ATU's research impact on SDGs
How we are answering the call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure peace and prosperity for all.
A research compilation series that highlights how ATU researchers are contributing towards the 17 SDGs
One of the ATU's strategic objectives for 2024-28 is to ‘Conduct Impactful Sustainability Research, under the Guiding Light Sustainability for the Future.
This Research Series has been compiled to showcase some of the amazing work carried out by ATU researchers.
Featured publications have been tagged as being linked to the one of the 17 SDGs by Elsevier (Scopus).
Each week, a small number of SDGs will be highlighted. Click forward to read the first publication about SDG 1: No Poverty!
Title: Public perceptions of climate risks, vulnerability, and adaptation strategies: Fuzzy cognitive mapping in Irish and Spanish living labs
Authors & Affiliations: Ananya Tiwari (ATU), Luís Campos, Sudha-Rani Nalakurthi, Salem Gharbia (ATU)
Background: Europe is heating up fast, but many assume its wealth protects people from climate harm. Little is known about the adaptive capacities of different socio-economic groups: how well different individuals or communities cope with and respond to climate hazards.
What they did: Interviewed over 150 people in Co.Sligo (Ireland) and the Basque Country (Spain), exploring how people perceive risk, their ability to adapt, and the role of local policies. They used a method called fuzzy cognitive mapping to understand how climate hazards like floods, heatwaves, and erosion affect daily life, beliefs, and behaviour.
What they found out: Vulnerable groups, especially women, immigrants, and low-income earners, feel the brunt of climate change. Irish respondents felt more vulnerable to climate hazards, as a great number reported that their day-to-day lives are affected, such as damage to homes, roads and recreational areas.
SDG Impact: Vulnerable groups face greater risks and fewer resources to cope, threatening their livelihoods, health, and housing. The study highlights the need for equitable, locally tailored climate strategies [S3: Renewable Energy, Climate Change Mitigation & Sustainability]
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Title: Consumer Knowledge and Willingness Pertaining to the Adoption of a Sustainable Diet: A Scoping Review
Authors & Affiliations: Connor Dupuits, Elaine Mooney, Amanda McCloat (Atlantic Technological University)
Background: Globally, in 2017 20% of deaths were associated with a poor diet. Moving toward sustainable diets could help reduce these harms. A sustainable diet promotes all aspects of a person's health and well-being, has low impact on the environment, and is affordable and accessible.
What the researchers did: Reviewed 45 papers about this topic to map out what is known about people's knowledge of and willingness to adopt a sustainable diet.
What they found out: Many people misunderstand what is a sustainable diet, and there is generally low willingness to adopt one. Reasons for this include lack of knowledge about sustainable diets, attachment to meat, perceived costs, and insufficient cooking skills. They also noted that little is known about Irish consumer's knowledge, as none of the studies were done in Ireland (at the time of literature search, to the author's best knowledge).
SDG Impact: Understanding and addressing barriers to adopting sustainable diets can support more equitable, nutritious, and environmentally friendly food systems [S3: Agri-Food]
Title: The mediating role of impulsivity on suicidal behaviour among higher education students with depression and substance abuse disorders
Authors & affiliations: McHugh (UU), McLafferty (ATU), Brown (ATU), Ward (UU), Walsh (Linköping University), Bjourson (UU), McBride (ATU), Brady (Tyrone & Fermanagh Hospital), O'Neill (UU) and Murray (UU).
Background: People with alcohol or drug dependence often have higher impulsivity, which has been linked to future alcohol abuse and increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviours—especially among those who are also depressed.
What the researchers did: Surveyed 1,829 first-year college students in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to explore how impulsivity influences the connection between depression, substance abuse, and suicidal behaviour.
What they found out: Impulsivity partially explained the link between depression or substance abuse and suicidal thoughts or actions; it was especially associated with suicidal ideation, attempts, and self-harm, but not with planning suicide. Males and those with more severe depression or substance abuse had higher levels of impulsivity.
