UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science Research Prospectus 2021

UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science

RESEARCH

INNOVATION IMPACT

CONTENTS UCD School of Agriculture & Food Science 2 Welcome 3 UCD Agriculture and Food Science Research

4

Global Collaboration 5 Environment and Sustainable Resource Management

6

UCD Rosemount Environmental Resource Station

9

Animal and Crop Science 10 UCD Lyons Farm 13 Food Science and Human Nutrition

14

UCD Institute for Food and Health

17

Agribusiness and Rural Development 18 UCD Centre for Humanitarian Action 21 Innovation and Impact 22 Research Communication and Outreach 24 Research Masters and PhD 26 Collaborative Research at UCD 28 Research Funding 30

UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science: Research, Innovation and Impact | 1

UCD SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SCIENCE

Animal and Crop Science

14

Undergraduate Programmes

Environment and Sustainable Resource Management

10

Graduate Taught Programmes

UCD is ranked in the top 1% of higher e ducation institutions world-wide Joint International College Guangzhou Dublin International College of Life Sciences and Technology (GDIC) 2 | UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science: Research, Innovation and Impact

Only University in Ireland with a dedicated School of Agriculture and Food Science.

Academic staff in the top 1% of most cited researchers in the world

Food Science and Human Nutrition

2000

Students (approx.)

Ranked 51st for Agriculture and Forestry 2021

Agribusiness and Rural Development

110+ 50+

Staff Funded Research Staff

2020

Ranked 1st in Ireland, 5th in Europe and 24th in the World (US News and World 2020)

“UCD is ranked within the top 1% of higher education institutions across the world.”

“We are determined to place UCD at the forefront of agri-food research internationally.”

University College Dublin (UCD) is Ireland’s most innovative and progressive university, ranked within the top 1% of higher education institutions across the world, and where students are educated as global citizens for our knowledge society.

The UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science strives to place UCD at the forefront of agri-food research internationally through research, innovation, impact, and scholarship that is aligned with the UCD Strategy 2020-2024: Rising to the Future. Our work meshes with the four major themes of this strategy: Creating a Sustainable Global Society, Transforming through Digital Technology, Building a Healthy World and Empowering Humanity.

UCD is much more than a University campus; it is a vibrant community of more than 35,000 students, faculty and support staff. On our 132-hectare Belfield campus, situated just 4 km south of Dublin’s city centre, research and innovation benefit from a wide range of world-class facilities and a vibrant academic environment. Feeding and caring for a growing population, the provision of sustainable energy and the protection of the environment are the biggest challenges facing the 21st century world.

Researchers at the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science are at the forefront of agri-food research and our work plays an important role in addressing these issues. The School provides opportunities to pursue training at Masters, PhD and postdoctoral levels across four main areas of agri-food research: Animal and Crop Science, Environment and Sustainable Resource Management, Agribusiness and Rural Development and Food Science and Nutrition.

Our research portfolio is broad and interdisciplinary; we collaborate with industry and academic scientists on projects that have measurable impacts across the complete food production chain, from primary producer to consumer.

As a constituent school of the UCD College of Health and Agricultural Sciences, our work is aligned with the concept of circularity and informed by the One Health concept that recognises the fundamental interconnections between humans, agricultural species, wild animals and plants, and our shared terrestrial and aquatic environments. Researchers at the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science are determined to place UCD at the forefront of agri-food research nationally and internationally, delivering value across the sector and attracting sustainable investment from national and international sources, while training the next generation of leaders for the agri-food industry.

Our researchers take an entrepreneurial approach to creating tangible commercial outputs from their research. Early-stage researchers are pivotal to the success of our research community and the School offers a range of advanced postgraduate and postdoctoral research training opportunities and constantly seek to create and encourage a dynamic and multidisciplinary research environment. Our staff are internationally recognised for their published output, societal, industry and scientific engagement and our programmes are supported by state-of-the-art infrastructure.

We would be delighted to talk with you if you are interested in learning more about our research and innovation activities.

Prof. Frank Monahan Head of School and Dean of Agriculture UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science

Prof. Tommy Boland Associate Dean for Research, Innovation and Impact UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science

UCD AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SCIENCE RESEARCH

Agri-Food research is a major focus of the UCD research strategy

76 Principal Investigators 330 research projects completed (2016-2020)

150+

Research Funding including 10.2% directly from industry.

Research Masters a nd PhD Students

2015-2020

18.6%

1220 Scholarly output with 17.5 citations per publication and a fielded weight citation impact of 2.20*

€59.7m

New PhD Programme with Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

*Scopus 2015-2020

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of publications among the top 10% most cited worldwide* *Scopus 2015-2020

#1 University Globally on citations per paper in food science

Global Collaboration

52.5% of publications co-authored with international collaboration

1220 publications across 113 institutions in 24 countries* *Scival 2015-2020

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ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

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The sustainable management of our limited resources on Earth is at the centre of what we do, from the production of plant-based, and animal based foods, fibre and fuel, to the protection of soil and water quality and biodiversity.

