Daniel Gyamfi Opoku
Project Title: Nutrient losses from land drainage systems and poorly drained soils, and options for mitigation.
Overview: Daniel is an environmental professional with expertise in soil and water pollution monitoring and control.
He also has experience in broader environmental fields, including natural resources (forest) management, environmental impact assessment, and sustainable land-use planning and management. His skill set spans hydrology and water resources management, assessment and modelling of contaminant fate and risks, GIS applications, stakeholder engagement and nature-based mitigation.
Prior to undertaking a PhD in Civil Engineering at the University of Galway in collaboration with Teagasc, Daniel earned a Master of Environmental Management from Massey University (New Zealand), a Postgraduate Diploma and Project Management Certificate in Environmental Management from TU Dresden (Germany), and a BSc in Natural Resources Management from KNUST (Ghana). He has worked across Ireland, Ghana, Germany, and New Zealand on various projects addressing water quality, forest and land degradation, and sub-catchment management.
His current research focuses on understanding and reducing nutrient loss connectivity risks in Irish agricultural drainage systems and providing mitigation options. By combining water quality monitoring with spatial risk assessment models, Daniel aims to identify critical source areas of phosphorus and nitrogen loss and assess targeted mitigation strategies. This work supports national water policy goals and contributes to improving surface water quality in dairy-dominated landscapes under the EU Water Framework Directive.
Programme Area: Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation Centre
Teagasc Supervisors: Dr Pat Tuohy and Prof Owen Fenton
Academic Supervisor: Prof Mark Gerald Healy
Location: Teagasc AGRIC – Moorepark
Funding Source: Teagasc