SDG impact: Targeting impulsivity in mental health screenings could help identify at-risk students earlier and improve suicide prevention efforts, supporting their health and wellbeing [S3: Life Sciences]
Authors & Affiliations: Mary Nolan (ATU, UCD), Lizbeth Goodamn (UCD), Konrad Mulrennan (ATU), Mary Carden (ATU, UCD), David Mulligan (ATU), Eva Murphy (ATU, UCD)
Title: Humanising Pedagogies in Transdisciplinary Education: Promoting Critical Thinking, Empathy, and Ethical Awareness in Real-World Problem-Solving
Background: Engineering education has traditionally prioritised technical skills and objective problem-solving. These approaches often leave students underprepared to engage with the relational, ethical, and societal dimensions of real-world challenges.
What the researchers did: Conducted a qualitative investigation of a design-thinking event called Innovation Days (i-Days), where students from diverse fields worked collaboratively to address health literacy and access to clean water in Entebbe, Uganda. Student reflections were captured using Rolfe et al.’s “What? So What? Now What?” model and thematically analysed through the lens of Tronto’s Ethics of Care, including attentiveness, responsibility, competence, responsiveness, and caring.
What they found out: Students developed skills in communication, critical thinking, and collaboration. However, they also encountered power dynamics - where limited engagement hindered meaningful collaboration. These challenges highlighted a tendency to prioritise technical solutions over relational approaches and pointed to the need for stronger support structures and deeper contextual awareness.
SDG impact: Embedding care ethics and reflective practice in transdisciplinary education can foster more inclusive, collaborative, and ethically grounded responses to complex societal challenges.
Title: Using the coaches voice to improve the representation and experience of females in coaching: a Gaelic games perspective
Authors & Affiliations: T Haighey, A Graffin, P Donnelly, B McGrane, P McGourty (ATU) et al.
Background: Female coaches are rare in sports worldwide, including in Ireland’s Gaelic games, where only about 19% of coaches are women. This underrepresentation is linked to feelings of being undervalued, lack of confidence, gender bias, and unsupportive environments.
What the researchers did: Held online group discussions with 38 female Gaelic games coaches from different roles and activity levels to explore their experiences, focusing on how structural and cultural factors affect them.
What they found out: Identified four main areas influencing female coaches’ experiences: personal challenges, coaching environments, organisational support, and wider societal attitudes. These factors create many barriers that limit women’s involvement and progression in coaching.
SDG impact: The study highlights the need to create fair, supportive, and flexible coaching cultures that empower women, contributing directly to gender equality and inclusion in sports leadership
Article: Urban wastewater treatment by ozonation: Disinfection by-products and toxicity assessment
Authors & Affiliations: K.J. Castañeda-Retavizca, K. O’Dowd (ATU), E. Jambrina-Hernández, S. Nahim-Granados, P. Plaza-Bolaños, S. Malato, M.I. Polo-López, S.C. Pillai (ATU), I. Oller
Background: The world is running short of clean drinking water. Studies have predicted that 2.7 billion people will face severe water shortages by 2025. We need alternative water resources - such as treated urban waste water. One method of cleaning urban waste water is ozonation - where water is injected with ozone, a powerful oxidant.
What the researchers did: Tested different amounts of ozone on treated urban wastewater to see how well it inactivated pollutants and harmful bacteria, and whether it created any toxic byproducts in the process.
What they found out: Ozone successfully removed up to 80% of tiny pollutants and killed bacteria like E. coli. The lowest dosage that was tested was the most optimal - it successfully disinfected the water whilst avoiding toxicity related to byproducts.
SDG impact: This method shows promise for making waste water cleaner and safer to reuse, helping to increase the number of water resources available, and contributing to address global clean water shortages [S3 Climate Change & Sustainability]
Article: A review of frequency-control techniques for wind power stations to enable higher penetration of renewables onto the Irish power system
Authors & Affiliations: James Boyle (Atlantic Technological University) and Timothy Littler (Queen's University Belfast).