Research Focus

Research Overview

Our core research is aimed at meeting the needs of society, of government and of the agri-environmental sector.

The sustainable management of our limited resources on earth is at the centre of what we do, from the production of food, fibre and fuel, to the protection of soil and water quality and biodiversity. We have the capacity to respond rapidly to the need for solutions to new challenges. We will continue to carry out research to inform government policy and management practice to maximise our carbon sinks, minimise our greenhouse gas emissions, protect soil and water quality, and improve resource use efficiency. We are also committed to improving the quality and supply chain of horticultural fresh produce and agricultural produce and to enhancing biodiversity on farms and in forests.

Our research supports land-use decision making, striving to find a balance between production and protection, linking source and sink, through intensive and extensive agriculture, horticulture and forestry. The Environment and Sustainable Resource Management section comprises research groups that deepen our understanding of the natural world and its relationship to the environment in which the management of natural resources operates.

Disruption to Ireland’s environment, society, economy and natural resources as a result of our changing climate is driving much of our current research, as we work towards a net zero carbon combination of agriculture, horticulture and forestry. The UN Sustainable Development Goals and the One Health approach underpin our activities.

The SUSPOLL Project

Agricultural Ecosystems Forest Biology & Economics Amenity Horticulture Integrated Pest Management Landscape Management Nutrient Management One Health and Zoonoses

Dr. Dara Stanley The SUSPOLL project (Sustainable Pollination Services in a Changing World) is a large-scale career development award co-ordinated by Dr Dara Stanley and funded by Science Foundation Ireland. Bees and other pollinators not only help reproduction of the majority of the worlds wild plants, but are also essential in a large proportion of crop production globally. The SUSPOLL project research team are investigating how pollination services provided by bees to crops in Ireland such as apples and oilseed rape are being impacted by both changes in pesticide use and changing climate. The project will also use in depth modelling to predict how these essential services may change in the future.

For more information see www.suspoll.ucd.ie

Research Areas

@SUSPOLL_ire

Production Horticulture Soil Management Sustainable Forest Management Sustainability Wildlife Management UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science: Research, Innovation and Impact | 7

Taught Programmes UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMMES Agri-Environmental Sciences Forestry Horticulture

GRADUATE TAUGHT PROGRAMMES Environmental Resource Management Horticulture Wildlife Conservation and Management

Expertise and facilities

Academic Profile

The ESRM section comprises 18 academic staff across the broad disciplines of agricultural ecology, forestry, horticulture and soil science. In addition to UCD Lyons Farm, the UCD Rosemount Environmental Research Station which is located on the Belfield campus is widely used by staff and students for teaching, research and outreach purposes.

Dr. Brian Tobin

Collaborations While our faculty are experts in their own field of agrienvironmental research, they recognise the value of multi-partner research endeavours. Through national and transnational collaboration, fragmentation and duplication of research is reduced, bringing together scientists, farmers, growers, foresters and other stakeholders in Ireland, Europe and globally.

Dr Brian Tobin is an assistant professor in forestry.

His area of interest is in the adaptation of forests to climate change and how forests can slow down the rate of climate change through storing carbon. Dr Tobin has developed expertise in forest ecosystem research, specifically in how forest biomass allocation, productivity and carbon sequestration are affected by disturbances such as forest management or exceptional climatic events. Recent work has included a characterisation of dissolved carbon and nitrogen losses from woody decomposition on forest harvesting sites.

Dr. Tobin coordinated the recent CForRep project, a government funded project, which carried out extensive work on improving the use of remote sensing in characterising changes in forest cover and carbon losses from forest operations and the GenESIS project (Genomic Evaluation for the Sustainable Improvement of Sitka spruce) a multi-partner project , funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, which is investigating the genetic quality of tree families included in Ireland’s Sitka spruce improvement programme.

Brian is responsible for the teaching of dendrology, forest harvesting as well as apiculture, is the university beekeeper and manages the apiary in Rosemount, the Environmental Research Station.

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UCD Rosemount Environmental Research Station UCD Rosemount Environmental Research Station is a state-of-the-art plant and environmental research facility located on the edge of the Belfield campus and covers four hectares.

The station facilitates research in the areas of plant biology, horticulture, forestry and agriculture and is jointly managed by the School of Agriculture and Food Science and the School of Biology and Environmental Science.

The facilities for plant and crop research include high specification containment and production glasshouses, hosting experiments on plant-pathogen and climate interactions. Plant collections to support teaching, horticultural demonstration, crops for horticulture modules, industry-funded plant growth experimental trials are also held. Experimental plant-growth chambers allow full monitoring and control of climate, atmospheric composition, light and irrigation. Adjacent, the Irish Soil and Root Imaging Facility consists of a large capacity 3D X-ray CT scanner, which allows seamless transition from experimentation to phenotyping.

