Assessing Environmental, Economic, and Resilience Trade-offs in Beef Production Systems

Scholarship title:

Assessing Environmental, Economic, and Resilience Trade-offs in Beef Production Systems

Supervisor(s): Prof Michael Wallace (Principal Supervisor, UCD), Dr Austen Ashfield (Agri-Food & Biosciences Institute, AFBI)

Duration: 3 years

Funding information: Co-Centre for Climate + Biodiversity + Water

Value of the scholarship (per annum): The scholarship includes a stipend of €25,000 per annum plus university fees.

Closing date and time: 14 May 2026 at 5pm IST

Commencement date: September 2026

Project Summary

This scholarship is part of the Co-Centre for Climate + Biodiversity + Water, a €41 million cross-border research programme launched in 2024. The programme is funded by Research Ireland, DAERA (Northern Ireland), and UK Research & Innovation and involves around 60 researchers across Ireland and Great Britain. Its goal is to develop research and policy solutions addressing climate change, biodiversity loss, and water degradation.

This project aims to develop an integrated framework to evaluate the environmental, economic, and resilience impacts of sustainability measures in beef production systems. The research will combine Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) with farm systems modelling to provide a holistic assessment of mitigation and adaptation strategies, addressing key trade-offs between environmental performance, economic viability, and farm system resilience.

The PhD student will:

• Apply Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to quantify the environmental impacts of mitigation strategies in beef production systems, including greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and biodiversity-related indicators.
• Integrate the LCA with the AFBI Beef Systems Model to evaluate the economic implications of mitigation and adaptation strategies at the farm level.
• Incorporate dynamic and resilience-oriented indicators, such as production variability, income stability, and adaptive capacity of farms under environmental and economic shocks.
• Conduct scenario and sensitivity analyses to assess the robustness of mitigation strategies under climate variability, market volatility, and policy-driven land-use changes.
• Quantify trade-offs and synergies between environmental mitigation, economic performance, and system resilience across different beef production systems and farm types.

A key innovation of this project is the development of a multi-platform modelling framework that links environmental life-cycle modelling with farm systems economic modelling. This integration will enable the evaluation of sustainability strategies not only in terms of environmental mitigation but also in terms of their implications for farm-level resilience and long-term sectoral sustainability.

The outcomes will provide valuable insights for policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders in the agri-food sector by identifying pathways that enhance both the sustainability and resilience of beef production systems while minimising negative economic impacts.

Supervision and Training

The successful candidate will be jointly supervised by Austen Ashfield (Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Northern Ireland) and Michael Wallace (University College Dublin). Both supervisors bring extensive expertise in farming systems modelling, sustainability assessment, and agricultural policy analysis, providing strong interdisciplinary guidance across environmental and economic modelling approaches.

The candidate will be registered at University College Dublin and will work closely with researchers at the Agri Food and Biosciences Institute in Belfast. Periods of residence at both institutions will be agreed as part of the research programme, enabling the candidate to benefit from complementary research environments, datasets, and expertise.

As part of a structured doctoral training programme, the student will develop advanced scientific and analytical skills in areas including life cycle assessment, farm systems modelling, economic analysis, and sustainability assessment. In parallel, the candidate will undertake professional development activities designed to build transferable skills in scientific communication, stakeholder engagement, project management, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Through participation in the Climate+ research programme, the student will have opportunities to present their work at national and international conferences, workshops, and policy engagement events. These activities will support the development of professional networks and facilitate active engagement with the wider research community, industry stakeholders, and policymakers working on sustainable agri-food systems.

Candidate Profile and Eligibility

Applicants should ideally have:

• At least a 2:1 Honours degree (or Master’s) in Agribusiness Management, Agricultural Science, Agricultural Economics, Animals Science, Biosystems Engineering or related discipline.
• Strong analytical and data handling skills.
• An understanding of pasture-based beef production systems.
• Knowledge of environmental impact assessment.
• Excellent IT skills, organisational skills and communication skills (both written and oral).
• Ability to work as part of a team as well as under own initiative.
• Ability to work under pressure to meet project deadlines.
• Excellent written and spoken English.
• Eligibility to meet University College Dublin postgraduate entry requirements, including completion of English Language Test (TOEFL/IELTS) where applicable.

Further Information

Informal enquiries are welcome and may be directed to: Prof Michael Wallace - michael.wallace@ucd.ie

Information on the Climate Co-Centre is available at: https://climatecocentre.org/

Application Procedure

Applicants should complete the online application form, via the 'Apply' button above, by the above closing date. Applications must include a curriculum vitae and a 1-2 page statement of motivation, submitted as part of the online application.