During the last 12 months, there has been an increase in the number of women in ICARUS to 19, which includes new recruits but also those returning after a career break. It was difficult to get a photo of everyone on site together in part due to everyone’s busy schedule, with teaching and meetings, but also related to achieving a work-life balance, and working from home on some days. This article provides updates and highlights over the last 12 months from the women in the ICARUS team. It's a fabulous read!
From left: Dr. Shirley Howe, Dr Michelle Curran, Rafaela Scheiffer, Dr. Samantha Hallam, Corinne Voces, Ashly Uthaman, Dr. Carla Mateus , YongYao Liang, Dr. Sandra Deodoro, Dr. Kirsty Morris, Dr. Catherine O’Beirne, Dr. Ro Charlton, Dr. Lisa Orme, Dr. Helen Shaw
Dr. Samantha Hallam Senior Postdoctoral Researcher
During the last 12 months I have had the wonderful opportunity of leading the development and implementation of the TOPIM model across the Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS). TOPIM stands for tropical cyclone ocean-coupled potential intensity model. TOPIM can be used for near real time hurricane predictions and future scenario analysis. During 2024, the model was developed for the Caribbean and rolled out to the Caribbean meteorological offices in July, in advance of the hurricane season, and to Caribbean disaster recovery stakeholders in December 2024. The project was challenging but also rewarding to provide a freely available webapp to assist hurricane prediction. http://topim.org. We have also just found out the TOPIM project has been shortlisted in the ’Best Research Category’ in the Education Awards 2025 which is delightful news. On this International Women’s Day, I feel blessed to have met and connected with many women across the Caribbean working in climate science and disaster recovery management in the last 12 months.
Dr. Kirsty Morris Postdoctoral Researcher
On this International Women's Day, I am proud to reflect on my journey as a marine scientist over the past 12 months while working part-time at the CARUS Oceans group at Maynooth University, Ireland. The highlight of my scientific research this year has been working towards a first author manuscript entitled "Role of Sea Surface Temperature on the Shell and Tissue Growth of Suspended Blue Mussels (Mytilus sp.) in Irish Waters from 1992-2022," which is currently under review at Marine Ecology Progress Series. This manuscript investigates changes in the health of Mytilus sp. in Irish waters using biometric data from legislative pollutant monitoring programs (1992–2022) and satellite-derived sea surface temperature (SST) data. During a cooling period (2006-2011), cold days (SST < 10°C) increased from 75 days in 2002 to 110 days in 2012, coinciding with tissue moisture content rising from 76% to 81%. Time series analysis revealed a 12% drop in mussel condition and a 25% decrease in tissue weight, aligning with increased SST variability driven by warmer summers. Shell weight rose by 33%, which in conjunction with reduced tissue led to the shell-to-tissue ratio increasing from 1.3 to 2.3, indicating poorer health. Southern Irish waters had healthier mussels than northern and western regions, with transitional waters outperforming coastal areas. These findings emphasize the need for further research on climate change impacts, SST fluctuations, and water chemistry on mussel health.
I have also had the privilege of sharing my findings wit h the broader community and industry leaders when I was invited to present my results at the biannual Rope and Bottom Mussel Industry Workshop in Bantry, Cork, organized by BIM and IFA Aquaculture. This opportunity allowed me to engage with industry professionals, share insights, discuss the implications of my research, and create valuable contacts within the industry.
As a mother with young daughters, balancing my scientific career with family responsibilities has been both challenging and rewarding. It is also vitally important to show my daughters that women are as capable as men and that they should always strive to be what they want in life. I have learned to manage my time effectively, ensuring that I can contribute to my field while being present for my young family. This balance is crucial, and I hope to inspire other women in science to pursue their passions without compromising their family lives.
The coming year presents both challenges and opportunities. I am hoping to present my work at the European Marine Biology Symposium in Norway in July. This will be a great opportunity to engage with the wider biological field. However, with my funding coming to an end in August of this year, I face the challenge of finding a new funding source to allow the continuation of this work.