Rosemount is home to the Lamb-Clarke Irish Historical Apple collection, one of Ireland’s main repositories with national importance for preserving the invaluable genetic resources held within our native apple varieties. Research and teaching on this important collection is ongoing. Rosemount also contains an apiary, community garden, atmosphere and climate controlled plant growth chambers, demonstration plots and sportsturf management display, along with plant phenotyping, seismic and climate monitoring capacity.

For more information visit www.rosemount.ucd.ie @_Rosemount

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ANIMAL AND CROP SCIENCE

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Research activity in Animal and Crop Science is innovative, transformative, and translatable to meet current and future producer, consumer, and policy requirements for sustainable food production and land use.

Research Focus

Research Overview

Our core research is aimed at developing an in-depth understanding of the biological drivers of animal and crop production, its interface with the sustainable use of natural resources, the production of healthy food products and the development and adaptation of new smart technologies in primary agricultural production. The research activity in Animal and Crop Science not only allows our Agri-food industry to respond to national and international policy drivers, but also to inform and shape future policy through the translation of our research outcomes into on farm solutions in production agriculture to meet societal and government requirements.

Our research resides at the nexus of increasing global demand for food, greater legislative compliance in terms of environmental, biodiversity and welfare challenges and reduced resource availability which not only provides an ecosystem but also a prerequisite for reframing production agriculture. The Animal and Crop Science section encompasses research that spans animal and crop production from the cellular to the systems level. Shifts in agricultural production on a national scale, coupled with legislative requirements and the rapid development of smart technologies drive our current research activities to produce solutions supporting local, national and international food production in the face of global challenges.

The SMARTSWARD Project Prof. Tommy Boland The SMARTSWARD project (Future Proofing Irish Livestock Sustainability) is a large-scale multi-disciplinary project funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Research Stimulus Fund co-ordinated by Prof Tommy Boland, UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science. Pasture based livestock production systems are the backbone of the Irish AgriFood industry but are facing challenges from an environmental, economic and biodiversity sustainability perspective. The SMARTSWARD project research team are investigating how alternative pasture mixtures can be managed to reduce the requirement for chemical inputs into grazing systems while enhancing animal health, performance, and product quality. The project draws on expertise from a range of research institutions in Ireland, the UK and New Zealand. Research funding for SMARTSWARD was €1.8million which includes €500,00 in industry contribution.

Research Areas Animal Breeding Animal Genomics Animal Health and Nutrition Animal Immunology Animal Production Systems Animal Physiology Crop Science Precision Agriculture Crop Breeding Mechanisation, Data and ICT Equine Science Sustainability

@SMARTSWARD1 for project updates.

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Taught Programmes UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMMES Agricultural Science

Expertise and facilities

LIFE farm4more

The Animal and Crop Science section comprises 17 academic staff across the broad disciplines of animal science and crop science supported by administrative and technical staff.

Research activity is supported by UCD Lyons Farm.

Prof. Kevin McDonnell

Agricultural Systems Technology

Collaborations

Animal Science

The Animal and Crop Science section is populated by internationally recognised experts in animal and crop sciences. In combination with leading young researchers in these disciplines the success of the section is built on multidisciplinary national and international collaboration across the public and private sectors.

Animal Science-Equine Animal and Crop Production Crop Science Dairy Business

GRADUATE TAUGHT PROGRAMMES Animal Bioscience

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LIFE farm4more is a four-year agricultural pilot project jointly funded by the EU’s LIFE programme and the Irish Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment. The €5.5 million project led by UCD (Prof Kevin McDonnell, UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science, Dr Fionnuala Murphy & Dr Joe Sweeney) is the first Irish led LIFE climate action project with partner organisations in Ireland (UCD, BRID and BMRS) and Austria (TBWR, AREC and Biochar-Nergy). LIFE farm4more aims to implement a suite of technologies, strategies and techniques to achieve climate mitigation in animal protein production. The two technology implementations central to this project are a novel biochar- and green biorefinery-pilot plant. The biochar pilot plant aims to produce GHG reducing animal feed additives while the green biorefinery aims to process organic grass-silage into high value organic protein feeds and green chemicals. The biorefinery pilot plant will also produce an organic grass silage press cake which will be tested for its ruminant animal feed properties. To ensure that the products produced achieve their climate mitigation objectives, land management strategies which aim to optimise grass production will be created; Extensive animal feeding trials will be conducted to ensure that the biochar and biorefinery feed products are both economically viable and climate mitigating-optimal; and life cycle assessments will be performed. For more information visit www.farm4more.eu @farm4more

UCD Lyons Farm UCD is unique amongst third level universities in Ireland by having its own teaching and research farm to provide students and academics with access to large animal and crop enterprises for the delivery of teaching and research programmes.