Background: Renewable energy sources like wind turbines do not operate at the national grid frequency, and can make the grid less stable. This is known as non-synchronous energy production. Synthetic inertia is a grid support service that helps to stabilise the electricity grid. Currently, non-synchronous renewable power stations are not required to provide synthetic inertia - but this will need to change as Ireland increases its levels of generated renewable energy.
What the researchers did: Reviewed existing research to understand how well proposed synthetic inertia solutions could work with the current systems used to control wind power in Ireland.
What they found out: Some of the synthetic inertia schemes proposed in literature cannot be implemented safely or optimally in real-world contexts, which prevents them from being considered for adoption by wind turbine manufacturers
SDG impact: Increasing our understanding of how to stabilise the energy grid through technologies such as synthetic inertia will help Ireland and Northern Ireland reach their renewable energy goals [S3: Renewable Energy]
Article: A Deep Reinforcement Learning Approach to Battery Management in Dairy Farming via Proximal Policy Optimization
Authors & Affiliations: Nawazish Ali (University of Galway), Rachael Shaw (Atlantic Technological University), and Karl Mason (University of Galway)
Background: Dairy farms use up a large amount of electricity - this is likely to increase along with the demand for milk production. Therefore, dairy farms would benefit from enhancing electricity efficiency through the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) controlled renewable energy systems.
What the researchers did: Tested a deep reinforcement learning algorithm (Proximal Policy Optimisation) on real farm data from Finland to find out how well it manages the use of dairy farm batteries and how much electricity is purchased from the grid.
What they found out: The PPO algorithm managed the batteries effectively. It reduced electricity purchased from the grid by 13% compared to no battery, 2.6% compared to rule-based algorithms, and 1.6% compared to traditional Q-learning.
SDG impact: Harnessing the power of smart algorithms can play a key role in making dairy farming more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly [S3: Agri-Tech]
Article: A methodological framework for exploring SME finance with SAFE data
Authors & Affiliations: Marie Finnegan (ATU), Lucía Morales (TU Dublin)
Background: Small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) are very important to Europe's economy: in 2022 they represented 64% of total employment in the EU's non-financial business sector. Many SMEs rely on euro banks to raise capital, so understanding how they access finance is crucial for supporting jobs and growth.
What they researchers did: Reviewed how studies analyse SME access to finance using data from the Survey on the Access to Finance of Enterprises (SAFE). They focused on improving the methods used by other researchers to choose the right type of statistical model to ensure results are accurate and useful.
What they found out: They developed a better way to choose between three common models (LPM, probit, logit). While the probit model worked best overall, the simpler LPM model can still be useful in certain situations and helps make findings easier to explain.
SDG impact: By improving how SME financing is analyzed, this research supports better economic policies that help small businesses grow, create jobs, and boost sustainable economic development
Article: A review of external sensors for human detection in a human robot collaborative environment
Authors & Affiliations: Zainab Saleem (ATU), Fredrik Gustafsson (Linkoping University), Eoghan Furey (ATU), Marion McAfee (ATU) & Saif Huq (York College of Pennsylvania)
Background: In manufacturing, collaborative robots (cobots) are robots that work with humans. For example, they could help a human co-operate carry heavy objects safely, or precisely place objects. To do this effectively, cobots need to be able to accurately perceive human interaction - which they do through sensors.
What they researchers did: Reviewed different types of sensors and how they’re used to help cobots detect nearby humans and objects, focusing especially on real-world (not just simulated) testing environments.
What they found out: They categorised sensor research into three areas (simulated, partly simulated, and real-world) and showed how sensor setups and algorithms help cobots safely and effectively work alongside humans.
SDG impact: By presenting and discussing different sensors systems, this research may catalyse further work on smart manufacturing and innovation, helping industries become more efficient, modern, and human-centric [S3: Advanced Manufacturing]
Article: Data exploration on the factors associated with cost overrun on social housing projects in Trinidad and Tobago
Authors & Affiliations: AA Chadee, C Allis, U Rathnayake (ATU), H Martin, HM Azamathulla
Background: Public construction projects in Trinidad and Tobago often go over budget, causing delays and wasted resources, but the exact reasons behind these cost overruns aren’t fully understood.
