Tom Kent

Lecturer in forestry at Waterford Institute of Technology: lecturing in Wood Science, Forest Mensuration, and Forest Harvesting and contribute to the Dendrology, Earth Science and Forest Engineering modules.

Work placement co-ordinator: preparing second year students for work in the forest industry, liaising with employers and assessing students' performance while on their placement.

Project supervisor: supervising two to four BSc in Land Management in Forestry student research projects each year.

Developed the curriculum and course content and lectured in Sustainable Forest Management, Commercial Forest Practices, Forest Economics, Forest Establishment, Timber Technology, Forestry Practices and Sustainable and Renewable Energy modules.

Participated on two international pilot training projects, developing and trialling curriculum in the sustainable use of European forests:

2004 – 2006              Project co-ordinator of the WESST - Wood Energy Supply Systems Training pilot project funded by EU Leonardo da Vinci Programme.

2003 – 2005              Project partner, Ireland, on EURIS - Europeans Using Roundwood Innovatively and Sustainably pilot project funded by EU Leonardo da Vinci Programme.

2014 – 2017              Principle investigator WIT, and member of the project management team of the SHORTFOR Short Rotation Forestry for biomass in Ireland research project, a collaboration between UCD, Teagasc, TCD, UL and WIT in the area of short rotation forestry. This project was awarded funding by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, under the COFORD research programme. For further information on this project: http://www.teagasc.ie/forestry/research/shortfor

2010 – 2015             Principle investigator and project manager of the Forest Energy 2010-14 research project. This is a collaborative project with UCD and the Danish Forestry Extension, awarded funding by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, under the COFORD research programme. For further information on this project: www.forestenergy.ie

2005 – present         Principle investigator on over twenty applied research projects in forest operations productivity, biomass resource assessment and new product development funded by companies such as Coillte, the state forestry company and Bord na Mona, the state peat company, and by Enterprise Ireland’s Innovation Voucher Scheme and Commercialisation Feasibility Scheme for SMEs such as Laois Sawmills, Forest Fuels Ltd., Ballingly Joinery Ltd., Worrell’s Harvesting Ltd., Wexgen Ltd., Ecowood Ltd., Forestry Services Ltd.

2006 – 2008              Project co-ordinator of the Forest Energy Technology Transfer programme. This collaborative project with the Danish Forestry Extension aimed to research and demonstrate, at pre-commercial scale, the utilisation of Danish forest harvesting technology and methods for cost-effective wood fuel production in Ireland. This project was awarded funding by COFORD, the Council on Forest Research and Development.

1998 – 2002              Project partner, Ireland, on PAMUCEAF – Poplar, an Alternative Multiple Use Crop for European Arable Farmers research project funded by the EU FAIR Agricultural Research Programme.

1998 – present         Programme leader of the Bachelor of Science in Forestry and administered this course through three 5-year programmatic reviews.

2006 – present         Co-ordinator of the FORSKILLS training programme at WIT for specific forestry skills training funding to the Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to better prepare students for the working environment.

2004- present           Collaborated with Teagasc, Ballyhaise Agricultural College to develop the FETAC-HETAC link between the FETAC National Certificate in Forestry and the HETAC Bachelor of Science in Forestry.  The first student was accepted in 2004 and since then approximately 40 students have gained advanced entry into the BSc in Forestry through this linkage.

2009 – 2013              Co-ordinator of Early Stage Researcher training schools for COST Action FP0902: Development and harmonisation of new operational research and assessment procedures for sustainable forest biomass supply. I co-ordinated 44 trainers and 168 participants from 25 countries, in six international training schools.

2005                          Member of the academic development team that successfully gained approval for the Bachelor of Science in Land Management (Forestry, Agriculture, Horticulture) top-up honours degree programmes.

2014 – present         Co-supervisor of Ms. Ana de Miguel Muñoz, MSc student. The dissertation title is “The potential of Short Rotation Forestry in Ireland”.

2011 – 2013              Co-supervisor of Mr. Nicholas Mockler, MSc graduate. The dissertation title was “Physical characterisation and quantification of total above ground biomass derived from first thinning for wood fuel consumption in Ireland”.

http://repository.wit.ie/2751/1/MSc%20Thesis%20Nicholas%20Mockler.pdf

2008 – 2012              Co-supervisor of Dr. Enda Coates, PhD graduate. The dissertation title was “An evaluation of wood fuel production parameters from Sitka spruce first thinnings”.  

http://repository.wit.ie/2143/1/Enda%20Coates%20PhD%20Dissertation%20Printed.pdf

1999 – 2000              Supervisor of Mr. Ian Short, MSc graduate. The dissertation title was “The economic potential of poplar for agroforestry in Ireland”.

2014 – present         Co-supervisor of Ms. Ana de Miguel Muñoz, MSc student. The dissertation title is “The potential of Short Rotation Forestry in Ireland”.

2011 – 2013              Co-supervisor of Mr. Nicholas Mockler, MSc graduate. The dissertation title was “Physical characterisation and quantification of total above ground biomass derived from first thinning for wood fuel consumption in Ireland”.

http://repository.wit.ie/2751/1/MSc%20Thesis%20Nicholas%20Mockler.pdf

2008 – 2012              Co-supervisor of Dr. Enda Coates, PhD graduate. The dissertation title was “An evaluation of wood fuel production parameters from Sitka spruce first thinnings”.  

http://repository.wit.ie/2143/1/Enda%20Coates%20PhD%20Dissertation%20Printed.pdf

1999 – 2000              Supervisor of Mr. Ian Short, MSc graduate. The dissertation title was “The economic potential of poplar for agroforestry in Ireland”.