Personal profile
Biography
Tiernan Henry trained and works as a geoscientist focused principally on surface water and groundwater issues and topics. He graduated from TCD in 1986 with a BA (Mod) in Natural Sciences. He completed his MSc in Water Resources Management ( Hydrogeology) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1993. He taught hydrology and hydrogeology at UCG in the Department of Engineering Hydrology before moving into groundwater consultancy. For several years he worked in surface and groundwater management all around Ireland but his primary focus was in mine water management. In 2003 he joined the newly formed Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences (now Earth and Ocean Sciences in the School of Natural Sciences) as a lecturer in environmental geology. He completed his PhD at NUIG (characterising the hydrogeology of the Tynagh Mine catchment) in 2014. He has a Postgraduate Certificate and Diploma in Academic Practice.
He is a funded investigator with the Irish Centre for Research in Applied Geosciences (www.icrag-centre.org) and has been funded by Research Ireland, the Environmental Protection Agency, Geological Survey Ireland, Teagasc, and the Marine Institute. He is a member of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH), the International Mine Water Association (IMWA), and the Royal Irish Academy Multidisciplinary Geography and Geosciences Committee. He is the head of Earth and Life Sciences in the School of Natural Sciences at University of Galway, and the Deputy Head of the School of Natural Sciences. He was elected to the Governing Authority of the University of Galway in 2025.
He curates and hosts the Vinyl Hours programme at Galway International Arts Festival.
Research Interests
1. Catchment Management.
2. Peatland Hydrology & Hydrogeology.
3. Coastal karst hydrogeology.
4. Groundwater monitoring networks.
5. Geoscience communication.
6. Pedagogy of geoscience teaching and learning.
7. Metals in groundwater.
Teaching Interests
My teaching is focused on hydrology and hydrogeology and I teach courses in these areas to third and fourth year undergraduate students. These courses sit within the broader EOS degree and are related to a variety of other EOS courses.
Education/Academic qualification
BA, MSC, PhD
External positions
Senior Hydrogeologist, O'Neill Ground Water Engineering
1 Aug 1998 → 31 Oct 2003
Contract Lecturer, University of Galway
1 Oct 1995 → 1 Jul 1998
Accepting PhD Students
- Accepting PhD Students
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being -
SDG 4 Quality Education -
SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation -
SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy -
SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth -
SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities -
SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production -
SDG 13 Climate Action -
SDG 14 Life Below Water -
SDG 15 Life on Land
Fingerprint
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Role of blanket bog condition in stream dissolved organic carbon export
Jehanzaib, M. (Corresponding Author), Flynn, R., Preece, V., Lehnhart-Barnett, H., Smith, D. F., Leonard, O., Henry, T., Lyons, W. B., Carey, A. E. & Croot, P., 27 Jan 2026, In: Environmental Systems Research. 4, 4.Research output: Contribution to a Journal (Peer & Non Peer) › Article › peer-review
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Short-term prediction of runoff events in a blanket bog catchment using various cost-sensitive machine learning algorithms with feature selection
Lehnhart-Barnett, H., Henry, T., Flynn, R., O'Riordan, C., Jehanzaib, M., Smith, D. F., Preece, V., Leonard, O., Croot, P. L., Lyons, B. & Carey, A. E., 16 Jan 2026Research output: Other contribution (Published) › Other contribution › peer-review
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Importance of Physico-chemical Cycling of Nutrients and Carbon in Marine Transitional Zones (Nuts & Bolts)
Croot, P., Cave, R. R., Fennell, S., Heller, M., Henry, T., Rathnayake, S. N. H., Zohara Sonny, F. & Stengel, D. B., Aug 2025, Ireland: Environmental Protection Agency . 54 p.Research output: Book/Report › Published Report › peer-review
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Investigation of Depth and Dimension Effects on Ireland's Karst Aquifers Using Synthetic Seismic Reflected Data
Bayat, S., Henry, T. & Bean, C., 28 Feb 2025.Research output: Contribution to conference (Published) › Poster
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Remote Activation of Salt Tracer Injection to Enhance Discharge Measurements in a Peatland Catchment
Leonard, O., Henry, T., Preece, V., Jehanzaib, M., Flynn, R., Lehnhart-Barnett, H., Smith, D. F., Croot, P., Lyons, W. B. & Carey, A. E., 15 Apr 2025, Groundwater & Geotechnical Investigations: International Association of Hydrogeologists (Irish Group) Annual Meeting.Research output: Chapter in Book or Conference Publication/Proceeding › Conference Publication › peer-review
Activities
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PI33A-04 Light as a control on pico and nanoplankton abundance and distribution in Irish Marine Transitional Waters
Croot, P. (Speaker), Cave, R. (Speaker), Heller, M. (Speaker), Henry, T. (Speaker), Fennell, S. (Speaker), Rathnayake, S. N. H. (Speaker) & Zohara Sonny, F. (Speaker)
25 Feb 2026Activity: Talk or presentation (Unpublished) › Oral Presentation
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Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI) (External organisation)
Henry, T. (Chair)
1 Aug 2025 → 31 Dec 2028Activity: Membership › Membership of board
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Seismic Detection of Deep Water-Filled Caves in Karst Systems: Defining Fingerprint Characteristics Using Synthetic Seismic Simulations
Henry, T. (Speaker), Bayat, S. (Other) & Bean, C. (Other)
28 Feb 2025 → 2 Mar 2025Activity: Talk or presentation (Unpublished) › Oral Presentation
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University of Galway (Organisational unit)
Henry, T. (Member)
1 Feb 2025 → 31 Jan 2029Activity: Membership › Membership of board
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University of Galway Governing Authority(Internal) (External organisation)
Henry, T. (Member)
1 Feb 2025 → 31 Jan 2029Activity: Membership › Membership of committee
Courses
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EOS2102: The Earth: from core to crust
Tyrrell, S., Henry, T., Baxter, S., Daly, E., Ciborowski, J. & Murray, J. 12/01/26 → 2/04/26
Course