Dr Karen Daly has been appointed as Head of the Environment, Soils and Land Use (ESLU) Research Department in Teagasc, based in Johnstown Castle, county Wexford.

Dr Daly graduated from Trinity College Dublin with a B.A. in Chemistry. She went on to complete a Masters in Synthetic Organic Chemistry. She also obtained a Ph.D. in Environmental Science from Trinity College Dublin, and has recently obtained a Graduate Certificate in Strategic Leadership from DCU.

Dr Daly has over 24 years’ experience leading research projects and teams focussing on topics such as soil health, soil phosphorus and water quality, catchment and farm-scale water quality risk assessment, farm-scale mitigation measures for water quality protection. More recently she has been advancing the research and innovation in spectroscopy and proximal sensing for environmental samples. She is recognised internationally for her expertise and has 95 peer reviewed scientific publications, and has mentored 17 students to the award stage of Ph.D. Her work on soil, phosphorus and water quality has been translated into nutrient management advice that informs policy as well as on-farm advice, and is trusted for providing sound scientific advice for policy and practice.

Congratulating Karen, John Spink, Head of the Teagasc Crops, Environment and Land Use Programme said; “I’m delighted to have Karen as part of the management team and look forward to working with her. The Environment, Soils and Land Use (ESLU) Research programme has grown significantly in recent years with additional work related to Greenhouse gasses, water quality and biodiversity. Karen’s expertise and experience will be invaluable in managing the large team now based in Johnstown Castle.”

Karen Daly said; “It’s a privilege to work with the high performance team here in Johnstown Castle, and I look forward to leading the department in developing innovative solutions to support the agri-food sector.”