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Biography
Dr Paul Bolger is manager of the Environmental Research Institute at University College Cork, Ireland. He has a BSc Degree in Environmental Science, holds a PhD in Chemistry, and a Masters in Business Administration. He has worked across academia, industry and government for over 20 years developing long term research solutions for global sustainability challenges.
He is currently Principal Investigator on the Imagining 2050 research project which is engaging with civil society using innovative approaches to co-develop pathways to a low carbon and climate resilient future. He is also Principal Investigator on NEWTRIENTS research project which uses a circular economy approach to produce value-added products from dairy industry wastewater
Dr Bolger is an EPA 2019 Fulbright Scholar in which he examined how interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research is being utilised at sustainability research institutes at Duke University, Cornell University, Colombia University and Arizona State University to achieve more robust and sustainable research outcomes.
Research Interests
Dr Bolger research interests are in how to utilise interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary (co-production) approaches to address complex environmental challenges, and in how broad academic knowledge across natural and social sciences, humanities, business and law can help society achieve sustainable development goals.
Research Grants
| Project | Funding Body | Start Date | End Date | Award |
---|
| Climate Technology - Realising the Potential | Environmental Protection Agency | 01-JAN-12 | 31-DEC-14 | |
| Imagining 2050 | Environmental Protection Agency | 01-JAN-19 | 01-APR-21 | |
| Higher Diploma in Sustainability in Enterprise | Higher Education Authority | 01-SEP-20 | 31-DEC-24 | |
| Fulbright Irish Scholar Award | Environmental Protection Agency | 18-FEB-19 | 31-JUL-19 | |
| NEWTRIENTS | Environmental Protection Agency | 01-JAN-18 | 31-DEC-20 | |
Publications
Book Chapters
| Year | Publication |
---|
| (2015) | 'A Journey in Sustainable Development in an Urban Campus' Reidy D.; Kirrane M.; Curley B.; Brosnan D.; Koch S.; Bolger P.; Dunphy N.; McCarthy M.; Poland M.; Ryan-Fogarty Y; and O'Halloran J. (2015) 'A Journey in Sustainable Development in an Urban Campus' In: Walter Leal Filho, Luciana Brandli, Olga Kuznetsova, Arminda Maria Finisterra do Paço (eds). Integrative Approaches to Sustainable Development at University Level. Switzerland: Springer. [DOI] [Details] |
Peer Reviewed Journals
| Year | Publication |
---|
| (2020) | 'A study of faculty perceptions and engagement with interdisciplinary research in university sustainability institutes' Bolger P. (2020) 'A study of faculty perceptions and engagement with interdisciplinary research in university sustainability institutes'. Journal Of Environmental Studies And Sciences, [DOI] [Details] |
| (2000) | 'Current and emerging technologies for extending the lifetime of electroless nickel plating baths' Bolger P. and Szlag D. (2000) 'Current and emerging technologies for extending the lifetime of electroless nickel plating baths'. Clean Technologies And Environmental Policy, 2 [DOI] [Details] |
| (2002) | 'An electrochemical system for removing and recovering elemental mercury from a gas stream' Bolger PT;Szlag DC; (2002) 'An electrochemical system for removing and recovering elemental mercury from a gas stream'. Environmental Science & Technology, 36 (20) [DOI] [Details] |
| (2002) | 'Investigation into the rejuvenation of spend electroless nickel baths by electrodialysis' Bolger, PT;Szlag, DC (2002) 'Investigation into the rejuvenation of spend electroless nickel baths by electrodialysis'. Environmental Science & Technology, 36 :2273-2278 [DOI] [Details] |
| (2002) | 'Electrochemical treatment and reuse of nickel plating rinse waters' Bolger P.;Szlag D. (2002) 'Electrochemical treatment and reuse of nickel plating rinse waters'. Environmental Progress, 21 (3):203-208 [DOI] [Details] |
Other Journals
| Year | Publication |
---|
| (2003) | 'Membrane Bioreactors: a new option for wastewater managers' Bolger P. (2003) 'Membrane Bioreactors: a new option for wastewater managers' The Engineers Journal, . [Details] |
| (2002) | 'Analysis of electroless nickel solutions by anion chromatography' Bolger P.;Szlag D. (2002) 'Analysis of electroless nickel solutions by anion chromatography' Plating and Surface Finishing, 89 (3) :52-55. [Details] |
| (2002) | 'Regenerating mercury-loaded sorbents' Britt E Erickson (2002) 'Regenerating mercury-loaded sorbents' Environmental Science and Technology, :408A-409A. [Details] |
Published Reports
| Year | Publication |
---|
| (2016) | Climate Technology - Realising the Potential. Rogan F., Bolger P. and O'Gallachoir B. (2016) Climate Technology - Realising the Potential. Environmental Protection Agency, Ireland. [Details] |
Newspaper Articles
| Year | Publication |
---|
| (2020) | UCC’s interdisciplinary mode of problem solving. Bolger P. (2020) UCC’s interdisciplinary mode of problem solving. Newspaper Articles [Details] |
| (2020) | Climate action is not a New Year's resolution which we can put off. Bolger P. and Flood S. (2020) Climate action is not a New Year's resolution which we can put off. Newspaper Articles [Details] |
| (2019) | How to talk to your mates about climate change?. Bolger P. (2019) How to talk to your mates about climate change?. Newspaper Articles [Details] |
| (2018) | How do we respond to the wicked problem of climate change?. Bolger P. (2018) How do we respond to the wicked problem of climate change?. Newspaper Articles [Details] |
Professional Activities
Honours and Awards
| Year | Title | Awarding Body |
---|
| 2019 | Fulbright Irish Scholar Award | Fulbright Ireland-Environmental Protection Agency |
| 1999 | ORISE Fellowship at the US Environmental Protection Agency | US Environmental Protection Agency |
Professional Associations
| Association | Function | From / To |
---|
| Environmental Sciences Association of Ireland | Chair | 01-JAN-11 / 31-DEC-15 |
Committees
| Committee | Function | From / To |
---|
| Royal Irish Academy Climate Change and Environmental Sciences Committee | Member | 2019 / 2022 |
Employment
| Employer | Position | From / To |
---|
| Bord na Mona | Research and Innovation Manager | 01-JAN-01 / 01-JAN-06 |
| U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, United States | Postdoctoral Fellow | 01-JAN-99 / 01-JAN-01 |
| University College Cork | Manager, Environmental Research Institute | 01-JAN-06 / 31-DEC-20 |
Education
| Year | Institution | Qualification | Subject |
---|
| 1999 | Queen's University of Belfast | PhD | PhD in Chemistry |
| 2006 | Open University, United Kingdom | Masters in Business Administration (MBA) | Business Administration |
| 1994 | Sligo IT | BSc | Environmental Science and Technology |
Outreach Activities
| Description |
---|
| Climate Hackathon: Led the organisation of 24 hour climate change global hackathon in Cork City in 2016 and 2017 |
| Climate in a Bottle: Developed a set of climate change demonstrations for science outreach exhibitions (Climate in a Bottle) |
| Climate Lab Public Lecture series: Organise regular public lectures on climate change and environment |
| An Taisce Climate Ambassador |
| Saturday Science Club founder: Established a Saturday Science Club for local primary school |
Journal Activities
| Journal | Role | To / From |
---|
| Clean Technologies And Environmental Policy | Editor | - |