These programmes are of national importance and underpin technical innovation and science-driven education and discovery for the agri-food industry, which helps maintain international competitiveness and addresses challenges and opportunities for innovation as they emerge. Currently these include: » Increasing globalisation and competition. » The removal of production linked subsidies within the EU. » The demand for production of healthy food at affordable prices. » Food produced with due regard to animal health and welfare. » The need for proper sustainable management of land and animals to protect natural resources (air, water and plant and animal biodiversity).

UCD Lyons Farm is a member of the Global Farm Platform.

» The importance of maintaining viability of rural communities and recreational activities. » The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture (currently comprising 34% of national emissions). » The need to reduce the fossil fuel inputs into agricultural production.

Given the need for food production to be carried out on an internationally competitive and sustainable basis, taking into account food quality and safety to meet the increasingly discriminatory demands and international array of foods available to the consumer. UCD is uniquely positioned to conduct research on the complete spectrum of healthy food production for the consumer from the very basics of the impact it has on soil and environment through to through to how its consumption impacts human health on an individual and societal basis. For more information visit www.ucd.ie/lyonsfarm @ucdlyonsfarm UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science: Research, Innovation and Impact | 13

FOOD SCIENCE AND HUMAN NUTRITION

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Our vibrant, multidisciplinary, Food and Health team, spans the food chain from food science to human health and consumer behaviour.

Research Focus

Research Overview

Research within the Food Science and Nutrition Section is focused on innovations that deliver foods with improved taste, texture and health attributes with reduced costs and environmental impact; whilst enabling people to live healthy lives and promoting well-being through the life course.

All activities within the unit are informed by national and European strategies including Food Wise 2025, Food 2030 and most recently the EU Farm to Fork Strategy. Research within the section falls into the areas of Food Science and Human Nutrition; ultimately both operate with a goal of improving the health of consumers.

The Food Science group has international expertise across many areas with a strong focus on dairy and meat research. One of these key areas is the development of novel processing approaches which can either be used as alternatives to conventional methods or as entirely new processes as part of a circular bioeconomy. The group is active in the design of new food structures with enhanced functionality of food in terms of taste and nutrition.

The Human Nutrition team is focused on research that enables people to live healthy lives and the promotion of well-being through the life course. Activities include acute assessment of dietary intake through the use of novel biomarkers and working to establish new biomarkers of long-term dietary exposure. Work in Personalised Nutrition or Precision Nutrition revolves around the development of strategies for the delivery of dietary advice at a personal level.

National Nutrition Surveys Dr. Breige NcNulty Over the last 20 years researchers from the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science with partners from the Irish University Nutrition Alliance (IUNA) have developed national databases of dietary intake and health status through national nutrition surveys. These databases are used widely for research related to nutrition, public health and food safety, and support the work of agencies that are responsible for food and nutrition policy and regulation in Ireland and the EU. They have been instrumental in underpinning the scientific basis of food based dietary guidelines for the Irish population.

Dr Breige McNulty currently leads the food consumption survey team with ongoing surveys investigating adults and teenagers. These surveys have been primarily funded through the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Research Areas Biomarker Research Development of new food structures Food Consumption Surveys Food Safety Functional Food Research Healthy Ageing Innovative processing technologies Meat and dairy authentication Personalised Nutrition Valorisation of Food Waste

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Taught Programmes UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMMES Food Science Human Nutrition

GRADUATE TAUGHT PROGRAMMES Food, Nutrition and Health

Expertise and facilities

The AGRIMAX Project

The Food Science and Nutrition section comprises 17 academic staff members with expertise across key areas of research including innovative processing technologies; designing new food structures; sensory science; personalised nutrition; healthy ageing; and biomarker research. Academic staff are key international leaders in their areas.

The journey to a resource-efficient world is a key global challenge that urgently needs to be addressed. Currently approximately one third of all food produced globally is wasted which equates to about 1.3 billion ton per year. The AGRIMAX Project based at UCD is a large EU funded project Bio-based Industries involving 29 partners and €12.84 million in funding. Through this project Dr Nigel Bunton is working to extract significant amounts of valuable antioxidants from potato peels, a resource that is currently not valorised to any significant extent worldwide. Unused this plant waste would contribute to environmental damage.

The section has access to state-of-the-art infrastructure and facilities in both the UCD Science Centre and the UCD Conway Institute including pilot plant dairy and meat processing facilities. Facilities within UCD Science Centre include a fully fitted sensory kitchen and testing booths, as well as a Human Intervention Suite for clinical trials.

Food Regulatory Affairs

Collaborations

Food Regulatory Affairs (Veterinary Public Health)

We are recognised internationally as a leading institute in Food Science and Nutrition, and the section supports the interdisciplinary research collaborations and facilitation of creative thinking that is required to solve global societal challenges related to food and health. To this end, we have ongoing research collaborations with other leading institutes including UCDavis, Harvard University, Deacon and Massey universities, together with food industry partners at national, EU and global levels.

