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Faculty Member, (Department of Agricultural Sciences, Biotechnology & Food Science), Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol. 

Owner: Compost/AD Research, Naas,

BACKGROUND

Member of Project Management Group, Co Task Leader and participant on 5 Tasks, Department of Agriculture funded “Beyond Peat Project” project, 2022-2026 

Chairperson, Working Group, Review of the use of Peat Moss in the Horticultural Industry, set up by the Irish government at Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, March 2021

Research Consultant, Bord na Mona 2007- 2010, 2012-14 and 2014-2019 Research on peat quality from Europe, peat replacement ,biochar, HTC. 

Chief Scientist, Bord na Mona Research Centre, Newbridge 1991-2007.( Bord na Mona is an Irish semi-state company involved in peat, energy, environment etc).

Technically responsible for the composting of 60,000 cubic metres of bark waste for use as a growing medium in Cumbria till 2006.. Has carried out extensive research on composting that has led to a compost facility with a capacity of treating around 60,000 tonnes of garden waste for use as a peat diluent with considerable saving on application of inorganic macro and micronutrients has resulted. . Research on quality of peat from Ireland and from Northern Europe. Research on peat alternatives e.g., bark, woodwaste, coir. Pumice. Collaborated with University of Wales, UK on biological control of pests in different growing media.

Group Leader, Horticultural Research Center, New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture 1976 -1991. Research on composting. His research on pine bark in NZ led to the very successful bark industry for use in horticulture in New Zealand and exports to Japan, USA. Research on the nutrition of vegetable crops and kiwi fruit led to a book “Fertilizer Nutrition of Horticultural Crops”

Awards Recipient of the Alexander von Humboldt fellowship from West Germany 1972 

Designated in 2019 as “International Traiblazer” from Ireland in the official magazine, BioCycle, of the U.S Compost Council at their 60th anniversary of publication.

Involvement in scientific national, EU and international organisations 

• Board Member, Irish Research Council Science, Engineering and Technology 

• Member (Acting) of Managing Committee.EU Cooperation in Science & Technology (COST) Action TD 107, Biochar as Option for Sustainable Resource Management. 

• Country Representative, European Compost Network (ECN) 2003-2008. 

• Scientific Committee EU Horizon 20:20, Carbolex Project based in UK Biochar Research Centre, University of Edinburgh, Scotland 

• Scientific Committee, Orbit Association, (International Association” with the mission to promote scientific developments of environmental biotechnology”) 2005-2008. 

• European CEN , NSAI Irish representative TC 223, 1995-. And TC 169, 2025- 

• Founder Member and Director, Compost and AD Association of Ireland(Cre) 2001- 

• Evaluator of a project, United States Department of Agriculture. 

• External Collaborator Agricultural Research Institute, Cyprus Nicosia 2009-

Research for Environmental Protection Agency,

• Reports on Bioaerosols and composting,

 • Development of an Industry-Led Quality Standard for Source-Separated Biodegradable Material Derived Compost lead to Irish standard IR 441, 

• A Literature Review on the Availability of Nitrogen and phosphorus from Compost in Relation to the Nitrate Regulations SI 378 of 2006, 

• Compost in Crop Production: Nutrient Availability and Disease Suppressive Properties, 

 Development of quality standards for compost and digestate in Ireland

Reports for Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government

• A detailed chemical and nutrient characterisation of compost and digestate fibre including a comparative release of nitrogen and phosphorus. 

• Development of a rapid and simple test for ammonium-N determination in anaerobic digestion

 • Experience of developing a compost quality assurance scheme in Ireland

• A detailed chemical and nutrient characterisation of compost and digestate fibre including a comparative release of nitrogen and phosphorus. 

• Development of a rapid and simple test for ammonium-N determination in anaerobic digestion 

• Experience of developing a compost quality assurance scheme in Ireland

Research Interests

• Development of alternative growing media to peat

 • Composting: valorization of products from composting of waste particularly as organic fertilizer, peat replacement. 

• Valorization of AD Digestate 

• Chemical, physical and biological tests for growing media, composts and AD digestates 

• Pyrolysis (biochar) and Hydrothermal Carbonization