Ridhdhi Rathore shares five reasons to choose the Institute of Technology Carlow and EnviroCore for pursuing a PhD/MRes in Biological and Environmental Science…

Deciding on doing a PhD is a tough one, but it is not easy to get one in a right higher education institute. I am delighted to be part of EnviroCore at IT Carlow as a PhD student and here are my five reasons to choose IT Carlow, Ireland as my destination to pursue this research degree course.

One

Ireland as a destination to study abroad comes with great benefits as it is one of the only English-speaking countries in the EU. It offers the opportunity to experience a different culture without having to struggle with a language barrier. Ireland is home to world’s top industries such as tech giants like Google, Facebook, and Twitter, 9 of the world’s top 10 pharmaceutical companies and several food and agriculture industries.

Irish people are also some of the most generous people I have ever met. A warm welcome is assured to the tourists and any new arrivals alike. Ireland has recently reached the top in the Good Country Index, measured on the basis of a country’s overall contribution to the world, from arts and culture, to science, and charity. Ireland has got great foods, a hotspot of cultural heritage and madness for sports from soccer to rugby and off course hurling.

Ireland offers high living standards with one of the safest places to live, fantastic night life and pubs across the land. The natural beauty of has got it the title of the Emerald Isle; showing its greenery and undisturbed lands.

Two

Founded in 1970, IT Carlow is located in the centre of Ireland’s South Leinster region comprised of the counties of Carlow, Wicklow, Wexford, Kildare, Laois and Kilkenny. IT Carlow is approximately one hour from Dublin by frequent bus/train services and is the fourth-largest Institute out of 14 Institutes of Technology (ITs) in the country with more than 7,000 learners. IT Carlow has ranked in the top three of the 14 ITs for CAO first preferences for higher level honours degree programmes since 2010. The multimillion campuses of IT Carlow is an asset with newly constructed Dargan centre totally dedicated to the research which offers state-of-the-art research facilities at IT Carlow.

Three

The EnviroCore is a world class research centre for the Sustainable Bioenvironmental technologies in the areas of Ecology and Biodiversity Studies, Phytotechnologies for Waste Treatment; Biomass Production and Plant Biotransformation; Environmental Sensors, Bio-indicators and Biosensors; Environmental Monitoring and Risk Assessment. The research teams of EnviroCore are headed by the world’s leading and well known scientist in international forum having the research interests of direct environmental impact makes it a unique place to study a research degree in environmental sciences.

The EnviroCore has delegated authority to confer both Master of Science (MSc) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) awards in the areas of microbiology, genetic studies, microscopy, nematology, tissue/cell culture, environmental modelling and statistical data analysis, but not limited to the above. Moreover, EnviroCore works with both national and international institutes in close collaborations. This gives students exposure to work in different labs based on the requirements of the project. My PhD is in collaboration with Teagasc National Crops Research Centre, Oak Park Carlow and Teagasc, Moorepark, Fermoy, Cork in Ireland and The James Hutton Institute, Dundee, Scotland in UK.

Four

The research work carried out at IT Carlow, in particular of EnviroCore has the multifaceted impact on both society and economy in many ways. The generation of new ideas, their application to spawn new knowledge that enhances the education of citizens and the development of innovative technologies for a greener and healthier living environment shows the societal benefits of EnviroCore’s research.

Further, the economic impacts of enviroCORE includes the expansion of commercially exploitable environmental technologies, the contribution of highly educated individuals to the existing knowledge for its advancement, the provision of employment for researcher scientists and the production of successful spin-out companies such as MicroGen biotech. Publication record is another aspect that I considered while selecting IT Carlow as my destination for my research career as EnviroCore has a good record of publishing their work in international peer reviewed journals.

Five

The lifestyle in Carlow town is easy and has a real country touch! I have been lucky to live this beautiful town that has everything in a small space, yet is big enough for a high standard of living. The people of Carlow are very helpful and friendly, places in Carlow are easily accessible, travel to any part of country is simple with just over an hour travel tome to the capital city, Dublin, and a direct bus service to Dublin airport.

There are lots of places for affordable shopping in the town including Penny’s, good for value and fast fashion. Other shopping places include Fairgreen Shopping Centre, Carlow Shopping Centre and the famous Tullow Street. There are loads of eateries around the town serving good warm food all day until late at night. Carlow has a few night clubs but loads of old style as well as modern pubs. Overall, the life in Carlow is the really pleasant!

So, if you’re interested in studying in Ireland? EnviroCore Labs offer a range of courses in the BioEnvironmental Science that are specifically designed with your career in mind.