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Dr. John Connolly

Kinsella Assistant Professor (Geography)
      
Profile Photo

Dr. John Connolly

Kinsella Assistant Professor (Geography)

 JOHN.CONNOLLY@tcd.ie

 


Dr. John Connolly is an Assistant Professor in Physical Geography and leads the Trinity Geospatial & Environmental Modelling Group (TGEM). He joined Trinity College Dublin in September 2020 and got tenure in July 2024. He teaches GIS and remote sensing at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. John's research uses GIS and Earth Observation to study the terrestrial environment including land use change; landscape carbon dynamics and habitat assessment. He has published more than 40 journal articles, reports and policy statements including articles in leading international peer-review journals such as: Earth Science Reviews; International Journal of Remote Sensing and Biogeosciences.

John is currently the Principal Investigator for the EPA funded ICONNEEx project, iHabiMap project (2019 - 2024) and the DAFM Funded RePEAT project (2022 - 2025). He is also PI on the EPA funded ICONEEx project (2023 - 2025). He is a CO-PI on several projects including the EPA & NPWS funded Irish Peatland Resilience project(2021 - 2024), SmartBog project(2019-2023); the DAFM funded GENENET project project (2020-2022) and the SFI funded Enable SolarMap Project (2020-2021). He is also an international collaborator on the Boston University led GLanCE Project(2019-2024). He has co-ordinated several national and international research proposals including FP7, H2020, EPA, DAFM and a Google Earth Engine Research Award. John Collaborates widely and has active collaborations with colleagues in Ireland, Germany, UK, Sweden, USA, Canada and Brazil. He is also a Coordinating Lead Author on Chapter 2.1 of the Global Peatland Assessment

He has supervised three PhDs to completions and currently supervises three PhD students (one at Trinity, one in NUI Galway and one in Greifswald University) and co-supervises four Post Doctoral Researchers.

He is interested in supervising PhD students, and working with Post Doctoral researchers interested in applied GIS and Earth Observation (Google Earth Engine etc.) under the following themes

· Global Land use and land use change using EO

· Landscape carbon dynamics (Net Ecosystem Exchange)

· Mapping peatlands and peatland degradation

· Mapping the historical extent of peatlands and loss of carbon

Prior to joining Trinity College Dublin, John held positions at Dublin City University, Lund University, University College Cork and University College Dublin
Project Title
 RePEAT- A Modern Resurvey of Mapped Irish Peatlands to Refine Assessment of Land Use Change and Progress Greenhouse Gas Removal and Emissions Inventories
From
01-09-2021
To
31-08-2024
Summary
Funding Agency
DAFM
Project Type
Research
Project Title
 Satellite-driven model to upscale Irish CO2 Net Ecosystem Exchange (ICONEEx).
From
May 2023
To
April 2026
Summary
Funding Agency
EPA
Project Title
 Irish Peatland Resilience
From
01-01-2022
To
31-12-2023
Summary
Funding Agency
EPA
Project Type
Research
Project Title
 Habitat Mapping, Monitoring and Assessment using High-Resolution Imagery
From
2019
To
2023
Summary
Funding Agency
EPA
Project Title
 Tellus Peatmap
From
To
Summary
Funding Agency
GSI

