Kevin Walsh

Name: Kevin Walsh

Position: PhD candidate

Supervisor/s: Aaron Lim & Larissa Macedo Cruz de Oliveira

Office: Research Office, Ground Floor, Department of Geography

Email Address: kevin.walsh@ucc.ie

Bio

I hold a BSc in Geology from University College Cork (2013) and recently completed a Master's by Research (2023) for which I was awarded the Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship by the Irish Research Council. My project focused on spatial planning for offshore wind farm infrastructure, which ignited an interest in marine sciences and steered me towards a career in marine and coastal research.

Research

Currently, as part of the DETECT project, my research focusses on leveraging digital environmental technology for coastal zone management. The initial objective of the project centres on the development of a Coastal Vulnerability Index (CVI) for the Irish coastline, identifying areas most at risk from sea-level rise, increased storm activity, and flooding. This will be followed by the use of novel multi-spectral drone mapping techniques to create 3D models of vulnerable coastal sites, enabling detailed modelling of future climate change impacts.

In addition, I am working as a Research Assistant within the AMS-FLOW Project, lead by a research team at ATU Sligo. This large-scale research project is evaluating the suitability of the Irish seabed for anchor and mooring systems for floating offshore wind turbines. My role involves the processing of INFOMAR sub-bottom profiles to map sediment thickness and buried seabed features.

My previous research project was titled “Optimising Submarine Cables Routes from Offshore Wind Farms”. This study presents a comprehensive approach to optimising submarine power cable routes, aimed at enhancing the efficiency of site selection and ensuring the long-term reliability of offshore energy infrastructure.

Publications

Walsh, K., Holloway, P., Lim, A. (in review) Optimizing Submarine Cable Routes for Offshore Windfarms, in review at Sustainable Energy Reviews

Final year project consisted of 30 days in the field, mapping outcrops on the Kilbride Peninsula in County Mayo. This was followed by a 25,000-word thesis, detailing the findings achieved in the field and through subsequent research.