Jane Russell-O'Connor

Dr. Jane Russell-O'Connor serves as a Lecturer in the Department of Architecture and Built Environment at South East Technological University (SETU), actively contributing to the Architecture Research Group while supervising PhD candidates. With 27 years of teaching experience and 15+ years of interdisciplinary research, she bridges landscape studies with sustainability education across academic and conservation contexts.

Education:

• PhD in Multidisciplinary Landscape Evaluation, University of Wolverhampton (2017)
• Higher Diploma in Education
• Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Science and Ecology

Her research centers on human-landscape interactions through landscape ecology, historical ecology, and transdisciplinary evaluation methodologies. Current projects like 'Why people are drawn to different landscapes?' examine psychological and cultural connections to environments, while prior work at Bessborough Estate integrates archival analysis with ecological assessment. This research directly supports UN Sustainable Development Goals for sustainable communities and quality education.

Recent publications reveal a consistent focus on practical applications of landscape theory, combining biographical methodologies with community engagement frameworks. The 2021 Landscape Research article pioneers new approaches to Irish cultural landscapes, while the 2019 Environment, Development and Sustainability paper demonstrates scalable models for school sustainability through partnership networks.

Scientific Awards: None documented in source materials.

Advising and Grants:

• Supervised 2 PhD students and 1 research master's student to completion
• Secured funding from Landscape Research Group, WIT PhD Scholarship, and industry sources
• Organized international conferences including UNESCO events at NUIG
• Presented findings at national/international conferences with published proceedings

Her professional activities extend to nature conservation management (reserves/country parks) and membership in the International Association of Landscape Ecology, emphasizing real-world implementation of academic research.