Dara is an ecologist interested in insects and the ecosystem services they provide to agriculture, and how we can sustainably manage these systems.
She is co-ordinator of the PROTECTS project, and also leads Tasks 1, 5 & 6.
Twitter: @DaraStanley
Blánaid leads Task 2: Developing tools for pesticide detection and toxicity testing in soils and flowers. This Task will develop a suite of analytical tools to evaluate and characterize pesticide residue profiles and impacts in soil sites, examining both soils and components of associated floral resources.
Twitter: @BlanaidWhiteDCU
Jim is a molecular biologist/entomologist and leads Task 3: Assessing hazards of pesticide use in Ireland for pollinators. This task will investigate the effects of non-insecticide pesticides on overall bee health (involving molecular and immunological assessment), individual bee behaviour and colony productivity.
Twitter: @JimCarolanMU
FB: https://www.facebook.com/Crawliomics/
Jane is supervising PhD students in Tasks 2 and 3, and leads Task 4: Developing soil risk assessment scenarios and recommendations for a soil monitoring programme.
Twitter: @JaneCStout
Matt’s involvement in the Protects project will focus on the development of statistical models to correlate climate, land use and soil physio-chemical properties with pesticide exposure levels to develop soil risk assessment scenarios and recommendations for a national soil monitoring programme.
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Dr. Kitching is currently developing an electrochemical DNA based sensor to determine the overall genotoxicity of pesticide contaminated soil.
Mathavan is developing a suit of analytical tools to characterize soil bound pesticide residues and determine their impact on pollinator species as part of Task 2.
Supervisor: Blánaid White , co-supervisor: Jim Carolan
Twitter: @Mathavan_DCU
Elena is evaluating the potential for pesticide contamination of floral resources as a result of translocation from soil as part of Task 2.
Supervisor: Jane Stout, co-supervisor: Blánaid White
Twitter: @ZioElena
Linzi is researching the impact of fungicides and herbicides on bumblebee behavior and colony persistence as part of Task 3.
Supervisor: Dara Stanley, co-supervisor: Jane Stout
Twitter: @BombusThompson
Merissa is researching the effects of fungicides and herbicides on bee health as part of Task 3.
Supervisor: Jim Carolan, co-supervisor: Dara Stanley
Twitter: @Meriscu
Alina is a postdoctoral researcher involved in developing soil risk assessment scenarios and recommendations for a soil monitoring programme as part of Task 4.
Twitter: @APremrov
Ed is postdoctoral researcher studying what options are available to farmers to reduce the impacts of pesticides on pollinators. He is also looking to understand what attitudes and behaviours prevent the adoption of alternative crop protection measures to pesticides.
Twitter: @EdStrawBio
Aoife contributed toward investigating the effects of pesticide use on pollination and soil processes as part of Task 1.
The PROTECTS project is funded by the (opens in a new window)Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine‘s Competitive Research Funding Programme (Grant Award No. 17/S/232)
