News & Seminars
Interview with Dr AaroN Lim: Recipient of IRC legacy award
In this interview, Dr. Aaron Lim, winner of Research Ireland’s ECR Researcher of the Year Award, discusses his journey from exploring deep-sea coral reefs to developing innovative approaches in seafloor mapping and offshore wind energy. He also shares insights into his current research and his passion for mentoring the next generation of marine scientists.
Q1, Please briefly summarise your academic background, your specialism, and how you became interested in this area.
I studied BSc in Earth Science at UCC. Toward the end of the degree, I was extremely interested in the ocean and I knew that I wanted to work in that field. I started applying for research projects, and one of them was with National Geographic, UCC and NOC. We went to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge to discover and explore hydrothermal vent systems on the flanks of an underwater volcanic system. That experience got me hooked on the ocean and in particular ocean exploration and mapping.
After that, I did a PhD focused on deep-water coral reefs. We discovered a reef called the Piddington Mound, about 1,000 meters deep off the coast of Ireland, and I based my whole PhD on that. I then did a couple of postdocs at UCC and iCRAG (the ‘Irish Centre for Research in Applied Geoscience’), where I developed a lot of skills in sea floor mapping and monitoring using a combination of photogrammetry and sonar.
Later, I moved into industry and joined a startup called ‘Green Rebel’. When I started, there were just five of us; when I left two and a half years later, there were over 100. It was an amazing project.
We were mapping offshore Ireland to help identify suitable sites for offshore wind farms. I was the Senior Analytics Manager, responsible for helping the company grow strategically to outcompete more established players in Europe bringing a lot of skills I had developed in terms of new seafloor mapping approaches.
My love for maps goes way back, I remember being about four years old and drawing maps of the supermarket with my mum. It sounds a bit nerdy, but I was obsessed. Even now, my three-year-old daughter loves drawing maps too. When Google Earth first came out, I would spend hours simply exploring it, especially in the ocean. That’s what really pulled me into sea floor mapping (and the wonders of Titanic!).
Photo: Side scan Sonar Image of HMS Alyssum
Photo: Side Scan Sonar Image of U58, German U boat offshore south coast of Ireland
Q2, Tell us about winning the 'ECR Researcher of the Year Award' presented by Research Ireland. What does this mean to you and your work?
It means a lot. I’ve been working hard for the past ten years - publishing, building collaborations, getting funding - and this award kind of validates that.
‘‘I also deal with imposter syndrome quite a bit, constantly feeling like I’m not doing enough or not good enough. So in a way, the award is a reminder to just take a breath and realise I’m doing okay. It also shows that the areas of marine geoscience, sea floor mapping and the important role of Physical Geography as a whole are being recognised. Ireland is an island, and around 90% of our national territory is underwater.’ Aaron believes that ‘coastal life is a huge part of Irish identity and our future is clearly offshore in terms of energy, security and economy so the fact that this field is gaining recognition is a sign of a shift in national research priorities, which is great to see’. We were sorry to conclude our interview with Aaron, given his passion for his work, however, we know we will hear a lot more about him in the future. We certainly hope so!