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Details Date
Journal Reviewer - Geoderma 2021
Member of Editorial Board for Frontiers in Earth Science 2019
Treasurer of the Geomorphological Association of Ireland 2021 to present
Invited to be an external PhD examiner for Dept. of Geography at Maynooth University 2024
Invitation to be External Examiner for PhD student at the University of the Highlands and Islands 2021
Invited to join a OPW hiring Board for a GIS Grade 2 position. 2024
Invited to be a Steering Committee member for Peatland Finance Ireland 2023
Invited member of scientific advisory board for CSO Ecosystem Extent Accounts committee and the CSO Expert Group on Global Climate Regulation 2023
Invited Reviewer - Journal of Hydrology 2022
Invited Reviewer - Biogeosciences 2022
Invited reviewer - Frontiers in Earth Science 2022
Language Skill Reading Skill Writing Skill Speaking
French Basic Basic Medium
Details Date From Date To
Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) 2019 2023
International Peatland Society (IPS) 2004 2024
Geographical Society of Ireland (GSI) 2012 2024
Geomorphological Association of Ireland 2023 2024
Irish Geomorphological Society (IGGY) 2017 2023
European Geosciences Union 2020 2024
American Geosciences Union 2013 2014
Louis Gilet, Wahaj Habib; Elena Aitova; Kenneth A. Byrne; Catherine A. Farrell; Owen Fenton; Raymond Flynn; Dave O'Leary; Terry R. Morley; Pat Tuohy; Shane Regan; Florence Renou-Wilson; David Wilson; John Connolly, Peatland use and peat soil land cover types in Ireland: Implications for the calculation of GHG emissions in the context of climate action, Land Use Policy, 2025, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Chelsea Clifford, Magdalena Bieroza, Stewart J. Clarke, Amy Pickard, Michael Stratigos, Matt Hill, Nejem Raheem, Corianne Tatariw, Paul Wood, Ivan Arismendi, Joachim Audet, Daniel Aviles, Jordanna N. Bergman, Tony Brown, Rachel Eleanor Burns, John Connolly, Sarah Cook, Julie Crabot, Wyatt Cross, Joshua F. Dean, Chris D. Evans, Owen Fenton, Laurie Friday, Kieran J. Gething, Guillermo Giannico, Wahaj Habib, Eliza Maher Hasselquist, Nate Heili, Judith van der Knaap, Sarian Kosten, Alan Law, Gea van der Lee, Kate Mathers, John E. Morgan, Hamidreza Rahimi, Carl Sayer, Mans Schepers, Rosalind Shaw, Peter C. Smiley Jr., Shannon Speir, Jeff Strock, Quinten Struik, Jennifer L. Tank, Hao Wang, Jackie R Webb, Alex J Webster, Zhifeng Yan, Peta Zivec, Mike Peacock., Lines in the landscape, Communications Earth & Environment, 6, 2025, Notes: [https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02699-y], Journal Article, PUBLISHED  URL
Webster, Kara; Strack, Maria; Balliston, Nicole; Davies, Marissa; Hettinga, Katie; Hunter, Miranda; Kleinke, Kimberly; Schmidt, Megan; Barreto, Carlos; Bird, Melanie; Blann, Kristen; Bona, Kelly Ann; Cassidy, Alison; Connolly, John; Davidson, Scott; Fedorchuk, Lee; Garneau, Michelle; Harris, Lorna; He, Hongxing; Howie, Sarah; Kirkwood, Adam; Pontone, Nicholas; Richardson, Karen; Sanderson, Nicole; Seutin, Gilles; Xu, Bin; Yin, Xiangbo, Data and knowledge needs for improving science and policy for peatlands in Canada in a changing world: Insights from Global Peatlands Initiative Workshop, June 2023, FACETS, 2025, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Nima Sabokrouhiyeh, John Connolly, Ype van der Veld and Nicholas Kettridge, Peatland Resilience and Presence Under National Climate Gradients: Implications for Peatland Restoration Strategies, Science of the Total Environment, 2025, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Alice M Milner, Angela Gallego-Sala, Julie Loisel, Michelle M McKeown, Monika Ruwaimana, Johanna Menges, Thomas P Roland, Crystal A.E Ahiable, Leonard O Akwany, Paola Alarcon-Prado, Gusti Anshari, Linto Apalaat, Andy J Baird, Mariusz B"k, Jean Jacques Bambuta Boole, Stephanie E Batten, Yannick Beaudoin, Michel Bechtold, Zhao-Jun Bu, Sri Parwati Murwani Budisusanti, Juan C Benavides, Sakonvan Chawchai, Rodney A Chimner, Alexander R Cobb, Lydia E.S Cole, John Connolly, Janet Coral Calvo Vargas25, Colin J Courtney-Mustaphi26,27,28, Scott J Davidson29,30 9 , Angeles de la Peña31, Emma Duley32, Samer Elshehawi33, Ingrid Espinoza León34 10 , Sarah A Finklestein35, Michelle Garneau36, Nicholas T Girkin37, Erin Glen38, Samantha Grover39 11 , PietLouis Grundling40,41, Josephine N Handley42,43, Carole Helfter44, Kristell Hergoualc"h45 12 , Alison M Hoyt46, Xianyu Huang47, Gerard Imani48, Alexander James49, Miriam C Jones50 13 , Chantal Kabonyi Nzabandora48, Carol Kagaba51, Frank Kansiime52, Randall K Kolka53 14 , Gerbrand Koren54, Atte Korhola55, Haruni Krisnawati56, Ritesh Kumar57, Mariusz Lamentowicz12 15 , Kristiina Lång58, Tuula Larmola58, Simon L Lewis11,59, Omar R Lopez60, Efrén López-Blanco61 16 , Massimo Lupascu62, Mónica Maldonado-Fonken63, Robert Marchant64,65, Katarzyna Marcisz12 17 , Natalia G Mazei66, Yuri A Mazei67, Michel Mbasi68,69, Lulie Melling70, Lera Miles71, Luca Montanarella72 18 , Patrick T Moss73,74, Fabiola Murgía-Flores75, Minh-Ky NGuyen76, Nisa Novita77 19 , Dylan JS Oliver1 , Emuobosa Akpo Orijemie78,79, Mitsuru Osaki80, Susan E Page81, Richard D Pancost8 20 , Shilpa Pandey82, Nichole Püschel Hoeneisen83, Christian H Quintana Zagaceta84,85 21 , Amil S Ratnayake86, Mark S Reed87, Line Rochefort, Bárbara Saavedra, Japheth Samuel , Patrick Scheel, Hans Schutten, Florian Siegert, Caroline Signori-Müller , Maria Strack, Fred Stolle, Graeme T Swindles, Franziska Tanneberger, Merritt R. Turetsky99, Adriana B Urciuolo, Minna Väliranta, Gert Verstraeten, Matthew Warren, Kara L Webster, Jennie Whinam, Dylan M Young, Zicheng Yu, Hui Zhang, Priority research questions in global peatland science, Communications Earth & Environment, 2025, Journal Article, SUBMITTED
Chelsea Clifford, Magdalena Bieroza, Stewart J. Clarke, Amy Pickard, Michael J. Stratigos, Matthew J. Hill, Nejem Raheem, Corianne Tatariw, Paul J. Wood, Iván Arismendi, Joachim Audet, Daniel Avilés, Jordanna N. Bergman, Antony G. Brown, Rachel J. Burns, John Connolly, Sarah Cook, Julie Crabot, Wyatt F. Cross, Joshua Dean, Chris Evans, Owen Fenton, Laurie E. Friday, Kieran J. Gething, Guillermo Giannico, Wahaj Habib, Eliza Maher Hasselquist, Nathaniel M. Heili, Judith van der Knaap, Sarian Kosten, Alan Law, Gea H. van der Lee, Kate L. Mathers, John Morgan, Hamidreza Rahimi, Carl D. Sayer, Mans Schepers, Rosalind F. Shaw, Peter C. Smiley, Shannon L. Speir, Jeffrey S. Strock, Quinten Struik, Jennifer L. Tank, Hao Wang, Jackie R. Webb, Alex J. Webster, Zhifeng Yan, Peta Zivec, Mike Peacock, Lines in the landscape, Communications Earth & Environment, 6, (1), 2025, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Cruz, C., Perrin, P. M., Martin, J. R., O"Connell, J., McGuinness, K., & Connolly, J., Mapping of temperate upland habitats using high-resolution satellite imagery and machine learning, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 2024, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Catherine A. Farrell, John Connolly, Terry R. Morley, Charting a course for peatland restoration in Ireland: a case study to support restoration frameworks in other regions, Restoration Ecology, 2024, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Wahaj Habib, Remi Cresson, Kevin McGuinness, John Connolly, Mapping artificial drainage on Peatlands - A national scale assessment of Irish raised bogs using sub-meter aerial imagery and deep learning methods, Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation, 2024, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Habib W, Ingle R, Saunders M, Connolly J., Quantifying peatland land use and CO2 emissions in Irish raised bogs: mapping insights using Sentinel-2 data and Google Earth Engine., Scientific reports, 14, (1), 2024, p1171 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
  

