An expert in coastal research has been appointed Trinity College Dublin’s (TCD) first chair of climate science.
Environmental scientist Prof Karen Wiltshire is a Trinity alumna who returns to the university from the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven, Germany.
She was previously vice-director in combination with a professorship in shelf sea ecology at the University of Kiel.
Her new position has been funded by Cement Roadstone Holdings (CRH) as part of its “continued investment in research and innovation to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable environment”, TCD says.
However, it says CRH will have no influence on the research.
Prof Wiltshire, who assumed her role in July 2024, brings “a wealth of international and multi-disciplinary research experience”, TCD says.
Her research interests on "whole-system climate resilience" focus on “innovative ways to combine the needs of society, renewable energy and nature towards a sustainable climate and human future”, TCD says.
“This includes research into long-term climate-related shifts in vulnerable ecosystems and food webs,”it says.
Prof Wiltshire “emphasises the need for inter-stakeholder dialogue, holistic systems-oriented education and trans-disciplinary research”, the university adds.
Her return to TCD also promises to “forge strong links” with the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, “offering Trinity researchers access to a suite of unique expertise as well as large-scale research resources and experimental facilities”, it says.
Her post as CRH chair of climate science is a joint appointment by TCD’s school of engineering and the school of natural sciences.
TCD says this highlights the university’s commitment to “integrating engineering and natural sciences in tackling climate challenges”.
TCD provost Dr Linda Doyle welcomed the appointment and said it “has never been more urgent for universities to pursue ground-breaking climate research”.
