Julie Auerbach

Title of Project

Cause and Effect of Changing Seabed Integrity and Geomorphology in Two Regional Sea Basins and its influence on Biodiversity in Selected Marine Protected Area Sites

Project details

I am a first-year PhD student conducting research as part of the first year of a self-funded part-time research project which focuses on understanding the supporting mechanisms for the efficient functioning and management of Marine Protected Areas in Ireland. The research is focusing on an assessment of processes in two Regional Sea Basins, and one of the research objectives is to determine a procedure of best practices in terms of management. To harness the wealth of data and information out there, two critical indicators are being examined, i.e., Seafloor Integrity and Biological Diversity. These factors are of fundamental baseline knowledge for ecosystem functioning and to determine the status of environmental health.  

I joined TCD after completing several years in the private sector as a Senior Scientific Officer, followed by Project Management in UNEP-MAP, and as a project manager with the Private Sector in Belgium for International Project Management (EU-China) for Data Diplomacy and maritime data product delivery. This followed an MSc in University of Malta in Geology and Geophysics, My final year project was titled “The Tectonic Evolution of the Central Mediterranean Basin with Reference to the Carbonate Pelagian Platform, Aqualta Well, Aqualta Well South of Malta”’. This was preceded by an undergraduate honours degree in University College Cork in Earth Sciences (Majoring in Geology), the final year dissertation consisted of mapping the Moine Thrust Zone in Ullapool (NW Scotland).  

Name of supervisors

Prof Quentin Crowley Trinity College Dublin, Prof Alan Deidun University of Malta. 

Project Start Date

September 2024

Funding

Self-Funded

Contact Details

Email: auerbacj@tcd.ie