Meet the scholars

The Teagasc Walsh Scholarships Programme offers fantastic opportunities for postgraduate students wishing to pursue a PhD. For a better insight into what it is like to do a PhD, we spoke to several Walsh Scholars to hear their experiences and what they have learned.
Ali Sultan Khan
Ali is from Islamabad, Pakistan, where he completed a Bachelor of Science with agronomy majors at Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University. He then moved to South Korea to complete his master’s degree in Agricultural Science at Kyungpook National University. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Ali started a PhD at Teagasc Johnstown Castle Environment Research Centre.
What made you decide to undertake a PhD?
Having seen the devastating impact of climate change on my home country, I became very interested in communicating about the subject with a wider audience. I was attracted to Teagasc’s tremendous previous and current research initiatives regarding strategies for climate change mitigation, which is why I chose to pursue my PhD here.
What does your research focus on?
The sustainability of biogas and biomethane production in Ireland through anaerobic digestion of slurry and various grass feed stocks.
What do you enjoy most about doing a PhD?
I like facing challenges and bringing out-of-the-box solutions to the table.
And least?
Unexpected delays in my work caused by factors that are out of my control.
What are your future career goals?
I am quite hopeful that I will have a better understanding of climate change and possible mitigation strategies after completing my PhD. I aim to be part of the research community working towards climate change mitigation.
What advice do you have for anyone considering a PhD?
Develop your time management skills and pick up as many research skills as you can. Take advantage of any training courses available to you in order to help with this.
Elena Hayes
Elena did her undergraduate degree in Secondary Science School Teaching at the University of Limerick. A keen horse-rider, her third year was spent on a summer research scholarship in equine science, and this led to a final year project on the analysis of mares’ milk protein using Near Infrared Spectroscopy. She is currently in the second year of her PhD, working in association with the VistaMilk SFI Research Centre.
What made you decide to undertake a PhD?
I did not want to continue a career in teaching, and I enjoyed the research part of my degree. I had heard about the Walsh Scholarships Programme and found one that interested me.
What does your research focus on?
I am using two techniques – spectroscopy and chemometrics – to predict milk-processing traits, such as heat stability and rennet coagulation (the addition of enzymes to milk in order to make it clot) time.
What do you enjoy most about doing a PhD?
The research is interesting and I enjoy going to conferences and meeting new people.
And least?
The hardest part is being very independent. It can feel lonely sometimes when you are working on your own a lot.
What are your future career goals?
My goal is to end up in a managerial role, possibly in the area of science communication.
What advice do you have for anyone considering a PhD?
Do not be afraid to ask for help – it makes everything much easier. Make sure that you also make time for other activities outside of work. I enjoy horse riding and recently joined the local Fermoy Camogie team. It is very easy to get bogged down in the work, so it’s important to have a balance.
Kieran Harrahill
Kieran began his PhD after graduating from University College Dublin with a master’s degree in Environmental Policy, following an undergraduate degree in Geography and Politics at the same university. Coming from a farming background, Kieran has always been aware of the role of Teagasc in supporting farmers and undertaking research.
What made you decide to undertake a PhD?
I had a very positive experience throughout my academic career studying topics that greatly interest me, so I wanted to further my studies.
What does your research focus on?
My research focuses on the bioeconomy (with BiOrbic SFI Research Centre), aiming to replace products that come from fossil fuels with more sustainable products, for example those that come from plants and agricultural waste. The aim of my research is to identify measures that can assist farmers (namely beef farmers) in becoming involved in the bioeconomy in order to benefit from new income streams.
What do you enjoy most about doing a PhD?
The ability to talk about a research topic that I am very interested in is great. By being a part of Teagasc, I have had the ability to speak about my research in lectures, and this has allowed me to increase people’s awareness of the bioeconomy and explain why this is a development that can have benefits not only for the environment, but also for farmers and the viability of agriculture.
And least?
Throughout the PhD process there will be many moments of disappointment – the phrase ‘It’s a marathon not a sprint’ definitely applies.
What are your future career goals?
Moving forward, I want to support the identification of measures that make sure that increasing the sustainability of agriculture does not negatively affect farmers or lead to a resistance to
climate policy.
What advice do you have for anyone considering a PhD?
I think it is crucial that you are motivated, goal-driven and have a really keen interest in what you are focusing on.
Rumia Basu
Rumia studied Chemistry at the University of Delhi, India, before completing a master’s degree in Geoinformatics at TERI University, New Delhi, India. After this, she joined the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) as a researcher. She joined the Walsh Scholarship Programme in 2020.
What made you decide to undertake a PhD?
Through my work at IWMI, I realised that it was important for me to choose a career path that gave me a certain amount of freedom in the way that I want to work. Academia and research are sectors that can provide me with this freedom.
What does your research focus on?
I study soil moisture in Ireland using remote sensing and machine learning techniques.
What do you enjoy most about doing a PhD?
I have the freedom to conduct new experiments to make my research sounder, and I have had fun doing education and public engagement activities through the VistaMilk SFI Research Centre. Doing a PhD also teaches me important lessons in life such as patience and perseverance.
And least?
I get upset and sometimes scared when I do not achieve the expected results (which means repeating the entire experiment). Since there are no known answers, I have had to learn how to deal with such ‘failures’. This is something that I had difficulty in accepting. However, I have learned how to handle these moments better – I think!
What are your future career goals?
I envision taking up an academic position in a university so that I get to teach as well as continue doing my research.
What advice do you have for anyone considering a PhD?
A PhD is a very fulfilling journey; however, it can be very difficult at times. I believe that patience and perseverance are key to doing a PhD. It is also a long journey. So, think twice and do a PhD only if you think you would be able to enjoy researching the same topic for a number of years.
Walsh Scholarships Programme
The Teagasc Walsh Scholarships Programme offers fantastic opportunities for postgraduate students wishing to pursue a PhD or an MSc on a topic in agriculture, food, environmental science, agri-food economics, rural development, horticulture and other related disciplines.
Jane Kavanagh, Head of Research Development and Walsh Scholarships, says: “The programme is designed to support the training and professional development of scholars, in association with Irish and international universities and higher education institutes.”
Walsh Scholars are predominantly based at a Teagasc research centre, where they are immersed in an active research community for the duration of their studies. They also have access to all the necessary facilities they need to support their research.
“We provide them with a valuable opportunity to develop their research and transferable skills, including their communication through the presentation of their research to various stakeholders,” adds Jane.
Every year, Teagasc offers up to 50 new scholarships and each Walsh Scholar receives a stipend of €24,000 per year, of which €6,000 is for their HEI fees.
Find out more about the Walsh Scholarships Programme
Acknowledgements
We acknowledge the input of the Walsh Scholars’ academic supervisors:
Ali Sultan Khan: Dominika Krol and John Finn (Teagasc); Alexandre De Menezes (NUI Galway).
Elena Hayes: Mark Fenelon (Teagasc); Colm O’Donnell and Derek Greene (UCD).
Kieran Harrahill: Áine Macken-Walsh (Teagasc); Eoin O’Neill (UCD).
Rumia Basu: Patrick Tuohy (Teagasc); Eve Daly (NUI Galway).
Contributor
Catriona Boyle, TResearch Editor, Teagasc Head Office, Oak Park Carlow.
catriona.boyle@teagasc.ie
This article was first published in TResearch Autumn 2022