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Researcher Profile: Cian Redmond
Cian Redmond, a native of Co. Wicklow, bravely agreed to undertake an interview for our Researcher Profile section. Cian recently graduated with a B.Sc. in Applied Plant Biology from University College Cork (UCC) where his interest in studying duckweed started.
We are delighted to hear that Cian will continue his passion for working with duckweed plants, as he begins a PhD funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to work on the Duck-Feed project in the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences here in UCC.
Congratulations Cian and we wish you all the best in your future studies.
What is your name and what are you studying?
My name is Cian Redmond and I have just completed a B.Sc. in Applied Plant Biology in UCC.
What brings you to the brainwaves project?
My first introduction to the Brainwaves project was during my final year project for my undergrad. My project aimed to investigate the effects of light intensity and photoperiod on the growth and duckweed’s ability to remove nutrients from the water. I worked alongside the Brainwaves project and used the indoor stacked bioreactors to grow duckweed for my project.
Following my final year of my undergrad I returned to the Brainwaves project as a research assistant for the summer. This worked involved growing duckweed outdoors on a farm waste stream. The duckweed was grown in large scale outdoor bioreactors.
What type of experience did you gain on the Brainwaves project?
I gained an enormous amount of experience working on the Brainwaves project. The work allowed me to practice and build on all of the skills I learned from my undergrad. The project gave me a great insight into the world of research. I gained experience in working as part of a large team where communication is extremely important.
I gained research experience by taking the lead in running experiments and reporting back on my results. Problem solving is a big part of working in research and I enjoyed working with the team to overcome problems or issues throughout my experience.
I also gained experience in working with project stakeholders such as the farmers that supplied the farm waste streams for the project, this allowed me to get a better understanding of the waste streams and how they are stored and used on the farm.
Did you have fun gaining all of this experience?
Yes, I have really enjoyed it. I loved working as part of a large team, knowing that the work I did will feed into other aspects of the project is great. Collaborating with the team in Wales and getting to meet other people working on the same goals from different universities was very enjoyable.
Where to next?
I enjoyed working with duckweed so much that I have just started a PhD on another project with similar goals to the Brainwaves project. I’m looking forward to being able to continue working with duckweed and I will be liaising closely with the Brainwaves project as I undertake my PhD and continue research with duckweed.