Dr Karen Daly has been appointed to head up Teagasc’s environment, soils and land use research department in Teagasc Johnstown Castle, Co Wexford.

Dr Daly has over 24 years of experience in leading research projects in the areas of soil, soil phosphorus, water quality and farm measures to improve water quality.

She graduated from Trinity College Dublin with a degree in chemistry before completing a masters in synthetic organic chemistry and a PhD in environmental science from Trinity College Dublin, as well as recently having been awarded a graduate certificate in strategic leadership from DCU.

Her career in research allowed her to publish 95 peer-reviewed scientific publications and mentor 17 students to PhDs.

Teagasc’s new head of the environment, soils and land use research Dr Karen Daly.

“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,” the new head of environmental research commented.

The new appointee was congratulated by Teagasc’s head of crops, environment and land use John Spink.

“The environment, soils and land use research programme has grown significantly in recent years with additional work related to greenhouse gasses, water quality and biodiversity,” Spink said.

“Karen’s expertise and experience will be invaluable in managing the large team now based in Johnstown Castle.”