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    Dr Graham McAuliffe

    BA (Hons) MSc PhD

    Reader in Environmental Assessments of Food Systems

    Photograph of Graham

    Dr Graham McAuliffe specialises in research surrounding the quantification of sustainability in food systems, primarily utilising Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) which he began studying the foundations and theory of during his BA (Hons; First Class) in Geography from University College Cork, Ireland. Upon gaining a profound fascination with LCA's multidisciplinary nature, which spans the natural and social sciences, he began applying his newfound knowledge and passion to assessing food systems’ environmental impact potentials during both his MSc by Research in Environmental Science (University College Cork) and subsequently his PhD in Veterinary Science (University of Bristol, UK). Since completing his formal education, Graham’s scientific career has centred on contributing to methodological advancements in LCA, including the quantification of specific model parameter uncertainties (e.g., through experimental measurements of greenhouse gases) and consideration of nutritional composition and quality within the burgeoning field of nutritional LCA (nLCA). His scientific curiosity and dedication pertaining to nLCA, which, relative to its overarching 'parent' framework is very much still in its infancy, has resulted in being invited to consult on a number of national and international projects, not least joining a global consortium of nLCA experts commissioned by the United Nations' FAO Division to conduct a study on the rise of, and potential concerns associated with the new yet rapidly growing nLCA approach.

    Graham's wider academic interests cover most aspects of agri-food sustainability, including but not limited to: (1) cradle-to-plate "hotspot" identification of various pollutants and their environmental impact potentials (e.g. methane's effect on global warming or ammonia's impact on acidification); (2) direct measurements of greenhouse gas emissions whilst quantifying their effects, taking uncertainties into account, at the system-scale; (3) developing novel approaches to integrate spatial heterogeneity into the LCA framework, for instance using Geographical Information Systems to assess impacts to nature from differing farming systems at the catchment scale; (4) merging multiple sustainability metrics into a cross-pillar trade-off parcel to elucidate better understandings of risks and benefits associated with different food products (or indeed dietary patterns); e.g. including Life Cycle Cost Analysis, Social LCA, and nLCA with environmental LCA, all of which combined form the ‘LCSA’ package (with ‘S’ referring to "sustainability"); (5) last but certainly not least, identifying unintended consequences, such as land use change associated with displaced food production (often referred to as indirect Land Use Change, or iLUC), linked to changing activities at different stages along relevant value-chains.

     

    Academic Department: Harper Food Innovation

    X (Twitter): @G_A_McAuliffe

    Office: 66 Jubilee Adams, Tudor Lodge and NW Building

    Research profile: ORCID

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