What the researchers did: Gathered data from people involved in construction projects—like managers, engineers, and contractors—using surveys and analyzed the responses with statistical and fuzzy logic methods to identify main causes of cost overruns.
What they found out: Identified 22 critical risk factors which help to explain why many public infrastructure projects don’t finish on time or within budget. These were grouped into 4 categories: political, socio-economical, technical and psychological. Political factors, such as choosing politically aligned contractors or intentionally poorly designed contracts, were found to have the biggest influence.
SDG impact: Understanding and addressing these causes can allow public projects to be more fairly managed to benefit all communities, reducing inequalities linked to poor infrastructure development
Article: Compact 5G mmWave vivaldi antenna for vehicular communication
Authors & Affiliations: Sahar Saleh, Tale Saeidi, Nick Timmons (Atlantic Technological University), Ayman A. Althuwayb, (Jouf University, KSA), Faroq Razzaz (Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, KSA)
Background: New wireless communication technologies, especially 5G and millimeter-wave (mmWave) antennas, are being used to make vehicles smarter and safer. Vehicular communication includes vehicle to vehicle, vehicle to infrastructure (e.g. traffic lights), vehicle to pedestrian, and vehicle to network.
What the researchers did: Designed a new 5G mmWave Vivaldi Tapered Slot Antenna and tested its effectiveness for vehicular communication.
What they found out: The new antenna is simple and compact, yet demonstrates excellent performance. It is also able to radiate in multiple directions which helps to facilitate communication with other vehicles, pedestrians, roadside units and pedestrians.
SDG impact: Improved vehicular communication plays a key role in alleviating traffic congestion on roads which can contribute towards reducing fuel emissions. Real-time data from cars can also inform data-driven urban planning.
Article: A review of best international life cycle assessment (LCA) practices in wood construction: Challenges for Ireland
Authors & Affiliations: Song Ge (University of Galway), Conan O'Ceallaigh (Atlantic Technological University), and Patrick J. McGetrick (University of Galway)
Background: To meet Ireland’s 2050 climate targets, the Irish construction industry needs to achieve a 50% reduction in carbon emissions. In the face of an ever-increasing demand for new housing, timber offers a sustainable alternative to traditional construction materials as it emits less carbon and can reduce the overall emissions associated with construction.
What the researchers did: Reviewed relevant literature, policies and documents to identify gaps and challenges in Irish Life Cycle Assessment practices for wood construction, with a particular focus on specific challenges for Ireland.
What they found out: Widespread adoption of timber is hindered by outdated practices, missing policy support, and significant data and methodological gaps in life cycle assessment (LCA) for the Irish context.
SDG impact: Addressing the gaps in data, regulation, and incentives around timber construction and LCA can enable a major reduction in carbon emissions, helping Ireland meet its 2050 climate goals.
Article: Integrated multi-index drought monitoring and projection under climate change
Authors & Affiliations: Sogol Moradian (UoG), Salem Gharbia (Atlantic Technological University), Amir AghaKouchak (University of California), Ali Torabi Haghighi (UoG), Agnieszka Indiana Olbert (UoG)
Background: Drought is a complex natural disaster with significant negative impacts. Long-term drought projections, catalysed by climate change, indicate that drought conditions will continue to intensify over the coming years. It is important to better understand how droughts work to help mitigate these challenges.
What the researchers did: Used a comprehensive approach that considers numerous variables such as soil moisture, precipitation, run-off, relative humidity and water demands to monitor and project droughts under climate change.
What they found out: Droughts are more complex than they seem. For example in Dublin, although the weather may seem wetter overall until 2050, the city could still face serious water shortages due to drops in river flow and growing demand.
SDG impact: Giving a clearer picture of future drought risks could help decision-makers plan ahead to protect water supplies and adapt to climate change.
Learn more about how ATU researchers are contributing towards climate resilience
Article: The plastisphere: a comprehensive description of geographic and temporal community patterns across the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean
Authors & Affiliations: Ana Luzia Larceda (Sorbonne University, France) and João Frias (ATU)
Background: Roughly 8-12 million metric tons of plastic enter the oceans every year. Not only is this physical debris a threat to our environment, but it also hosts microbial hitchhikers – known as plastisphere.