On this Women's Day, it is vital to celebrate the achievements of women in science and the progress we have made towards gender equality. However, it is still not easy, and we need to keep striving to achieve our goals and take advantage of opportunities that present themselves. We need to be role models for the next generation to show that women are more than capable of achieving their goals.
Happy International Women’s Day 2025.
Dr Carla Mateus, Assistant Professor.
I joined Maynooth University as an Assistant Professor in May 2023. My research interests mainly focus on climate science, namely climate change, assessment and impacts of past extreme weather events, historical climatology and environmental history. I am also interested in climate action, climate adaptation and climate mitigation research topics. I am passionate about teaching, outreach, public engagement and science communication. I have written for RTÉ Brainstorming and disseminated my research to the public at science communication events, such as Pint of Science Ireland and Soapbox Science Dublin in 2024. I have been awarded a Public Engagement Grant from the European Geosciences Union to carry out the project ‘Prison talks: bringing climate change conversations into the Irish prisons’. I have also been awarded a Teaching and Learning Fellowship from the Centre for Teaching and Learning at Maynooth University.
I have attended and presented at a few conferences and organised a session on Historical Climatology at the 35th International Geographical Congress in Dublin in 2024.
I am the International Coordinator in the Geography Department. As part of this role, I support incoming and outgoing students in choosing and approving their modules, disseminating opportunities and working on Erasmus and Study Abroad agreements with various universities.
I am looking forward to working with Master’s Research students, PhD Researchers and Postdoctoral Researchers on climate science research topics. Please feel free to contact me if you want to discuss funding applications and are looking for a cool and supportive supervisor to work with. I am also open to research collaborations.
Ashly Uthaman, Doctoral student- Sailing Through Science: My Journey from India to Ireland
As I near the completion of my PhD in 2025, I look back at my journey as a wave modeller. My research focuses on studying waves along the Irish coast and how they change with the climate driven factors like wind, sea level and sea ice. It has been an exciting and challenging experience, filled with learning and new opportunities.
I started my PhD in 2021 at ICARUS, coming from India with a passion for oceanography. Over the years, I built a wave model framework using SWAN and WAM, using surrogate wind data to understand present, and future wave conditions.
One of the most special moments of my journey was joining a research cruise in April 2024. Going on a cruise had been my dream for six years, and experiencing the ocean firsthand was an unforgettable moment. It gave me the opportunity to see the marine environment up close and deepen my connection with the data I had been working with.
This year has been incredible. I presented my research at EGU 2024 in Vienna and IGC 2024 in Dublin, sharing my work with researchers from around the world. I also had the opportunity to travel to Italy for attending a course on nearshore wave dynamics. These experiences helped me grow and connect with others working in my field.
Being a wave modeller is an adventure. Every simulation and every data analysis teaches me something new. My work helps us understand how waves behave and how changing climate conditions affects the Irish coast.
On this International Women’s Day, I celebrate my journey and the many women in science who continue to explore, discover, and inspire. The ocean is vast and full of surprises, just like research, and I am grateful to be a part of it.
But beyond research, another journey has shaped my PhD experience-being in a long-distance relationship while building a life in a new country. It hasn’t been easy, but I got through it with the constant love and support of my dear husband. Since 2021, this day has been even more special to me because it’s also his birthday. Today, I celebrate not just my journey but also him-Happy Birthday, dear!
Rafaela Scheiffer, Doctoral Student.
I am a researcher originally from Brazil, though in the last decade I have been living in Germany, the UK, Portugal – while visiting dozens of other countries - and just moved to Ireland a month ago. A traveller by nature, my passion is experiencing new cultures, ecosystems, flavours and worldviews, while respecting land and bearing in mind human (in)significance in the greater scheme of things – life is hopefully a long pilgrimage, and I have so much to learn. My background is in Biology, Holistic Science and Urban Water Cycle, while my practice takes me to the borders of sustainability where innovation brews and transdisciplinarity is key to navigate complexity. It is a great pleasure to change a bit the course of my life and start a PhD project with Professor Jennie Stephens, a climate justice scholar-activist based in ICARUS who has also been looking at Higher Education in a reflexive, yet critical and scientific rigorous way. We will be doing action-research with different groups of scholars connected to universities in Ireland, Spain and Portugal to understand which are the educational models, insights, skills, learnings that should be put into practice at European Universities for them to drive climate justice, train the leaders we so desperately need, and become positive pioneering forces for transformation within our society.