Food Safety and Regulatory Science

HIGHLY CITED RESEARCHER Prof. Nigel Brunton Dr. Brunton is ranked among the top 1% of the most cited researchers in the world* and has over 30 years of expertise in food chemistry, sample extraction and waste valorisation. * Highly Cited Researchers report 2020

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The project initially developed a laboratory-based pilot scale strategy to optimally extracts polyphenols from this resource. This next stage was to scale up to an industrial scale biorefinery and the AGRIMAX Project is currently working alongside an industry partner to demonstrate the efficacy of this industrial scaled biorefinery approach.

Work at UCD revealed that toxic glycoalkaloids are co-extracted with polyphenols and thus use of the developed extraction process would have limited the use of the extracts in foods. However, the research team has successfully developed a de-toxification process that is inexpensive and easy to apply at industrial scale which removes these glycoalkaloids.

For more information visit: https://agromax.iris.cat or @Agrimax_EU

UCD Institute of Food and Health Established in 2008, the UCD Institute of Food and Health brings together UCD academic staff with active research programmes in the area of Food and Health into one centre of excellence.

The UCD Institute of Food and Health is a multi-disciplinary, campus-wide initiative, comprising 60 Principal Investigators and their teams with multidisciplinary expertise, all working together to deliver pioneering research in the area of food and health.

The vision of the UCD Institute of Food and Health is to be a global leader in scientific discovery that shapes the future of food and health. Since its inception, the Institute has firmly established itself as a leading player on the national Food and Health research landscape and has continued to build its international reputation. Fifty-three percent of all research papers published have international collaboration. Research funding from 2014-2018 was €67.9 million of which 13% came directly from industry.

Central to the Institute’s philosophy is the translation of our research for commercial, economic and societal impact.

Utilising scientific evidence as the basis for food and health policy is a key objective.

A team of highly skilled academic staff, researchers and students are committed to future-proofing global food systems to enable healthy living and societal well-being through five key areas: 1. Food Safety: Securing food safety throughout the food chain.

2. Food Sustainability: Enabling the technological transformations to underpin environmentally, socially and economically sustainable food systems.

3. Primary Production Systems: Enhancing primary production systems to supply safe, nutritious, sustainable foods.

4. Innovative Processing and Food Quality: Innovative processing to improve the safety, quality and sensory appeal of foods.

5. Nutrition and Health: Advancing nutrition research, to enable healthy living and well-being throughout the life course.

For more information visit www.ucd.ie/foodandhealth @UCDFoodHealth UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science: Research, Innovation and Impact | 17

AGRIBUSINESS AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

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The agribusiness and rural development section encompasses the disciplines of agribusiness and farm management, agricultural economics and marketing, rural development, communications, extension and innovation and humanitarian action.

Research Overview

Taught Programmes

The main objectives of the Agribusiness and Rural Development group are to advance sustainability and competitiveness of the agri-food system, to enable sustainable rural livelihoods and to provide evidence-based analyses of policies and programmes that impact on the agri-food sector and rural communities. Common and crosscutting themes within the section include sustainability, innovation, climate change, community development, knowledge exchange and food policy, which are addressed using a wide range of research methods.

The section currently has 19 research and academic staff members, 12 PhD candidates and 16 research postgraduate students. Staff members have active research collaborations both nationally and internationally, with the public and private sector. Such partnerships strengthen and grow our research agenda.

THE CAPRI-Green project

UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMMES

Research Areas Agricultural Economics and Food Business

Food and Agribusiness Management Food Business with Chinese Studies

GRADUATE TAUGHT PROGRAMMES Agricultural Extension and Innovation

Agricultural Extension Rural Development Humanitarian Action

Food Business Strategy Humanitarian Action Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development

Dr. James Breen

With agriculture, forestry and land use accounting for over 20 percent of total global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, identifying approaches to mitigate GHG emissions associated with the production of food while not compromising food production presents a major challenge to policy-makers. The CAPRI (Common Agricultural Policy Regionalised Impact) model developed at the University of Bonn is widely used by the European Commission and others to examine the impact of alternative policies on a range of economic and

environmental indicators for EU agriculture including GHG emissions. As part of the CAPRI-Green project, Dr. Breen and colleagues in the Agribusiness and Rural Development section are collaborating with colleagues from Teagasc and a number of European Institutes. They are using the CAPRI model to examine the economic and environmental impact of a range of GHG emissions related policies on the Irish agricultural sector.

Scenarios being explored include changes in coupled supports for beef animals, mitigation targets for agriculture and their impact on technology adoption and changes in agricultural land use.

The CAPRI-Green project has been funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Research Stimulus Fund.

