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A day in the life of a Walsh Scholar with Kieran Harrahill

A day in the life of a Walsh Scholar with Kieran Harrahill

Kieran Harrrahill began his PhD after graduating from a Masters’ Programme. He completed an undergraduate degree in Arts (Geography and Politics) in UCD in 2017 before completing an MSc in Environmental Policy in UCD in 2018.

What made you decide to undertake a PhD?

I had a very positive experience throughout my undergradute and Master’s degrees as I was interested in the topics I studied. The undertaking of a PhD allowed me to spend four years gaining new skills and learning from experts in their respective fields. Over the last four years, I have received many opportunities to communicate orally and in writing as well as complete a range of fieldwork methods such as conducting interviews and organising group discussions. I don’t think I would have received these opportunities had I not decided to undertake a PhD.

How did you find out about Teagasc and the Walsh Scholarship programme?

As someone from a farming family, I have always been aware of the role of Teagasc in supporting farmers and undertaking research. My Masters advisor Dr Owen Douglas sent me the advertisement for the Walsh Scholarship PhD which I applied to. They told me about the benefits which a PhD would provide me in terms of enhancing my research skills. As the topic of the advertisement related to research which I was completing for my Masters thesis, I decided to apply and, fortunately I was successful in my application.  

What does your research focus on?

My research focuses on a topic called the bioeconomy. This aims to replace products which come from fossil fuels with more sustainable products which come from plants and agricultural waste. The aim of my research is to identify measures which can assist farmers (namely beef farmers) in becoming involved in the bioeconomy in order to benefit from new income streams. My research is a part of a wider concept called Just Transition, which aims to support farmers and workers move away from a dependence on pollutant practices for income in a manner that leaves no group behind.

What does your typical day look like?

I try to begin work at around 8:30 in the morning. The first thing I do is check my Teagasc email account to see if my supervisors have contacted me, I do this throughout the day. I will also usually schedule a zoom call with my supervisors every week or every second week to keep them updated about the work I am doing and get feedback from them. Throughout the PhD, the work that is done throughout the day changes. For the first and second year, a typical day will mean a lot of reading in terms of reviewing previous research that have been completed. This helps to inform what the aims of the PhD will be. For the rest of the PhD, it will mean analysing data and writing results. This might mean spending a full day writing up the transcript of an interview or reading through multiple interviews to see what common themes are present. As well as the undertaking of research, there are other additional responsibilities that PhDs have. This might include preparing a presentation or a conference paper as well as completing edits received from supervisors. As I am now near the end of my PhD, most of my time is spent working on edits to papers which will be sent to journals. I usually a take a break from work at 11 and 1pm to get some food as well as taking 10-minute breaks each hour to get some exercise throughout the day. I usually finish work at around 6pm.

What do you enjoy most about doing a Phd? And least?

The part that I have enjoyed the most about doing a PhD is the ability to talk about a research topic that I am very interested in. By being a part of Teagasc, I have had the ability to speak about my research in lectures. This has allowed me to increase people’s awareness of the bioeconomy and explain why this is a development which can benefits for not only the environment but also for farmers and the viability of agriculture.

The least enjoyable aspect of the PhD is the setbacks that happen along the way. This might be when a paper you send to a journal does not get accepted. Throughout the PhD process there will be many moments of disappointment and the phrase that it’s a marathon not a sprint definitely applies. For every disappointment there is a moment of joy however and being able to persevere is one of the most important requirements for completing a PhD.   

 

What are your future career goals?

When I complete my PhD, I hope to continue working in research which focuses on how environmental policy can be implemented in a way that benefits farmers and the viability of agriculture. Over recent months, there has been a focus within media coverage on the potential for division between environmental protection and the future of agriculture. Moving forward I want to support the identification of measures which makes sure that increasing the sustainability of agriculture does not negatively impacted farmers or lead to a resistance to climate policy.  This is central to achieving a Just Transition.

What advice would you have for anyone considering a PhD?

As I mentioned in my previous answer, completing a PhD means you will need to overcome challenges such as a rejection of a paper you have sent to a journal or when fieldwork/experiment does not go as you have planned. I think it is crucial that you are motivated and goal-driven and that you have a really keen interest in what you are focusing on. For me, I have been interested in my topic since I began my PhD and this has constantly kept me motivated as I want my research to have practical outcomes and to benefit the people my research has been focused on

Where are you based while doing your Walsh Scholarship? Who are your supervisors and host organisations?

I was based in UCD for the first year of my PhD. For the following three years, I was to be based at the Rural Economy Research Centre in Athenry. Due to COVID-19 however, I have spent most of this time working remotely from my home in Tipperary. My supervisors are Dr Áine Macken-Walsh, Senior Research Officer at Teagasc's Rural Economy and Development Programme (REDP) ands Dr Eoin O’Neill, Associate Professor in Environmental Policy in UCD. My research study is a part of BiOrbic, the National Bioeconomy Research Centre.

Is there anything else that you would like to add?

Moving forward, I think PhDs, like any group in society will be impacted by the rising costs. It is positive to see that new PhDs will be benefiting from recently announced increases in stipends. Its important to make sure that people who have started their PhDs over the last few years are also supported to ensure that financial constraints or related stress do not get in the way of their ability to undertake research and achieve their own personal goals.


 

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