Dr Theresa Rubhara

Theresa is a food and agricultural sustainability researcher  with  experience in farm level climate change mitigation, economic analysis, agricultural and environmental policy analysis, valorization of agri-food waste streams, sustainability of food value chains and the circular bioeconomy.

Currently at MTU Circular Bioeconomy Research Group, Theresa is part of a team working on the EPA-funded EnableBio project, developing a roadmap towards enabling regulatory environment for agri-food waste streams in innovative bio-based value chains. Theresa collaborates with UCD environmental policy researchers in identifying regulatory hotspots for businesses valorising  agri-food waste  thus providing research based evidence towards the development of the bioeconomy policy in Ireland.

Theresa has also worked on the Farm Zero C project aimed to develop a model farm which has neutral greenhouse gas emissions based on the Irish pasture-based livestock systems. Collaborating with researchers from TCD and UCD, Theresa was  part of a team developing the social innovation blueprint for farmers to mitigate climate change.  The platform provides technical information,  policy and economic analysis of the farm level climate change mitigation strategies which include: grassland management, use of grass biorefinery, use of protected urea, soil carbon management, increased biodiversity, use of anti-methanogenic additives, and use of slurry additives.

Theresa received her BSc (Hons) in Agricultural economics from Bindura University, Zimbabwe, Masters in Rural Development and Food Security from VanHall Larenstein University in the Netherlands, PhD in Food Security from the University of KwaZulu Natal in South Africa as well as a professional diploma in Data analytics from the University of Limerick.