Plant-Climate Interaction Lab Research Symposium 2025
Plant-Climate Interaction Lab Symposium
In July, the Plant-Climate Interaction Lab hosted a highly successful Research Symposium, where lab members presented their current research, shared insights, and discussed future directions. The event offered a platform for both students and faculty to engage in fruitful discussions and celebrate the diversity of research in the lab.
Jennifer McElwain kicked off the symposium with an overview of the lab’s main goals and past and current research. Her talk set the stage for the day and was especially informative for the internship students attending.
Dr Miriam Slodownik presented updates on her work with the Witness Tree Project, discussing recent fieldwork and future directions. Miriam also shared exciting news about her upcoming role as an MSCA Fellow and the new position to be advertised for the Witness Tree project.
Charlotte Salter-Townshend shared her research on air pollution mitigation and tree diversity, delving into the question of which species in the Witness Tree Project are most effective at capturing particulate matter. She also discussed the methods she uses, including SEM image analysis and various plant measurement techniques.
Ellen Colligan, a student intern, presented her summer research focusing on pollution trends in Dublin City. She highlighted the data she collected on stomatal conductance, particulate matter, and water use efficiency, offering valuable insights for future climate policy.
Ciaran Farrell, a 3rd Year Botany Undergraduate, alongside Ríona McDonnell, reflected on their experience with the Cathcart Schuler Internship in Conservation Horticulture at the TCD Botanic Gardens. Their work involved garden maintenance, public engagement, and participation in various projects, including the Witness Tree Project.
Dr Ailbhe Brazel presented her work on molecular mechanisms in plants, detailing her contributions to the Witness Tree Project and her ongoing research on epigenetic mechanisms of hypoxia in plants. Ailbhe also shared updates on collaborative work with Dr Kamila Kwasniewska on plant evolution markers.
Muhammad Siddiq introduced his PlantChem Project, which investigates how the rise in atmospheric CO₂ influences the elemental composition of plants. His talk focused on understanding the broader implications of atmospheric changes on plant chemistry.
Antonietta Knetge, though unable to attend in person, shared a video update on her research involving the Greenland fossil collection and her work on plant halotolerance in Cretaceous conifers. The results of her study will soon be published.
Catarina Barbosa presented her research on how counting methods influence the interpretation of plant paleoecological data. She discussed the analytical techniques she used, such as Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling with Bray-Curtis Distance, to differentiate plant material from fossilized specimens.
Dr William Mattheaous provided updates from his recent trip to the US, where he hosted the Cell to Ecosystems Summer Course 2025. He also discussed his presentation at the Life and Planet 2025 conference, focusing on leaf decomposition and weathering potential as part of the Terraform project.
Dr Blanka Kovacs introduced an innovative weathering experiment to be conducted at the National Botanic Gardens, using volcanic ash and tea bags to study environmental processes. Her upcoming research is set to contribute significantly to the Terraform project.
Dr Christos Chondrogiannis and Robin Noble presented their ongoing evolutionary experiment in the TTEC, VAL Lab. They shared preliminary results and discussed the physiological measurements they are using to explore plant evolution under different conditions.
The symposium was a great success, offering a glimpse into the exciting research happening in the lab. Stay tuned for further updates as these projects continue to unfold.
Professor Jennifer McElwain Elected Fellow of the Royal Society
First Irish Botanist Recognized for Groundbreaking Research on Climate Change and Fossil Plants
We are proud to announce that Professor Jennifer McElwain, Principal Investigator at the PlantClimateLab and Chair of Botany in Trinity College Dublin’s School of Natural Sciences, has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. This prestigious honour recognises her exceptional contributions to environmental science, particularly her pioneering research on fossil plants and their role in understanding past atmospheric changes and climate events.
Prof. McElwain’s groundbreaking work has reshaped our understanding of Earth’s atmosphere over millions of years. Through her research on fossil plants, she has uncovered critical insights into how greenhouse gases – such as carbon dioxide, oxygen, and sulphur dioxide – have influenced climate change and biodiversity throughout history. Her research has also focused on investigating the connection between atmospheric changes and plant extinction events, especially during the Triassic-Jurassic mass extinction around 200 million years ago.
Reflecting on her election, Prof. McElwain shared,
“I’m deeply honoured to have been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. My professional life has been devoted to using plants – both fossil and living – as ‘sensors’ or ‘proxies’ of past atmospheric gas content to study the evolution of atmospheric composition. This work feels more important than ever, as global climate change continues to impact the world. My team and I have discovered that one of the common denominators of past extinction events is that Earth’s biota faced substantial and rapid global warming, often caused by the release of large volumes of greenhouse gases like CO2 and methane. We are seeing similar conditions unfold today, and it’s crucial that we intensify our efforts to combat greenhouse gas emissions and invest in green technologies.”
Prof. McElwain’s election as a Fellow of the Royal Society makes her the first botanist in Ireland to receive this honor since Henry Horatio Dixon in 1930. Her distinguished career has earned her numerous accolades, including the Royal Irish Academy Gold Medal in Environmental Sciences (2022) and the President’s Medal of the Palaeontological Association (2017). She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Irish Academy in 2017 and a Fellow of Trinity College Dublin in 2019.
This recognition underscores Prof. McElwain’s ongoing dedication to advancing scientific knowledge about climate change and highlights the essential role that plants play in shaping both our planet’s past and its future.
