Walsh Scholars of the Year & Gold Medal Awards

Gold Medal Award Winner

Luca Van Vijk - Investigations into the health and welfare aspects of intra-community trade of Irish dairy calves

Almost 200 thousand young calves are exported from Ireland each year. My research focused on the health and welfare of young calves transported from Ireland to The Netherlands. I found that this long journey negatively impacts these calves, and that fasting is more harmful than the journey length itself. The good news? Feeding milk replacer during the ferry journey helps protect their health and improves their welfare during transport.

Department: Animal and Bioscience
Teagasc Supervisor: Muireann Conneely

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Finalists from the Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation Programme (AGRIP) 

Sofia Tisocco - Assessment and optimization of co-digestion of grass silage and animal slurry

Pasture-based livestock systems provide valuable feedstocks for anaerobic digestion (AD), but knowledge gaps hinder wider adoption. My research assessed how to sustainably and economically integrate AD into farming, using mechanistic and machine learning models to predict biogas yields from cattle slurry and grass silage. Findings support informed decisions, boost the economic case for biomethane, and advance sustainable AD use in Irish agriculture.

Department: Livestock Systems
Teagasc Supervisor: Paul Crosson

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Charles Dwan - Determining strategies to reduce methane emissions in dairy cows

Irish agriculture must cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 25% by 2030, with 65% coming from livestock methane. My research explores what drives enteric methane emissions in Ireland’s grass-based dairy systems, focusing on pasture types and animal traits. The goal is to deepen understanding of methane production and uncover effective strategies to reduce emissions sustainably.

Department: Livestock Systems
Teagasc Supervisor: Laurence Shalloo

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Crops, Environment, & Land Use Programme Award Winner

Rajas Shinde - Enhancing the alternative use and circularity potential of crops (EXPECT

Ireland’s abundant grass supply presents a chance to boost farm incomes and cut emissions. My project developed a grass-based anaerobic digestion biorefinery to produce bioenergy and valuable bioproducts. Lab trials and modelling assessed its economic potential and policy needs. Working with farmers and bioeconomy experts, we’re co-designing a framework to advance climate-friendly, economically strong biorefineries in Irish agriculture.

Department: Crop Science
Teagasc Supervisor: Susanne Barth

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Finalists from the Crops, Environment and Land Use Programme (CELUP)

Fatima Latif Azam - Common scab disease resistance in Potato, towards resistant varieties

Most potato varieties are vulnerable to common scab, a skin blemish that reduces crop quality. Breeding resistant varieties has been difficult. My project combined phenotypic, marker-based, and genomic selection methods to identify resistant types. Genome-wide studies revealed that resistance is controlled by many small-effect genes, underscoring the need for genomic selection, as traditional marker-assisted methods alone may be insufficient.

Department: Crop Science 
Teagasc Supervisor: Denis Griffin

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Virgile Ballandras - RapID-Pest

The European Green Deal aims to halve pesticide use by 2030. Achieving this requires effective Integrated Pest Management (IPM), which depends on fast, accurate pest monitoring. Currently, this relies on taxonomic expertise, the skill of identifying species by their physical traits, which is becoming rare. My project uses genomic sequencing to develop DNA-based tools, making pest monitoring faster, more accurate, and scalable.

Department: Crop Science 
Teagasc Supervisor: Stephen Byrne

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Food Programme Award Winner

Mariana Macas - Application of novel technologies to elucidate new structural and shelf-life information in high protein bakery products (HighPBreads)

Irish-grown peas are underused in food, despite their nutritional and environmental advantages. My project explored their use in innovative bakery products. I optimized the pea milling process and used advanced techniques to assess bread quality and digestibility. The results showed improved nutrition, taste, and functionality in bread containing pea flour. This research supports healthier diets and climate-smart food innovation using sustainable, local ingredients.

Department: Food Quality and Sensory Science 
Teagasc Supervisor: Eimear Gallagher

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Finalists from the Food Programme

Francesca Bietto - InfBar –Infant Intestinal Barrier

The infant gut is highly permeable, playing a key role in nutrient uptake and immune development. Over time, this barrier must close to prevent infection and inflammation- a process driven by breast milk. Current formulas fall short, putting infants at risk. I developed the first in vitro infant gut model, showing how formulas influence gut development and paving the way for next-generation infant nutrition.