Dr Lisa Orme, Physical Geography lecturer. I have been a geography lecturer at Maynooth since 2018 and have spent the last year on maternity leave. My projects on past storminess in Ireland and past carbon accumulation by blanket bogs have been continuing in my absence. My research highlight this year has been getting back to work in February; I have enjoyed interesting discussions with my research group about their results, as well as fieldwork on Achill Island where we collected a peat bog core that was almost 7m long.
Dr Catherine O’Beirne, Postdoctoral Researcher. In the last 12 months I completed my PhD in Oceanography at Irish Climate Analysis Research Units at Maynooth University. My work focused on understanding Atlantic variability and its connection to the Irish shelf advancing knowledge of Irish change in an Atlantic context; and development of predictive capacity on decadal timescales. Through this I was able to present my research at EGU 2021-2023 and highlight how models can be beneficial in fish stock management. From this a paper is under preparation, with one under revision.
In February 2025 I joined Irish Climate Analysis Research Units at Maynooth University working on the ObsSea4Clim project. Working on the regionalisation of ocean climate indicators (sea surface temperature, sea level, sea ice, ocean heat content), with particular focus on understanding the relevance of these climate indicators for Ireland. On this International Women’s Day, I am lucky to have met and worked with some of the most skilled, talented scientist throughout my years at Maynooth.
Jennie C Stephens, Professor of Climate Justice
I am thrilled to have joined ICARUS and the Maynooth University community in June 2024. During these first few months I have been getting to know our ICARUS, geography and other colleagues across the campus, engaging in a university-wide participatory co-creation visioning process for a new Futures Institute on Climate and Sustainability, and adjusting to a new life back in Ireland (my family left Ireland in 1983 when I was a 8 years old so it is a great time to return). Highlights for me this year include the publication of my new book which is now available open accesss to all around the world – Climate Justice and the University: Shaping a Hopeful Future for All (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2024), publishing several high impact papers on climate obstruction and the fossil fuel industry, as well as building my new climate justice research team here in ICARUS. Thanks to everyone for being so welcoming! Other fun fact – I was born on the first International Women’s day declared by the UN on March 8th 1975.
Yongyao Liang, Doctoral Student.
“If you are struggling with which path you are going to take, always go with the hardest one.” This belief has driven me to the PhD journey in ICARUS. Coming from a Finance and Business Analysis background, I was drawn to climate science—a field demanding an entirely new way of thinking. Such a transition was not easy, but I am proud of the progress I made. Now, my research centres around the influence of internal and natural variability on Irish and British climates using different climate model projections. While 21st-century climate projections have advanced in quantifying the internal-generated force within the climate system, many of these works remain within the climate science community. I am pleased to be a part of the works that connect science with a broader audience.
Dr Sandra Cristina Deodoro, Postdoctoral Researcher
As a passionate about nature, and Geography that has provided me with skills to better understand the intrinsic relationship between humans and Gaia, I have navigated through topics such as soils-geomorphology, water resources management, Earth observation techniques (satellites), and environmental education. I joined Maynooth University for my PhD in 2021. During the last 12 months, I have been working on finalising my doctorate, and I am delighted to have recently completed it last January 2025. Currently, I am working on a project as a postdoctoral researcher, which aims to support decision-making for the sustainable management of public spaces, along with local authorities in Kildare County, within its Climate Action Plan. I am assessing the biodiversity and ecosystem services provided by vegetation and soil, utilising in-situ data and satellite/GIS techniques.
On this International Women's Day, let’s celebrate women's achievements and goals that animate in the quest for meaningful changes and transformative actions for nature preservation, society, science, and gender equality.
