Note: For further information on Prof Healys research, please go to: www.universityofgalway.ie/gene

Biography (abridged)

Professor Mark G. Healy a Personal (Full) Professor in Civil Engineering at the University of Galway. He is a Fellow of Engineers Ireland, has more than 20 years of experience in the field of environmental engineering, and holds a higher doctorate (DEng) for his published works. To date, he has coordinated > 35 national and international research projects with a total value of over €10 million, has published >150 journal papers, and has supervised 23 PhD students to completion. He is currently Vice Dean for Student Recruitment and Public Engagement in the College of Science and Engineering.

Biography (long)

Mark G. Healy attended the University of Galway, where he obtained his BE degree. He obtained a MEngSc degree, through research, in the Department of Engineering Hydrology, University of Galway and was awarded a PhD degree in Civil Engineering from the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Galway. He is currently a Personal (Full) Professor in Civil Engineering at University of Galway. In 2006, he became a Chartered Engineer, and in 2011, he was made Fellow of Engineers Ireland. He was nominated for the President’s Awards for Teaching Excellence in three years (2011, 2012 and 2013), and was awarded the President’s Award for Research (Research Supervisor Award Category) in 2014. In 2019, he received the Degree of Doctor of Engineering (DEng), based on published works.

Prof Healy leads the Geo-ENvironmental Engineering (GENE) Research Group (www.universityofgalway.ie/gene), which currently comprises researchers from Teagasc, Johnstown Castle, seven PhD students, one MEngSc student, and one postdoctoral researcher. The group’s research work is primarily in the area of experimental environmental engineering, and in particular, the investigation of the fate of phosphorus, nitrogen and other contaminants in soil-plant-water systems, and the effects of agricultural management on soil and water quality. To date, GENE has successfully competed for >35 research funding awards with a total value of over €10 million. Prof Healy has published five book chapters and 156 peer-reviewed journal papers in leading international journals. He has also presented 79 conference papers at national and international conferences and has published seven reports. He has supervised to completion 23 PhD and five research masters students, and mentored three postdoctoral researchers. Graduates of GENE have gone on to work for academic institutions (University of Galway, University of Arkansas, Edinburgh University, Waterford Institute of Technology, University of Gujrat (Pakistan)), state bodies in Ireland and elsewhere (Teagasc, The French National Institute for Agricultural Research – INRA), and major engineering consultancies. Prof. Healy has collaborated with many companies, third level institutions and funding agencies (research or supervision of undergraduate/postgraduate students), and a variety of consulting engineers.

Prof Healy has conducted peer reviews for >90 international academic journals. He has held numerous external examiner posts in various Universities: for the Higher Diploma in Environmental Engineering at Trinity College Dublin (2016-2020) and the civil and environmental engineering undergraduate and postgraduate programmes at Queen’s University Belfast (2023 – 2027). He has acted as external examiner on 13 PhD theses within and outside of Europe, and has also delivered invited seminars, keynote addresses, lectures and presentations nationally and internationally. He served on the management committees of two COST actions, has chaired and co-chaired international conferences, and has served on the review panels for national and international research bodies. He was Programme Director for the Undenominated Engineering Programme at the University of Galway (2016 to 2024), and is currently Vice Dean for Student Recruitment and Public Engagement in the College of Science and Engineering (2023 – present).

In addition to his core academic duties, Prof Healy served on the Coillte Social and Environmental Panel for Connemara/Mayo (2011 – 2015), which provided guidance and feedback on the policy and activities of Coillte. He was on the Advisory Board and taught on the Going to College Programme (2011 – 2014), a programme aimed at integrating people with intellectual disabilities into University life; and was also on the Advisory Board and taught on the Youth Academy Project (2011 – 2014), a programme which aims to inspire entry into University by introducing children and their families to University life.

Research interests include: surface and subsurface processes with a particular interest in erosion and surface runoff of nutrients, solids and metals, and the measurement and modelling of leaching of nutrients through soil; circular economy; greenhouse gas emissions; soil fertility; pesticides; peatlands; nutrient and precious metal recovery; reuse of waste materials in environmental remediation; constructed wetlands; filtration; sequencing batch reactors; water and wastewater treatment processes; emerging contaminants (THMs, PCPs, microplastics); biosolids; ecosystem services.

CE3105 Environmental Engineering

CE 6120 Hydraulic Modelling (soil physics)