PhD in Health Impacts of Coastal Nature-Based Solutions at Trinity College Dublin
Trinity College Dublin is inviting applications for a PhD project on the health impacts of coastal nature-based solutions (NBS), with a focus on children and adolescents. The project is framed around the question: how do coastal NBS affect physical and mental health in young people?
The research sits within the Trinity Research Doctorate Award 2026–2030 and is linked to a broader interdisciplinary effort involving the School of Natural Sciences and collaborators across the Schools of Medicine, Natural Sciences, Psychology, and Engineering. The project aims to generate policy- and practice-relevant evidence by treating NBS as a measurable exposure intervention and linking environmental change to changes in child and adolescent mental health, physical health, and health-related behaviours.
Research themes include coastal environments, blue-green spaces, environmental exposure, climate-related health impacts, biostatistics, survey design, and cross-national health survey analysis. The project will examine how coastal NBS may influence wellbeing, resilience, and health pathways, while also considering equity, trade-offs, and implementation challenges. It will use a combination of environmental monitoring, analysis of existing climatic and other environmental time-series, spatial analysis, and survey data collection.
Supervision is led by Professor Iris Moeller at Trinity College Dublin, with additional expertise from Professor Geoffrey Parkes, Professor Natalie Nash, and Professor Aina Comas. The post is especially suitable for candidates with a background in Psychology, Environmental Psychology, or Health Sciences, and for those with strong quantitative and data-analysis skills. Experience or interest in coastal wetlands or shallow coastal environments is desirable, along with an openness to interdisciplinary research.
Funding includes a €25,000 per annum tax-free stipend for 4 years and tuition fee write-down. The announcement also notes that the admission application fee (€55) and annual Student Levies & Charges (about €200 per year) are payable at registration. The application deadline is 3 July 2026, and applicants should email a CV, cover letter, and two-page research proposal to Prof. Iris Moeller.
