Our Team

Dr. Myra Lydon - Project Lead

Dr Myra Lydon is a Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow at Queens University Belfast and recently appointed Lecturer in Civil Engineering at the University of Galway. Her research focuses on the development of fibre-optic structural health monitoring systems for civil infrastructure. Completed monitoring projects include the Titanic Dry Dock, Thames Tideway Tunnel and the Historic Kings Bridge in Belfast.

During her PhD she developed the world's first fibre optic bridge weigh-in-motion system, more recently she has led the prototype development of a novel scour sensor in collaboration with Kris Campbell, Northern Ireland Department for Infrastructure and Somni Solutions Ltd. Her other primary research area is resilient infrastructure and bridge asset management, she is heavily engaged with the Northern Ireland Department for Infrastructure in the development of a Bridge asset management systems with integrated SHM and environmental data streams to inform future condition and risk assessment of the bridge network.

Contact e-mail: myra.lydon@universityofgalway.ie

Dr. Amaya Vega - Project Co-Lead

Dr Amaya Vega is a senior lecturer in transport economics in the Faculty of Business, Atlantic Technological University (Galway) with over 20 years’ experience in academia. Her research is in transport and regional economics, maritime economics, and ports. She is interested in the economics of sustainable transport and the identification of the incentives required to enable the decarbonisation of transport systems. Dr Amaya Vega has experience in freight transport demand analysis, spatial modelling, accessibility analysis, and economic evaluation methods. She leads the international freight connectivity research stream of the HEA-funded flagship Atlantic Futures project, and she is the co-lead of the EMBRACE Mobility project, funded by SFI under the National Challenge Fund for Sustainable Communities. Dr Amaya Vega is also a member of the working group for the Sustainable Mobility Index for rural towns in Ireland’s Western region. Dr Amaya Vega has published in leading international peer-reviewed ABS rated journals including Transport Policy, Transportation Research Part A – Policy and Practice, Case Studies on Transport Policy, Research in Transportation Economics, Maritime Business Review, and Marine Policy.

Currently, Dr Amaya Vega is an associate research fellow at the Institute of International Economics at the University of Valencia, Spain. Dr Amaya Vega was awarded a Ph.D. in Transport Economics from University College Dublin (UCD), Ireland. During her doctoral studies, she was a Marie Skłodowska-Curie visiting research fellow at the Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds, UK. She also holds an MA in Economics from UCD and a degree in Business Administration and Management from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Spain. Prior to her current position, she held the position of Research Fellow in Economics at the University of Galway, Ireland.

Contact e-mail: amaya.vega@atu.ie

Dr. Helen McHenry

Dr. Helen McHenry is the EMBRACE-Mobility Societal Impact Champion. She is a Policy Analyst with the Western Development Commission (WDC) where she has responsibility for analysing socio-economic data and policy as it impacts on the Western Region of Ireland. She has a particular focus on rural and regional development issues (see for example ‘Why care about regions?’), regional data and demographics as well as on infrastructural investment and policy.  Most recently she has developed a Sustainable Mobility Index for rural towns in the Western Region, which gives us better understanding of active modes and public transport in a rural context and sets a baseline for current mobility options, services, and infrastructure in small towns. 

Within the WDC Dr McHenry leads work on the low carbon transition for rural dwellers, mobility and transport issues for rural regions as well as energy infrastructure and renewable energy policy issues.  Prior to joining the WDC, she worked with various public sector organisations and at the University of Aberdeen and the Queen’s University of Belfast and has extensive experience in policy analysis, evaluation and research.

Dr Amanda Trojan Fenerich

Dr Amanda Trojan Fenerich is our postdoctoral researcher in the EMBRACE-Mobility project. Amanda holds a Ph.D. in Manufacturing and Systems Engineering from the Pontifical Catholic University of Parana, Brazil, focusing on the Operations Research field. She has a deep understanding of multicriteria decision-making models and machine learning algorithms.  With over 5+ years of experience in research and teaching, Amanda brings a wealth of knowledge in data visualization, decision-making, simulation, and process optimization to the EMBRACE-Mobility Project. 