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Agricultural Economics and Food Business This research strand investigates the food supply chain from farm production to the final consumer. It seeks to advance the economic management and performance of the food chain in a manner that is environmentally sustainable and responsive to consumer and societal needs.

Key research areas include: » Analysis of trends in structure, conduct and performance of the farming and food industries. » Modelling the impact of agricultural and environmental policies. » Analysis of the productivity and efficiency of the agricultural sector. » Modelling farming systems to evaluate the impacts of technical innovations at farm level. » Modelling greenhouse gas emissions from Irish agriculture and analysis of abatement policies and strategies. » Resilience in creating and redistributing value across the supply chain. » Strategic business model innovation for sustainable food systems. » Analysis of international trade in agri-food products. » Competitiveness and innovation in the agri-food sector. » Investigation of retailer strategic behaviour and consumer preferences.

Through our research activity, we engage with the academic community and industry stakeholders to shape and inform the future path of the agri-food industry. In recent years our research activities have been funded from a range of national, international agencies and by industry.

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Agricultural Extension

Rural Development

Research in this area examines farm-level innovation and knowledge exchange practices and aims to inform farm advisory and agricultural education services on effective methods and tools for enabling farm practice and behaviour change. Research is predominantly delivered in partnership with Teagasc and augmented

by PhD studies supporting three research clusters: increasing competitiveness; capacity building; and ensuring environmental credentials.

The programme of research in rural development explores a range of key areas that directly and indirectly impact on rural territories, and includes research in Ireland, the EU and the Global South. Research is led by a multidisciplinary team interested in rural change, policy impacts and rural livelihoods, community and local development, and the multifunctionality of agriculture in rural regions.

Central to the programme is the investigation of the rural as a series of interconnected and diverse localities and territories, with research spanning from traditional farming countrysides to beyond the farm gate.

Examples of research activities include: » Categorisation of farmers for improved targeting of knowledge transfer. » Development and testing of different extension and education methods and approaches including use of digital tools and methods. » Understanding the drivers and barriers to change in farm health and safety. » Competence development for agricultural extension personnel. » Processes to support farm succession and inheritance and young farmer establishment. » Assessing the contribution of extension to farm and rural community development. » Development of human resource management in the dairy sector. » Establishing the Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System and its role in farmer decision making.

Examples of research include: » Links between nutrition, farm systems and the local economy in Tanzania. » Drivers of change on Europe’s food and nutrition security. » Social farming benefits and impact. » Farm health, safety, and well-being. » International peer learning and comparative analysis of Community-Led Local Development. » Local socio-economic impacts of agri-environmental interventions. » Rural and Community Planning.

Action research that informs policy and decision-making forms a large element of the approach taken by the rural development group. We are interested in the co-design of policy from the bottom-up, and facilitate research and policy formulation and evaluation from local to national levels by creating space for multi-actor collaboration.

The UCD Centre for Humanitarian Action The UCD Centre for Humanitarian Action was established in 2012 to reaffirm UCD’s commitment to excellence in research, innovation and professional development in the field of humanitarian action.

Based in the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science, the Centre is built on the strong foundations of an internationally recognised Masters programme and has collaborated with various governmental and non-governmental organisations around the globe for applied research and policy analysis.

The Centre’s mission is to enhance the professional delivery of humanitarian action through the provision of interdisciplinary and internationally recognised research to inform policy and practice. It does this by: » Promoting collaboration between higher education institutions in humanitarian action. » Conducting flagship research projects at the forefront of humanitarian studies in cooperation with our partners worldwide;. » Facilitating academic-practitioner links to enhance the efficacy of research and teaching in humanitarian action and bridge the divide between the field and higher

education institutions. » Educating current & future humanitarian practitioners to the highest professional and academic standards. » Acting as a hub for Irish humanitarian action by bringing together humanitarian stakeholders to tangibly inform policy processes of relevance to humanitarian action at the Irish, European and international levels.

Some current projects at the UCD Centre for Humanitarian Action include: » PRUV: Prepared & Resilience to address Urban Vulnerability » BRTE: Building Resilience Through Education » ISGBViE: International School Addressing Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies More information is available at: www.ucd.ie/cha

UCD is part of the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA). In addition to the UCD MSc Humanitarian Action programme, UCD also offer an Erasmus Mundes Joint Masters in Humanitarian Action programme. This MSc is a two-year full-time programme and is funded by the Erasmus+ funding scheme.

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INNOVATION AND IMPACT

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NovaUCD is at the centre of innovation related activities at University College Dublin including; supporting the commercialisation of the intellectual property arising from UCD research programmes; establishing, developing and scaling UCD spin-out companies; building relationships with business and industry and providing a managed consultancy service through ConsultUCD. www.novaucd.ie @NovaUCD

PLUSVITAL

AgTechUCD (at UCD Lyons Farm led by NovaUCD) NovaUCD was recently awarded €3 million in funding to develop an AgTech Connector Innovation Hub at UCD Lyons Farm. The goal of the AgTechUCD is to bring together the AgTech ecosystem in Ireland to accelerate the launch and scaling of AgTech companies. @AgTechUCD

The global AgTech sector is ripe for disruption and Ireland now has a great opportunity to leverage its unique assets to develop innovative, job creating AgTech companies with global ambition.

