Who We Are

Director

Academic Members

Researchers

Tom Gillespie

Dr. Tom Gillespie is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Galway working on climate economics, flood-risk modelling, and housing markets. He is currently part of the SFI-funded StopFloods4.ie project, led by Dr. Tom McDermott, where his research focuses on integrating high-resolution flood data, land-use change, and property market behaviour. Tom recently completed his PhD in environmental economics at the University of Galway, funded by the Irish Research Council. His doctoral work used large-scale datasets—including Daft.ie listings, PPR transactions, and detailed spatial environmental data—to analyse flood risk, climate adaptation, and households’ willingness to pay for blue–green and nature-based amenities. His current projects extend into the development of hedonic and spatial price indices, and the links between climate exposure, housing supply, and economic resilience. For more details about Tom’s work, email thomas.gillespie@universityofgalway.ie.

Anu Jose

Dr. Anu Jose is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Galway, currently working on the Horizon Europe-funded ACACIA project, focusing on improving climate services for at-risk communities in Madagascar.  Her research interests include development economics, gender, behavioural finance, and public health. She specialises in using both experimental and observational data to inform evidence-based policy, with a research approach that integrates interdisciplinary and mixed methods, including causal inference and qualitative analysis. She has led multiple field and online experiments, collaborating with academics, practitioners and policymakers. Before joining the University of Galway, she worked in the Behavioural Consumer Finance Unit at the Central Bank of Ireland, conducting research on behavioural finance topics including short-term credit, sustainability, and consumer fraud. She completed her PhD from Trinity College Dublin. For more details, email anu.jose@universityofgalway.ie.

Swaty Kajaria

Dr. Swaty Kajaria is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Galway, working on the SFI-funded StopFloods4.ie project led by Dr. Tom McDermott. Her current research examines the flood-mitigation value of wetlands and their influence on property-market behaviour, using high-resolution flood dataset and national land-cover data. Swaty recently completed her PhD in Environmental Economics at the University of Georgia. Her doctoral research applied geospatial analysis and non-market valuation techniques to estimate the economic benefits of mangrove ecosystems in Florida’s coastal property markets following Hurricane Irma, with a focus on their role in reducing flood risk. Her research also involved developing a machine learning model to map historical changes in mangrove cover using Google Earth Engine. During her PhD, Swaty worked on a Sea Grant project for Glynn County, Georgia. For more information about Swaty’s research, please contact swaty.kajaria@universityofgalway.ie. 

Wellington Osawe 

Michael Puchley

Akhil Sasidharan

Dr. Akhil Sasidharan is a Postdoctoral Researcher with the FlexEcon (Maximising the FLEXibility of Energy Consumption in Ireland) project at the University of Galway. His research focuses on generating empirical evidence on household energy efficiency and demand reduction, with the aim of identifying behavioural interventions that can enhance flexibility in residential energy use within an Irish context. His broader research includes work in knowledge and innovation economics, energy economics, and behavioural policy, with emphasis on how households and economies adjust to structural and technological transitions. Akhil completed his PhD in Economics at the University of Galway under the supervision of Prof. John McHale and Dr. Jason Harold, where his dissertation examined the impacts of star scientist recruitment on small open economies. For further information about Akhil's research, email akhil.sasidharan@universityofgalway.ie. 

Current PhD Students

Adetunji Adeleke

Adetunji is a PhD student in Economics, funded by the College of Business, Public Policy and Law, University of Galway. His PhD topic is Understanding the Determinants of Coexisting Forms of Malnutrition in Sub-Saharan Africa. His supervisors are Dr. Edel Doherty and Dr. Matthew Collins. For more details about Adetunji's research, email a.adeleke1@universityofgalway.ie.

Garreth Gibney

Garreth is a PhD student in Economics and an Irish Research Council (IRC) Scholar. His PhD topic is Weather, Climate Change, and Labour: Economic and Social Impacts of Physiological Stress. His supervisors are Dr. Thomas McDermott and Prof. John Cullinan. For more details about Garreth's work, email g.gibney1@universityofgalway.ie.

David Horan

David is a PhD student in Economics at the University of Limerick (UL) and is co-supervised by Dr. Darragh Flannery (UL) and Prof. John Cullinan (CERIS). His PhD topic is Economic Essays on International Student Mobility. For more details about David’s work, see https://www.ul.ie/business/david-horan or email David.K.Horan@ul.ie.

Terence Hynes

Terence is undertaking a PhD in Economics at University of Galway while working in the Research Services and Policy Unit of the Department of Health. His PhD topic is Applying Simulation Modelling and Econometric Methods for Strategic Workforce Planning in the Irish Healthcare System and his supervisor is Prof. John Cullinan. For more details about Terence’s work, email T.Hynes9@universityofgalway.ie.

Abass M. Kargo

Abass is a PhD student in Economics, funded by a Hardiman Scholarship. His PhD topic is The Long-Term Effects of Additional Schooling in the Developing World. His supervisor is Dr. Matthew Collins. For more details about Abass’s research, email A.Kargbo1@universityofgalway.ie.

Patrick McHale

Simon Ngorok

Simon is a PhD student in Economics and a University of Galway Hardiman Research Scholar. His PhD topic is Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation: Modelling Economic Loss and Damages from Floods in Sub-Saharan Africa and his supervisor is Dr. Tom McDermott. For more details about Simon’s work, email s.ngorok1@universityofgalway.ie.

Ankita Vyas

Ankita is a PhD student in Economics with interdisciplinary links to environmental policy and land-use modelling. Her PhD topic is Bridging Behaviour and Modelling: Supporting Practical Transitions to Climate-Neutral Practices Among Irish Farmers, and her supervisors are Dr. Luke McGrath (Discipline of Economics) and Dr. David Styles (School of Biological and Chemical Sciences). For more details about Ankita's work, email A.Vyas3@universityofgalway.ie.  

Previous PhD Students

Felipe Aguiar

Felipe was a PhD student in Economics and a Teagasc Walsh Fellow. His PhD topic was Adaptive Management of Grassland to Improve Farm Level Sustainability and his supervisor was Prof. Doris Laepple.

Paula Byrne

Paula was a PhD student in Economics and a HRB SPHeRE Scholar. Her PhD topic was Medicalization in Ireland: A Mixed Methods Analysis Using the Case of Statins for Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease and her supervisor was Prof. John Cullinan.

Luis Garcia

Luis was a PhD student in Economics and a Teagasc Walsh Fellow. His PhD topic was Farm Labour and Productivity in Irish Agriculture and his supervisor was Prof. Doris Laepple.

Zaid Hattab

Zaid was a PhD student in Economics and a University of Galway Hardiman Scholar. His PhD topic was Machine Learning Methods to Examine Heterogeneous Treatment Effects for Cost-Effectiveness Analysis. His supervisors were Dr. Edel Doherty and Dr. Stephen O Neill (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine).

Edward Henry

Edward was a PhD student in Economics and an Irish Research Council (IRC) Scholar. His PhD topic was Mental Health Spillovers from Serious Family Illness and his supervisor was Prof. John Cullinan.