Irish Geosciences Early Career Symposium 2018

On January 11th-12th, 2018 we will be holding the inaugural Irish Geosciences Early Career Symposium 2018 (iGEO2018).

This 2 day event at the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG) aims to provide early career geoscientists with an opportunity to collaborate and benefit from the multidisciplinary nature of research across Ireland. iGEO2018 will enable early-career geoscientists (ECGs) to exchange knowledge on common methodologies and about their research with fellow ECGs, industry members and policy makers.

What makes iGEO2018 different to other conferences?

iGEO2018 is the first of its kind – an Irish symposium organised by, and designed for, early-career geoscientists. The symposium is a direct result of feedback from ECGs which has led to an interactive and skill based meeting. Some of the major differences between iGEO2018 and other conferences include:

• ECGs will participate in discussions on important cross-disciplinary topics instead of giving traditional talks.
• Keynote speakers will all address “The Future of Geoscience” by presenting their perspectives followed by an open panel discussion. See keynote profiles below.
• There will be a full day of workshops dedicated to ECGs’ career and skills development.

Please click here for more details on the iGEO2018 programme.

Who qualifies as an Early Career Geoscientist?

Typically, an early career geoscientist would be a PhD, Post Doc, or anyone with <5 years experience (i.e. working in industry, government, etc.). We realise that there are many exceptions to this definition, so we are leaving it up to YOU to determine if you are an early-career geoscientist.

iGEO2018 is open to ALL early-career geoscientists including those working in industry and governmental bodies. Additionally, senior researchers, industry experts and policy makers will be invited to attend specific sessions and workshops.

Join us on January 11th and 12th for the inaugural iGEO2018 event where you will participate in cutting-edge scientific debate and network directly with other early-career geoscientists, industry members and government officials from across Ireland.

Looking forward to seeing you all in Galway!

The iGEO2018 Committee

Keynote Speakers

The Irish Geosciences Early Career Symposium 2018 is delighted to present our Keynote Speakers Minister of State Seán Kyne, Dr. Patrick Redmond, Dr. Joel Gill and Dr. Margaret Desmond.

Minister of State Seán Kyne

A native of Moycullen, Co. Galway, Minister of State Seán Kyne attended St. Mary’s College in Galway City before attaining a primary degree and Master’s degree in Agricultural Science at NUI, Galway and UCD respectively. For over a decade Minister of State Kyne worked as an agri-environmental consultant with particular responsibility for Rural Environmental Protection. As a TD he has served on the Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, as Vice Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs, and as Chairman of the Fine Gael Committee on Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. As a Minister, he served as Minister of State with responsibility for Gaeltacht Affairs and Natural Resources in the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs from May 2016 to June 2017. He is the current Minister of State with responsibility for Community Development, Natural Resources and Digital Development at the Department of Communications, Climate Action & Environment and Department of Rural and Community Development.

Dr Patrick Redmond

Dr Redmond is currently the Technical Director of Geoscience Services for Teck Resources Limited. A professional geoscientist with  over 25 years of experience in international mineral exploration and the mining industry, Dr Redmond is an expert in ore-forming magmatic-hydrothermal systems across  a range of deposit styles. Dr Redmond has a track record of value creation through exploration and discovery in multiple jurisdictions and commodities including gold, copper, zinc and metallurgical coal. Not only does Dr Redmond have experience in industry, but he is also an Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin. The iGEO2018 committee is proud to present Dr Redmond as a Keynote Speaker in January.

Dr Joel Gill

Dr Gill is currently the International Development Geoscientist for The British Geological Survey (BGS) where his role involves identifying stakeholder-expressed development priorities, helping to develop research to address these, and using Theory of Change approaches to ensure maximum development impact. An interdisciplinary geoscientist, Dr Gill integrates natural and social science approaches to address issues relating to sustainable development and disaster risk reduction (DRR). During his NERC/ESRC funded PhD, Dr Gill developed hazard interaction frameworks at global and regional scales to support multi-hazard approaches to DRR. Dr Gill has a keen interest in improving the application of geology to international development, founding the charity “Geology for Global Development” in 2011 after returning from working on a range of water projects in East Africa. Dr Gill is also a Fellow of the Geological Society and a member of their External Relations Committee, with a focus on international capacity building.

Dr Margaret Desmond

Dr Desmond is a Senior Research Fellow in the Environmental Research Institute (ERI) in University College Cork. She specialises in climate change impacts and adaptation research, policy analysis/advice and implementation. She is currently working on an EPA funded project to explore the transition to a climate resilient Ireland by 2050. She is the lead author of ‘A Summary of the State of Knowledge on Climate Change Impacts for Ireland’ (2017, 2009), National Preparedness to adapt to climate change: analysis of state of play (2018 in review), and Ireland’s National Adaptive Capacity Assessment (2011).  She is a committee member of the EC Climate Change Committee, Working Group on Adaptation, a participant in the National Adaptation Planning Steering Group, a member of the Royal Irish Academy Environmental Science and Climate Change Committee.  She is currently the co-lead on the new Social Sciences and Humanities Action Group under the EU Joint Programming Initiative (JPI) Climate.  She was honoured to be selected as a member of the Expert Advisory Group to the Citizens Assembly climate change module.

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