian Tobin studied Forestry at UCD before beginning research on rooting architecture in tree species. He has developed expertise in the fields of forest ecosystem research -specifically in how forest biomass allocation (above- & belowground), productivity and carbon sequestration are affected by disturbances such as management or exceptional climatic events. Harvesting in particular has a considerable impact on forest ecosystem functioning and environmental performance, and mitigating the potential for particulate release will be one of the aims of the HydroSed project.

Maurice Ryan

Maurice Ryan is the Business development director at Green Belt ltd. Green Belt is a private forestry management company established in 1982 with more than 400,000 acres of new forestry planted since then.
Maurice works across the industry to promote and encourage further afforestation and to help develop the bioeconomy and enhance the marketability of all timber and biomass.

Dr. Joe Harrington

Head of School of Building & Civil Engineering at the Munster Technological University (MTU)

Dr. Joe Harrington is Head of School of Building & Civil Engineering at the Munster Technological University (MTU). He was educated at University College Cork and the University of California, Berkeley. He is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of Engineers Ireland. He has over 25 years of teaching and research experience and leads the Sustainable Infrastructure Research & Innovation Group at the MTU. His research interests include sediment behaviour, modelling and management in the river, estuarine and coastal environments. Dr Harrington has published widely, and he has led and coordinated on behalf of the MTU a wide range of national and internationally funded research projects, including the EU-Interreg funded CEAMaS, PHOS4You and SURICATES projects. Dr. Harrington is a member of the EPA Dumping at Sea National Advisory Committee and a member of the Accreditation Board of Engineers Ireland, and recently served as a member of Council of the Environmental Sciences Association of Ireland.

Rodhraí Crowley

MSc Student MTU

Rodhraí Crowley is an MSc student in the School of Building and Civil Engineering at Cork Institute of Technology, where he is a member of the Sustainable Infrastructure Research and Innovation Group. He graduated from University College Cork in October 2020 with a BSc (Honours) Environmental Science degree, having completed his 3rd year of study at Wageningen University, the Netherlands.

Eibhlín Vaughan

PhD Student UCD

Eibhlín is a PhD student in the School of Civil Engineering and the School of Agriculture and Food Science at UCD. She completed her undergraduate degree in Environmental Science at Trinity College Dublin in the year 2020. Eibhlín's PhD will focus on hydrological and sediment monitoring, hydrological modelling, assessment of the intensity of soil disturbance by forest operations, as well as testing the effectiveness of mitigation measures in minimising soil disturbance. She is passionate about environmental protection and conservation and is keen to contribute the findings of this research to the scientific world while developing her skills and interests throughout the course of her PhD.