Dr Heather Lally

Lecturer and Researcher in Freshwater Ecology and Biology
+353 (0)91 742484

I graduated with a BSc (Hons) and PhD in Environmental Science from National University of Ireland Galway (2005 & 2011 respectively) and went on to complete a 2 year postdoctoral research position in University College Dublin (2011-2013) before joining the lecturing staff on the BSc (Hons) in Applied Freshwater and Marine Biology at GMIT as a lecturer in freshwater ecology and biology. My expertise lies in wetland creation and habitat monitoring, water chemical analyses, phytoplankton monitoring, freshwater pollution management, lake management and conservation, and the application of drones to conduct water sampling. Since joining GMIT, I have become an established researcher in the MFRC and have participated in and led several research projects.

Projects

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 EPA funded research project (2020-2023) is led by ATU Galway City and aims to gather and assess baseline data on oligotrophic lakes
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This collaborative research project, funded by the EPA, is informing the development and implementation of policy by improving understanding of microplastic (MP) sources, pathways and environmental fate in freshwater systems in Ireland and making recommendations for monitoring of MPs.
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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).
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 project assessed the conservation status of the white-clawed crayfish, Austropotamobius pallipes, in all fifteen Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) in Ireland