Dr Conor Graham

Lecturer and Researcher in Freshwater and Marine Ecology
+353 (0)91 742888

I graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Marine Science in 2001 and a MSc (Research) in Freshwater Fish Ecology in 2004 both from NUI Galway and a PhD (The impact of nutrient enrichment on the ecology of salmonids in Irish rivers) in freshwater ecology from University College Cork in 2010. I held several postdoc positions in UCC and NUIG on freshwater and marine ecology as well as terrestrial ecology before joining GMIT as a lecturer and researcher in 2014. My research interests include impact of cultural eutrophication and forestry on aquatic systems, biodiversity conservation, climate change, trophic ecology, life history choice, the development of sustainable marine fisheries, deep-sea food webs and marine food traceability. I am a lecturer in aquatic ecology and statistics on the BSc Applied Freshwater and Marine Biology and programme chair for the BSc Agriculture & Environmental Management.

Wild Nephin 2
This Marine Institute funded research project led by ATU Galway City aims to gather and assess baseline habitat composition and structure, and bird population data in Nephin Forest within Wild Nephin National Park
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This project aims at developing state-of-the-art molecular tools for the rapid and cost-effective screening of plankton samples for the presence of bivalve and crustacean species of commercial value. This project is in collaboration with BIM and is funded by the European Maritime Fisheries Fund.
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The main goal of this project is to develop and apply an environmental DNA (eDNA) protocol for the detection and monitoring of declining Irish Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus)
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This research is funded by the Environmental Protection Agency and runs from 2020-2023. It is conducted in collaboration with Institute of Technology Tralee, The Environment Agency (UK), Environmental Research Associates (UK).
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The METRODIVER project, led by CNRS in France examines how marine protected area design influences trophic diversity and ecosystem health.
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The analysis of trace elemental signatures in shells, using ICP-MS, provides a tool for tracing the origin of shellfish.
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This collaboration with the Marine Institute is unlocking the value of fish scale and otolith collections to marine ecosystem and climate change research.
Drone, pod and boat
This EPA funded research assessed the potential of using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to monitor water quality in Ireland.
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This research explored the use of environmental DNA technologies for monitoring pollan (Coregonus autumnalis) in Irish waters
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This project assessed the conservation status of the white-clawed crayfish, Austropotamobius pallipes, in all fifteen Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) in Ireland