Walsh Scholars - The Next Generation 2021

Walsh Scholars: The Next Generation is a showcase of Teagasc’s leading postgraduate agri-food research.

Gold Medal Winner 2021

Category Winners 2021

• Tara O'Connor

  Tara O'Connor is the winner of the Teagasc Crops, Environment & Land Use Programme category. Her research looks at the strengths & weaknesses of the barley immune system & developing durable disease resistance in barley. Tara is based at the Teagasc Crop Science Department in Oak Park, Co. Carlow.

• Jie Han

  Jie Han is the winner of the Teagasc Food Programme category. Her project focuses on understanding and controlling dairy powder breakage during transportation and production to improve the functionality of dairy powders. Jie is based at Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Co. Cork.

• Tracy Bradfield

  Tracy Bradfield is the winner of the Teagasc Rural Economy & Development Programme category. She is investigating how land mobility and structure affect farms' economic performance. Tracy is based at the Teagasc Agricultural Economics & Farm Surveys Department.

• Lisa O’Toole

  Lisa O’Toole is the winner of the Teagasc Knowledge Transfer Programme category. Her study focuses on developing an understanding of the relationships and methodologies to encourage contract cropping agreements. She is based at the Teagasc Advisory Office, Portlaoise, Co. Laois.

Walsh Scholars 2021

• Kerry Ryan

  Kerry Ryan is a Teagasc Walsh Scholar based at Johnstown Castle Environment Research Centre, Co. Wexford. The goal of her project is to study the effect of multi-species grasslands on the soil microbiome.

• Karthikeyan Palanisamy Thangavelu

  Karthikeyan Palanisamy Thangavelu is a Teagasc Walsh Scholar based at Teagasc Food Research Centre, Ashtown, Co Dublin. His PhD is focused on using natural ingredients and novel food products and processing technologies for the improved quality of processed meat products.

• Orla O’Halloran

  Orla O’Halloran is a Teagasc Walsh Scholar based at the Teagasc Research Centre, Ashtown, Co. Dublin. Her research focuses on unravelling the fly pest complex in commercial mushroom production: Familiar foes or new faces?

• Cathal Conaty

  Cathal Conaty is a Teagasc Walsh Scholar based at the Teagasc Advisory Office, Dundalk, Co. Louth. He is investigating how to improve the accessibility of online agricultural resources.

• Sara Tudor

  Sara Tudor is a Teagasc Walsh Scholar based at the Institute of Biological, Environmental & Rural Sciences at Aberystwyth University, Wales. She is designing management practices to enhance both yield and grain milling quality of Winter and Spring Oats.

• Jie Kang

  Jie Kang is a Teagasc Walsh Scholar based at AgResearch, New Zealand. In his PhD study he is using genomics to turbocharge perennial ryegrass breeding by "selecting the best and leaving the rest".

• Shilpi Misra

  Shilpi Misra is a Teagasc Walsh Scholar based at the Teagasc Animal & Grassland Research & Innovation Centre, Moorepark, Co. Cork. Her research investigates water footprinting and water use reduction of Irish pig production.

• Stephen Kehoe

  Stephen Kehoe is a Teagasc Walsh Scholar based at the Teagasc Crop Science Department, Oak Park, Co. Carlow. He is investigating how root diversity can help with breeding better crops by looking at the influence of abiotic stresses on root phenotypes of Irish cereal crops.

• Orlaith Quigley

  Orlaith Quigley is a Teagasc Walsh Scholar based at the Teagasc Animal & Grassland Research & Innovation Centre, Moorepark, Co. Cork. Her research focuses on future proofing the Irish breeding with the Next Generation Herd.

• Timothy O'Flynn

  Timothy O'Flynn is a Teagasc Walsh Scholar based at the Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Co. Cork. His research focuses on meeting the protein demands of the modern world through plant-based sources and examining the inter-reactive techno-functionalities of plant based protein.

• Surabhi Subhir

  Surabhi Subhir is a Teagasc Walsh Scholar based at the Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Co. Cork. She is investigating how we can add value to the by-products of the Irish cheese industry by using micro filtration technology.

• Jordi Camp Montoro

  Jordi Camp Montoro is a Teagasc Walsh Scholar based at Teagasc Animal & Grassland Research & Innovation Centre, Moorepark, Co Cork. His project is on management and nutritional strategies to increase sustainability of pig farms, to ensure no runt gets left behind.

• Rosie O’Neill

  Rosie O’Neill is a Teagasc Walsh Scholar based at the Teagasc Environmental Research Centre, Johnstown Castle, Co. Wexford. She is assessing the impact of management factors on soil denitrifying communities and nitrogen emissions.

• James Concannon

  James Concannon is a Teagasc Walsh Scholar based at the Teagasc Advisory Office, Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo. He is investigating farmers’ actions and interpretations of the faecal egg testing results as part of the Beef Environmental Efficiency Programme – Suckler (BEEP-S) scheme.

• Liam Quinn

  Liam Quinn is a Teagasc Walsh Scholar based at the Teagasc Advisory Office, Ennis, Co. Clare. His project looks at dairy farmers attitudes to, familiarity with and knowledge of practices used to improve nitrogen use efficiency.

• Donagh Hennessy

  Donagh Hennessy is a Teagasc Walsh Scholar based at the Teagasc Animal & Grassland Research & Innovation Centre, Moorepark, Co. Cork. His research focuses on optimising land use and the competition between feed and food in Irish agriculture.

• Amber Manley

  Amber Manley is a Teagasc Walsh Scholar based at Rothamsted Research, UK. Her research focuses on identifying and addressing the source of agricultural faecal pollution in rivers as part of the Teagasc Agricultural Catchments Programme.

• Adam Cogan

  Adam Cogan is a Teagasc Walsh Scholar based at the Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Co. Cork. He is investigating how heating cheese affects digestibility.