Thomais Kakouli-Duarte

Dr Thomaé Kakouli-Duarte is a biosciences lecturer in the Department of Applied Science at the Carlow Campus of SETU. She is the Director of enviroCORE, SETU’s research centre in bio-environmental science. 

Thomaé is an international expert in environmental nematology which is the study of  nematodes and their significance in the environment. Nematodes are microscopic roundworms which are ideal bioindicators of environmental change, and some of them as environment-safe bioinsecticides. She therefore develops means to evaluate soil/sediment health and biological tools for sustainable food security.  She also has expertise on the application and development of naturally occurring, beneficial nematodes as environmentally safe biological insecticides, with emphasis on the biological control of the black vine weevil. 

Thomaé has supervised to completion five PhD projects, four MSc and a postdoctoral project. She has secured with collaborators more than € 5 million in external, competitive research funding,  is the co-editor of the only volume available internationally on nematodes as environmental indicators and has authored more than 100 internationally peer reviewed articles and contributions to national and international conferences. She was the leader of three international (Nematodes as Environmental Bioindicators, under the auspices of the Association of Applied Biologists, UK, 2007 [UK], 2012 [Belgium] and 2017 [Ireland]) and one national (Environ 2019 “Engagement for Climate Action”, under the auspices of the Environmental Sciences Association of Ireland) conferences. She sits in numerous national and international scientific committees and boards and is dedicated to community outreach.

Thomaé is also the IT Carlow manager of the ReNu2Farm project (www.nweurope.eu/renu2farm) in which, with her IT Carlow team, established the ecological safety of recycling derived fertilisers for sustainable food security.