Tom Flanagan, UCD Director of Enterprise and Commercialisation, NovaUCD

18 Invention Disclosures

5 Patents

14 Licences Submission to NovaUCD by the School of Agriculture and Food Science (2015 – 2020)

Prof. Emmeline Hill UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science The Thoroughbred horse racing and breeding industry is an international, multi-billion euro business. What makes one horse run faster than another is a question that has perplexed breeders and race goers for generations. The UCD research team, led by Prof. Emmeline Hill and Prof.

Lisa Katz from the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine, is a world leader in understanding the genetics of the racehorse and in the development of genetic tests for racing performance.

During the last 15 years the research programme has uncovered many genetic contributions to athletic traits in the horse. In 2020 Prof. Hill and Prof. Katz were awarded funding to continue their research in equine exercise physiology and genomics to investigate the dynamic interplay that exists between the inherited DNA sequence of a horse and the environment.

Prof. Hill’s research began when she received funding from Science Foundation Ireland in 2004 to investigate genetic influences on racing performance in Thoroughbred horses.

Built around scientific excellence her research led to the discovery of a ‘Speed Gene’ and the development of a test that can predict the best race distance (i.e sprint or endurance) for an individual horse.

Prof. Hill set up a spin-out company, Equinome, to commercialise her scientific results. Equinome was subsequently acquired by the Irish equine science company Plusvital (www.plusvital.com). Prof. Hill continues to teach and lead an active research programme at the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science and holds the role of Chief Science Officer at Plusvital.

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RESEARCH COMMUNICATION AND OUTREACH

24 | UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science: Research, Innovation and Impact

Research communication and outreach are of great importance at the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science. To disseminate some of our ongoing work a series of public events are hosted each year to communicate with the wider community.

Annual Research Seminar Series

Biennial Scientific Symposium

Annual UCD/Teagasc Knowledge Transfer Conference

National Ploughing Championships

Industry-Focused Events

Hosting International Delegations

Farm Walk and Talk

Policy Formation

Podcast Series UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science: Research, Innovation and Impact | 25

RESEARCH MASTERS AND PhD

26 | UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science: Research, Innovation and Impact

Opportunities for postgraduate research studies are available at the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science. We are committed to ensuring our graduates make a significant impact in their chosen career and make a valuable contribution to society by addressing global challenges.

Top Ranked Postdoctoral Researcher in STEM 2020

The UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science’s research programmes address key national and international challenges including environment, energy, forestry, agri-food, health, and the development of evidence-based policy. These align with the four strategic themes in the UCD Rising to the Future Strategy 2020-24: Creating a Sustainable Global Society; Transforming through Digital Technology; Building a Healthy World; and Empowering Humanity.

As a school we harness the complementary energies of research and teaching to drive graduate education. Our goal is to produce confident, highly skilled graduates with the potential to make major scientific contributions to the knowledge economy, both in Ireland and abroad.

Graduate research opportunities are available at Masters and PhD level. A Research Masters degree is a research degree carried out over 3-6 trimesters (1 to 2 years) full time or 5-9 trimesters (15 months to 3 years) part time. A PhD degree is a research degree carried out in two stages over 9-12 trimesters (3-4 years) full time or 15-18 trimesters (5-6 years) part time.

Research Masters and PhD programmes are largely funded positions but self-funded opportunities are also available.

Funded positions are advertised on the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science website and on the UCD Graduate Studies website. Funded positions are typically competitive and involve a formal application, interview and selection process.

Where no relevant funded opportunities are available candidates can apply directly to the school. Candidates are required to identify an academic staff member who will support their application before commencing the process.

Once candidates have the agreement of an academic staff member, the academic staff member submits an application for review by the School Graduate Research Education Committee and University Governing Board. The application process requires applicants to submit a research proposal, academic transcripts and other supporting documentation.

For enquiries in relation to research masters contact: Catherine Byrne, UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science. Email: catherine.byrne@ucd.ie

Supporting PhD Research PhD researchers at the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science are associated with several research training and development programmes.

Research Staff Profile Dr Tara Dirilgen | Postdoctoral Researcher and recipient of the Thomas Mitchell Medal of Excellence Dr. Dirilgen is carrying out an Irish Research Council (IRC) funded Postdoctoral Fellowship titled “From Roots to Pollinators: How above- and below-ground organisms interact through plants” and was awarded the ‘Thomas Mitchell Medal of Excellence 2020’ by the IRC in recognition of being the top-ranked postdoctoral researcher in the STEM category in 2020. This medal is one of four ‘Medals of Excellence’ presented to earlycareer researchers at the annual IRC Researcher of the Year Awards.