Department: Food Bioscience 
Teagasc Supervisor: Linda Giblin

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Animseh Singh Sengar - Driving Dietary Shifts to Plant Proteins from Irish Crops through the Development of Novel Extruded Meat Product Alternatives

My project investigates how Irish-grown pulses can replicate meat’s nutrition and texture using extrusion technology – a process that cooks and shapes proteins under heat and pressure. I analysed eight faba bean and four pea varieties grown in Ireland’s temperate maritime climate to optimize protein concentrate and isolate production. These plant proteins support sustainable, local meat alternatives and help reduce reliance on imported ingredients.

Department: Food Quality & Sensory Science 
Teagasc Supervisor: Carlos Alvarez Garcia

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Rural Economy and Development Programme – Award Winner

Holly Mullan - ‘Older’ potential farm successors in Ireland: An exploratory study

This research tackles low generational renewal on cattle and sheep farms across Ireland by focusing on farmers aged 35 and over, an often-overlooked group. Using in-depth interviews and the Person-Environment Fit framework, which explores how personal goals align with work and life settings, it shows off-farm lives and commitments strongly influence succession. The findings offer insights missed by traditional surveys, revealing deeper dynamics in farm succession.

Department: Agricultural Economics and Farm Surveys 
Teagasc Supervisor: Emma Dillon

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Finalists from the Rural Economy and Development Programme

Carlos Cruz - Modelling farm level gaseous emissions at higher resolution

My research aims to reduce nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions from Irish agriculture while supporting economic sustainability. It refines emission estimates, evaluates cost-effective solutions, and analyses their impact using Teagasc National Farm Survey (NFS) data. Findings show Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) methods overestimate farm-level emissions. A regional Marginal Abatement Cost Curve (MACC) – which ranks actions by cost and effectiveness – helps guide practical, region-specific climate policies.

Department: Agricultural Economics and Farm Surveys 
Teagasc Supervisor: Cathal Buckley

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Felipe Aguiar Noury - Exploring farmers’ adoption of greenhouse gas mitigation measures that reduce chemical fertiliser application

Chemical fertilisers are a major concern, they emit ammonia and nitrous oxide, degrade soil, and pollute water. My research focuses on transitioning to sustainable alternatives like grass-clover and multi-species swards. By surveying over 700 Irish farmers, I identified key factors driving adoption and outlined practical pathways and policy recommendations to support a shift toward more sustainable fertilisation practices in agriculture.

Department: Agricultural Economics and Farm Surveys
Teagasc Supervisor: Cathal Buckley

 

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About the Competition

Teagasc, in partnership with national and international universities, have a long and prestigious history of successful doctoral and master’s training and an ever-expanding network of Walsh Scholar alumni.

Since the early days of the Walsh Scholar Programme, there has been an annual seminar where final year PhD students present their project and a chosen Scholar is awarded a gold medal. Past gold medal winners have gone on to hold leading positions in research, academia and industry, nationally and internationally, and for which they credit the Programme as the launching pad for their careers. 
 
In 2020 the Walsh Scholars Programme changed how it recognises high performing Scholars in their final year. The competition evaluates Scholars on five key competencies, in a three step process, ending with a showcase.

The Competencies

1. Discipline-specific scientific and technical expertise
2. Industry-relevant transferable skills
3. Behavioural competencies
4. Interdisciplinary and intersectoral knowledge
5. Career development planning

The Steps

1. Written applications – Final year, or Scholars nearing final year, invited to submit a written application.
2. Review of applications  – Applications reviewed by Research Programme. Review panels, formed and chaired by Heads of Programmes, select a shortlist of finalists.
3. Finalists interviewed – Shortlisted applicants interviewed by external figures from academia and industry. Winners of the various awards, including the PhD Gold Medal, selected by the interview panel.

The Showcase

High performing Scholars will be invited to present their project as part of the Walsh Scholars of the Year and Gold Medal Awards 

The overall winner of the Walsh Scholars of the Year competition will receive the Walsh Scholars Gold medal and €1,000 (including the €500 programme prize).

The Scholars placed first in each of the programmes (AGRIP, CELUP, Food and REDP) will receive a commemorative plaque and €500.

The Scholars placed second in each of the programmes (AGRIP, CELUP, Food and REDP) will receive €300.

The Scholars placed third in each of the programmes (AGRIP, CELUP, Food and REDP) will receive €100.

For more information, email walshscholarships@teagasc.ie