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John Connolly, Charmaine Cruz, James R. Martin, Jerome O Connell, Kevin McGuinness and Philip M. Perrin, John Connolly, Charmaine Cruz, James R. Martin, Jerome O Connell, Kevin McGuinness and Philip M. Perrin, Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland), June, 2025, Report, PUBLISHED
Gilet, L., Morley, T., Flynn, R., Connolly, J., Hidden and shallow peat in the new Irish Peat Soils Map, Environ 2024, outheast Technological University, Waterford, Ireland, March 25-27, 2024., 2024, Oral Presentation, PUBLISHED
Habib, W. and Connolly, J., Multi-spatial-temporal remote sensing and machine learning for mapping land use on peatland in Ireland, 35th International Geographical Congress, Dublin, 24th to 30th August, 2024, Oral Presentation, PUBLISHED
Sabokrouhiyeh, N.; van der Velde, Y.; Connolly, J.; Kettridge, N., Irish Peatland Resilience and Presence Across National Climate Gradients, EGU General Assembly, Vienna, Austria, 2024, Oral Presentation, PUBLISHED
Ingle, R. Habib, Wahaj; Connolly, John, McCorry, Mark, Barry, Stephen and Saunders, Matthew, A simple approach to upscale methane emissions from peatlands using Planetscope satellite data and machine learning algorithm, EGU General Assembly, Vienna, Austria, 2024, Oral Presentation, PUBLISHED
Cruz, C., O'Connell, J., Martin, J., Perrin, P. & Connolly, J., Drones and machine learning for habitat monitorin, EGU General Assembly, Vienna, Austria, 2024, Oral Presentation, PUBLISHED
Habib, W. and Connolly, J., Satellite-driven model to upscale Irish CO2 Net Ecosystem Exchange (ICONEEx)., EGU General Assembly, Vienna, Austria, 2024, Oral Presentation, PUBLISHED
O'Leary, D; Connolly, J., Gilet, L., Tuohy, P., Hodgson, J., Daly, E., Identifying the Transition Zone between Peat and Mineral Soils Using Airborne Radiometric Data: a national scale case study from Ireland, EGU General Assembly, Vienna, Austria, 2024, Oral Presentation, PRESENTED
Habib, W. and Connolly, J., Automated Mapping of Artificial Drainage in Peatlands Using Deep Learning and Very High-Resolution Aerial Imagery, EGU General Assembly,, Vienna, Austria, 2024, Oral Presentation, PUBLISHED
O'Leary, D; Connolly, J., Gilet, L., Tuohy, P., Hodgson, J., Daly, E, Identifying the Transition Zone between Peat and Non-Peat Soils Using Airborne Radiometric Data, IQUA Autumn Symposium, , Dublin, 2024, Oral Presentation, PUBLISHED

  


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