Meet the Team

Multidisciplinary team split across SETU, UoG, UCD and EPA.

Claire Keary is a lecturer in physics and leads the Environmental Radiation Research Group (ERRG) at South East Technological University (SETU), Waterford. Her research interests are in the area of environmental radiation monitoring and high resolution gamma spectrometry. She is PI on two EPA-funded projects: Radioactivity in the Irish Coastal Environment (RICE) and Gamma Radiation Dose Evaluation (GRaDE). 

Liam Morrison is a lecturer in Earth and Ocean Sciences and Course Director of the MSc in Marine and Freshwater Resources: Management. His research focuses on trace elements, organic contaminants, nanomaterials, microplastics and radionuclides in ecosystems; macroalgal bloom dynamics and control; remote sensing of coastal environments; nutrient cycling; marine ecological restoration; and sustainable marine resource development in the context of global change, obtaining data to support policy on environmental and human protection. 

Dr. Joe Murphy is a physicist with over a decade of experience in research and third-level education. He holds a PhD in Applied Physics from the University of Limerick, with expertise in electrochemistry, thin-film deposition, semiconductor science, and radiation monitoring. His research has spanned multiple institutions, including Case Western Reserve University, where he contributed to energy storage innovations as part of a U.S. government-funded project.

Joe combines a strong research background with a passion for teaching, having delivered physics modules at undergraduate and postgraduate levels in both Ireland and the U.S. He has supervised student research across all levels and is experienced in curriculum design, blended learning, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

He has contributed to successful research grants exceeding $1.4 million, published in peer-reviewed journals, and presented at international conferences. Joe is committed to practical, collaborative research and to making science accessible through teaching and outreach.

Luis León Vintró is an Associate Professor at the School of Physics, University College Dublin, and an active researcher with over 30 years experience in the areas of radiation physics and radioecology. His research interests are mainly in the areas of marine and terrestrial radioecology, radionuclide metrology and radiochemistry. He is author/co-author of 150 research publications, and has supervised 18 PhD, 7 MSc students and 1 post-doctoral researcher to completion. He is currently supervising/co-supervising 7 PhD students.

Dr. Eve Daly is a geophysicist based at the University of Galway (UoG), and is currently PI on GSI short call project (2023), project partner and task owner for the DAFM project REWET (2022-2026). She has particular interest in using airborne and (UAV) radiometrics data for soil classification and soil moisture/water table monitoring. She was Co-PI on an EPA project (2019-2021) on using Satellite GRACE data monitoring of groundwater over Ireland. She was PI on GSI short call project (2018) on using machine learning and Tellus airborne radiometrics for peatland mapping. This work resulted in two international peer reviewed publications on radiometrics and peat soils. 

Cara McKeever is a PhD student at SETU working full-time on the Gamma Radiation Dose Evaluation (GRaDE) project. She is based in the EPA’s radiation monitoring laboratory. She holds a BSc in Physics from UCD and her research interests centre around gamma spectrometry, terrestrial gamma radiation and radioecology.

Kamen Cooley-Greene is a PhD student in the department of Earth and Ocean Sciences at the University of Galway. He holds a master's in physics from the University of Manchester. His research interests are centered on Geographical Information Systems (GIS), terrestrial gamma radiation and nuclear safety.