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CUBS Showcases Cutting-Edge PhD Research at Annual Postgraduate Symposium

2 Jun 2026

CUBS hosted the annual CUBS Postgraduate Research Symposium last week, with PhD students presenting their research to fellow researchers and students in a collegial and supportive environment.

Dr Jane Bourke, Director of PGR, said: "As Director of PGR at CUBS, one of the most rewarding aspects of the PGR Symposium is seeing the breadth and quality of research being undertaken across our postgraduate community. The professionalism, enthusiasm, and curiosity shown by our students is always inspiring — and every year I come away having learned something new."

The symposium sessions spanned a variety of topics including:

• Sustainability, Climate & Agricultural Systems
• Innovation, Technology & Decision Making
• Public Policy, Regional Development & Economic Systems
• Health, Human Capital & Social Outcomes
• Food Systems, Innovation & Consumer Behaviour

Two Dean’s Prizes for Best Paper were awarded to two deserving recipients: 

• Tianning Zhao Growth Within Limits: A Dual-Constraint Framework for Ireland's Net-Zero Transition
  • Supervisors: Valeria Andreoni, Hannah Daly, John Eakins
• Amanda Sithole Uncovering Mechanisms Shaping Plant Protein Innovation in Publicly Funded Projects in Ireland
  • Supervisors: Dr Seamus O’Reilly (UCC) and Prof Maeve Henchion (Teagasc)

Amanda Sithole

Tianning Zhao

We were delighted to welcome Prof. Lisa O'Malley, ¸£Àû1000ÔÚÏß of Limerick, to give the keynote address: The Doctoral Journey as a Rite of Passage: Surviving the In-Between!