Trinity welcomes Professor Karen Wiltshire as first CRH Chair of Climate Science

This pioneering position is funded by CRH as part of its continued investment in research and innovation, to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable built environment.

Professor Wiltshire, who assumed her role in July 2024, is a distinguished climate ecologist. An expert in coastal research and a Trinity alumna, Professor Wiltshire returns to the university from the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven, Germany, where she served as Vice-Director in combination with a professorship in Shelf Sea Ecology at the University of Kiel.

Professor Wiltshire emphasises the need for inter-stakeholder dialogue, holistic systems-oriented education and trans-disciplinary research. Her return to Trinity also promises to forge strong links with AWI, offering Trinity researchers access to a suite of unique expertise as well as large-scale research resources and experimental facilities.

The CRH Chair of Climate Science is a joint appointment by Trinity’s School of Engineering and the School of Natural Sciences, highlighting the university’s commitment to integrating engineering and natural sciences in tackling climate challenges.