At her previous job, as a data analytics researcher at IMR (Irish Manufacturing Research), she contributed significantly to internal project management and the development of technical tasks related to data analysis and visualization for various research projects. Her achievements include creating PowerBI dashboards for internal use, delivering a successful Data Visualization training course, and actively participating in European and National projects. Amanda's career journey also includes experiences as an Industrial Engineering Lecturer, at the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, and a record track of academic publications.  

Contact e-mail: amanda.trojanfenerich@universityofgalway.ie

Aradhana Yadav

Aradhana Yadav is a Project Assistant in the EMBRACE-Mobility project and also an international student at the School of Political Science and Sociology, University of Galway. She has over 18 years of experience in the social development sector, predominantly in project planning, implementation, and research, focusing on child education, protection, adolescent development, and gender equity. She was awarded a doctoral degree in South Asian Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University, India.

 Previously, she has worked on various developmental projects involving collaboration with stakeholders, ranging from UN Agencies, International Organizations, Government Departments, Community-Based Organizations, Village Committees, and Service Providers. She has contributed to the work of UNICEF, UNOPS, Grant Thornton, Educate Girls, and India Social Institute in India, participating in large-scale programs at the sub-national implementation level, which include Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States, Integrated Scheme for School Education, Universal Education for All, and Norway India Partnership Initiatives. Additionally, she has been involved in research and evaluation on child rights, child labour, and child education. 

MSc. Emma Fitzpatrick

Emma Fitzpatrick is a Research Assistant for the EMBRACE-Mobility project. She recently completed her Masters Degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Galway where she also previously completed her Bachelors Degree in Civil Engineering. She is a detailed-oriented worker with a keen interest in transport.

As part of her Masters Degree, she completed a joint thesis with the title ‘Bridging the Gap: Development of a Bridge Criticality Metrics with a Focus on Rural Community Impact in Connemara, Ireland’. This thesis was closely linked to the EMBRACE-Mobility project where she collaborated with the team and gained significant insight into the importance of the project. Through this, she gained valuable skills in analysing mobility and spatial data utilising GIS, and also explored multiple forms of stakeholder engagement. In her previous post, she worked in the area of road surveying and maintenance where she specialised in data analysis. Here she excelled in analysing various types of survey data, identifying issues, implementing problem-solving techniques, and generating high quality reports.

PhD. Maria Malik

Maria  is a dedicated doctoral researcher with a focus on Logistics, Transport, Operations, and Supply Chain Management. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master's degree in Total Quality Management, which have equipped her with a unique blend of technical and managerial skills.

Maria's academic journey reflects her commitment to enhancing efficiency and quality in complex systems. Her expertise has been instrumental in various projects, most notably in conducting the methodological review for this project.

PhD. Nicola-Ann Stevens

Nicola-Ann Stevens is a research assistant in the EMBRACE-Mobility project. Nicola-Ann has recently passed her PhD viva in Civil Engineering with thesis titled "Utilising Survival Analysis and Bayesian Networks to Identify Maintenance Decision Support Metrics to Enhance the Resilience of Road Bridges”, bringing a contribution to the field of infrastructure resilience.

With a Masters of Science (MSc) in Mathematics, Statistics and Operational Research, Nicola-Ann has a wide range on research interests. Throughout her PhD studies, Nicola-Ann has undertaken several roles including teaching and other research projects showing her keen interest in other areas of research.

MSc. Katerina Karantzi

Katerina Karantzi is involved in the EMBRACE-Mobility project as a GIS Research Assistant. Katerina has a varied science background, with an undergraduate degree in Physics from Athens University, an MSc in Environmental Science from University of East Anglia and, more recently, a Post Graduate Diploma (Level 9) in GIS from University College Cork.

Her wide work experience includes working in the renewable energy and the environmental research sectors.