What the researchers did: Submerged 3 different plastics (fossil-fuel based LDPE, recycled PP-PC and bio-based PLA) for one year across sites in the Atlantic Ocean (Ireland, Spain and Brazil) and in the Mediterranean Sea (France and Italy). They then used DNA sequencing and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to identify the range of microorganisms present in the samples.
What they found out: They identified and described over 120 types of life forms, including fungi, algae and bacteria. Different locations had different microbial communities due to differences in temperature, and levels of salt and chlorophyll. This is the most extensive dataset on the marine platisphere to date!
SDG impact: Understanding what species live in these plastics is important because plastic is lightweight and can travel great distances, potentially bringing non-native species across the ocean.
Article: Passive acoustic monitoring of an elusive rail, the corncrake (Crex crex): Calling patterns, detectability and monitoring recommendations
Authors & Affiliations: Andrea Parisi, Marie Greaney (ATU), John Carey (NPWS), James Moran (ATU), Joanne O'Brien (ATU)
Background: The corncrake is a rare, ground-nesting bird that is endangered in Ireland. Corncrakes are particularly secretive, making them difficult to track, which hampers the design of effective conservation strategies.
What the researchers did: Used novel recording technologies (Passive Acoustic Monitoring) to monitor male corncrake calls and studied how factors like time, weather, and moonlight affected their calling and chances of being heard.
What they found out: Corncrakes call most between 1–2am in May and June, especially on cool, calm, clear nights with bright moonlight. Wind and cloud cover reduce how likely it is to hear them.
SDG impact: Better understanding when and how to detect corncrakes helps conservationists plan smarter surveys—protecting this endangered bird while saving time and resources.
Article: The role of employees in continuous improvement: a study on employee participation
Authors & Affiliations: Ying Yang (Newcastle University), Biao Yang (University of Sussex), George Onofrei (ATU), Hung Nguyen (RMIT International University), Elena Hlaciuc (Stefan cel Mare University)
Background: Encouraging employees to get involved and propose ideas and solutions to current challenges is a critical component of improving workplace processes (called Continuous Improvement or CI). Yet, many managers still struggle with how to motivate staff to actively participate.
What the researchers did: Studied four business units in a German manufacturing company, each at different stages of CI, and used a model called MOA (Motivation-Opportunity-Ability) to understand what influences employee participation.
What they found out: Discovered new factors that explain how motivation, opportunity and ability are influenced. Examples include Awareness of benefits (Motivation) and cultivating an Error-free culture (Opportunity). This provides valuable guidance on how to structure training and development to effectively foster employee engagement.
SDG impact: By helping workplaces become more participatory, inclusive, and responsive, the study supports fair and transparent decision-making, which are key principles of strong, just institutions.
Article: An Exploration of Food Sustainability Practices in the Food Industry across Europe
Authors & Affiliations: Maria McDonagh, Sarah O'Donovan, Aisling Moran, and Lisa Ryan (ATU)
Background: Food production has been estimated to account for up to 30% of greenhouse gases. As such, the food industry is under growing pressure to operate more sustainably. Yet, little is known about the processes by which food industries develop and implement their food sustainability practices.
What the researchers did: Interviewed 21 persons in sustainability-related roles from food companies in Ireland, Poland, Lithuania, and Cyprus to understand current practices.
What they found out: Identified a variety of common factors related to the challenges, facilitators and future directions of food sustainability practices in the food industry. Common challenges include high costs, time-consuming monitoring and low employee engagement. All interviewees emphasised the importance of aligning to national and global targets. Future directions feature increased collaboration with other companies and communities, and investing in business improvements.
SDG impact: This work highlighted the importance of companies working together in partnership to achieve global and national targets.
The compilation of this series, ATU’s Research Impact on the SDGs, was supported by RISE@ATU (TU RISE). TU RISE is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the ERDF Northern and Western Regional Programme 2021-27