Dr. Michelle McCrystall, Assistant Professor/Lecturer
I very recently started as an Assistant Professor/Lecturer at the University of Maynooth, taking up this position in January 2025. My research interests are primarily on the polar climates and large scale climate dynamics, with much of my work directed towards better understanding Arctic extreme weather events, the driving mechanisms of Arctic and Antarctic climates and determining how they are projected to change in the future. My work also explores the impact of tropical cyclones and extreme weather on health infrastructure and facilities on South Pacific Island nations. On this international Women’s Day, I am thankful and actively celebrate the many women I have worked with in my previous positions which have spanned the UK, Canada and New Zealand and the many others I have collaborated and continue to work with from around the world. As a new member of Maynooth and ICARUS am excited to forge similar relationships throughout the University.
Dr Shirley Howe, Assistant Lecturer
My interdisciplinary PhD research examines socio-ecological dynamics to enhance understanding of localised drivers of climate change resilience and vulnerability in Inishbofin Island, County Galway, while identifying the critical role of power relations and political narratives in shaping these across time. It was successfully defended in September with two manuscripts in preparation. Plans for future research are in motion while I enjoy my ongoing role as an Assistant Lecturer with the Department of Geography. Designing and teaching three modules each semester has been a consuming but incredibly rewarding experience. It is also humbling. Through engaging with students, lecturing has served to enhance my understanding of the fundamental importance of geographical thinking, natureculture, and climate/environmental change in education. My belief that these should be embedded across university structures and systems including the curriculum has become strengthened. I also continued to contribute to the Geography Department’s EDI committee and was elected to the committee of the Postgraduate and Early Career Network (PECN) of Geographers in Ireland. With colleagues in ICARUS and the Geography Department, and the Department of Design Innovation, I further developed ‘The Circus of Climate Horrors’, an interactive climate change communication experience that I co-founded. Our team has bonded through science and music as we presented at a diversity of events this year including Glastonbury Festival, and the International Geographical Congress 2024 in Dublin where I also presented a paper and chaired sessions. In reflecting on the past year for International Women’s Day 2025, I am moved to have received support and friendship from colleagues, to have expanded my network of women scientists, and to be surrounded at work by so many brilliant, resourceful and driven women. It is heartening to see some growth in the number of women scientists in ICARUS. Simultaneously, that women and many people remain systemically disadvantaged, including early career and postgraduate researchers who often experience great precarity and inequities within the academy, means that there is much work yet required towards a just, healthy future.
Dr Helen Shaw, Lecturer in Palaeoecology and Biogeography, Associate Dean Teaching and Learning – Faculty of Social Science I have been at Maynooth since 2017 and over the last four years have spent time as Head of Department and Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning. On this International Women’s Day I am reflecting on how much the exciting careers of the 19 ICARUS women shows welcome and positive change. As one of the older ones, I have come up through a system that often undervalued women in science and leadership, and I have sometimes been undervalued and underestimated. Being resilient is a key skill. I was talking to a student the other day about changes; a prom was unheard of when I left school. Instead on teacher gave us all in his class a copy of Desiderata by Max Ehrmann. I was reminded of this and recalled the wise words that seem to have more meaning now than then. Ehrmann stated “Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons”. And urged us to “Speak [y]our truth quietly and clearly” I reflect that we, as women, did not, and have not, surrendered, but have kept going; we demonstrate and look forward to much better and more equal times where we are respected. ICARUS sets a great example. For my own achievements and plans, the last year has been very exciting, I have co-authored a NPWS report on Ancient Woodlands and started work on our DAFM and NPWS Ancient Woodlands Ireland project, which integrates palaeoecology with mapping for woodland management. I have worked hard to promote this palaeoecological integration and consider this funded project to be a quietly gained but valuable achievement. I have recently led some wonderful and enjoyable student fieldwork coring a raised bog in Co. Offaly and providing a research experience across UG and PG modules. I am looking forward to seeing the results of student pollen and testate amoebae counts. I am looking forward to working with my research team to continue to explore the palaeo-histories of many of the possibly ancient woodlands in Ireland. My career has had twists and turns and challenges, but I have kept focussed on my research aim for palaeoecology to be integrated into ecological management, and I maintain my love of teaching and my student focussed approach; I am enjoying my achievements. Erhmann advises that “Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here”. We are women of the universe—there is no stopping us on International Women’s Day!
