The 'ESAI Postgraduate Researcher of the Year Award' for ESAI members started in 2013 and welcomes applications from students doing either a PhD or a Masters degree by research in an environmental topic.
This years competition was launched on 16th June 2021 and will close on December 10th 2021. The winning entrant will receive a prize of €500. They will also be invited to give a guest lecture at the subsequent ESAI AGM which takes place at the ENVIRON conference each year. Applications will be evaluated under three criteria: Scientific excellence and originality, Impact (economic/environmental/societal) and Dissemination (conferences, outreach, media). Candidates are asked to outline research objectives, background to research, why research is necessary and novel, environmental relevance, methods, results, accomplishments, awards, publications/patents, the potential impact of the research (economic/environmental/societal), and outline the dissemination activities related to the project.
Applicants should email a completed Application Form to administrator@esaiweb.org by the deadline December 10th 2021.
2020 Winner: Sean O’Connor, Institute of Technology Sligo
PhD thesis entitled “Meeting Ireland's Sustainability Challenges and Obligations - The role of small-scale waste/energy management as sustainable solutions in the
circular economy.”
This year the ESAI has decided to acknowledge the extremely high standard of competition by acknowledging two entries who were of exceptional standard but just missed out on the overall prize.
2020 Runner Up: Kate Mahony, University College Cork
PhD thesis entitled “A temporal investigation of Europe-wide drivers of cockle Cerastoderma edule biology, health and population dynamics.”
2020 Runner Up: Samuel Ross, Trinity College Dublin
PhD thesis entitled “Understanding the consequences of global environmental change for ecological dynamics and resilience.”
2019: Molly-Ann Williams, Dublin City University
PhD thesis entitled “Development of a Novel Biosensor for the Detection of Specific Species using Enviornmental DNA”
2018: Conall Holohan, National University of Ireland, Galway
PhD thesis entitled “The Anaerobic Digestion of Fats: exploring microbial technological solutions”
2017: Philip Shine, Cork Institute of Technology
PhD thesis entitled “Electricity and direct water consumption on Irish dairy farms”
2016: Christopher Finnegan, Institute of Technology Carlow
PhD thesis entitled “Detection and bioremediation of tributyltin in several environmental matrices such as sediments, soils, water and biological samples”
2015: Luke J. Prendergast, University College Dublin
PhD thesis entitled “Monitoring of scour around structures using changes in natural frequency of vibration”
2014: Richard Manton, NUI Galway
PhD thesis entitled “Route Selection and Design of Greenways: Guidance for the Irish National Cycle Network”
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