Dr. Dirilgen’s research investigates soil, plant and pollinator interactions. With a growing global population, and increasing concerns around environmental degradation and climate change, sustainable solutions for food production need to be found. While the value of biological diversity to agriculture is being increasingly recognized such as the role of belowground organisms to healthy soils, and the contribution of insect pollination to crops, there is growing evidence that what happens belowground can have impacts on how plants respond aboveground and vice versa.

Dr. Dirilgen’s research sets out to explore how soil biodiversity may indirectly effect pollinators and how the use of pesticides in crop protection might alter this. The findings will inform management of agricultural systems to promote both biodiversity conservation and food production.

UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science: Research, Innovation and Impact | 27

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH AT UCD

28 | UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science: Research, Innovation and Impact

Research staff at the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science are actively engaged in collaborative and interdisciplinary research across the university. An integrated approach across UCD connects expertise through research institutes, funded programmes and academic centres.

UCD Research Institutes

National Research Centres led by UCD UCD Academic Centres

UCD Conway Institute

UCD Centre for Forest Research

of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research

UCD Conway Institute

Food for Health Ireland =

The UCD Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research is an interdisciplinary research centre exploring mechanisms of health and disease towards the development of preventative strategies and novel diagnostic and therapeutic solutions. www.ucd.ie/conway

Food for Health Ireland is a collaborative model for functional and health food innovation and commercialisation. Food for Health Ireland provides a gateway for industry partners to access world-class science and academic research in the functional food space. www.fhi.ie

UCD Earth Institute

UCD Earth Institute

BiOrbic Bioeconomy Research Centre

The UCD Earth Institute is a multidisciplinary research and education centre with a focus on creating and sharing new knowledge to develop sustainable solutions for many of the pressing Earth-related problems affecting societies now and in the near future. www.ucd.ie/earth

The BiOrbic, Bioeconomy Research Centre is Ireland’s national bioeconomy research centre, established to promote and develop Ireland’s bioeconomy through excellent research and innovation. A national collaboration of over 100+ researchers focused on the development of a sustainable circular bioeconomy. www.biorbic.com

The UCD Centre for Forest Research focuses on fostering cohesion in the many disciplines carrying out forestry related research; improving the visibility of forest research at UCD; and sustaining critical mass.

UCD Centre for Humanitarian Action

UCD Centre for Humanitarian Action The UCD Centre for Humanitarian Action is a multidisciplinary research and teaching platform focused on international humanitarian action. The mission of the Centre is to enhance the professional delivery of humanitarian action through the provision of multidisciplinary and internationally recognised research and education. www.ucd.ie/cha UCD Plant Science Centre www.ucdplantscience.com

UCD Institute of Food and Health

UCD Institute of Food and Health

CONSUS

UCD Centre for Food Safety

The UCD Institute of Food and Health is a major campuswide initiative at UCD to develop and conduct world class, multidisciplinary research into food and health that will underpin innovation and provide the scientific evidence to support practice and policies for industry, government and society. www.ucd.ie/foodandhealth

CONSUS is a collaborative research partnership between UCD and Origin Enterprises PLC that has been supported through the Science Foundation Ireland Strategic Partnership Programme. This €17.6 million five-year project is investigating digital, precision agriculture and crop science through a strong multi and inter-disciplinary approach. www.ucd.ie/consus

www.ucd.ie/cfs

VistaMilk

One Health UCD The vision of One Health UCD is to maximise the health and well-being of humans, animals and the environment through academic excellence, collaborative research, education and outreach. www.ucd.ie/onehealth

This project is hosted at Teagasc Moorepark. UCD are a partner institution. www.vistamilk.ie UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science: Research, Innovation and Impact | 29

RESEARCH FUNDING

30 | UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science: Research, Innovation and Impact

Research activity at the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science is funded through a range of grants from various government agencies, institutions, and foundations across Ireland, Europe and internationally. We are committed to supporting industry through research, working collaboratively with private companies, stakeholders and agencies.

Funding Partners

A selection of funding partners who support ongoing research at the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science.

UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science: Research, Innovation and Impact | 31

Industry Partners

A selection of some industry research partners the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science collaborate with.

32 | UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science: Research, Innovation and Impact

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UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science

Agriculture and Food Science Centre, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4 Tel: +353 (0) 1 716 7194 Email: agandfoodprogrammes@ucd.ie Web: www.ucd.ie/agfood ucdagfood

Every attempt has been made to ensure that the information contained within this booklet is correct at the time of going to press; however, the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science accepts no responsibility for any errors or omissions. New programmes are continually being introduced and existing programmes revised and therefore readers are advised to contact the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science for up-to-date programme details.