Best Student Paper Award Recipients
Winner: Best Student Paper Award 2023
Author: Tsegay Balcha for his paper 'The interplay between farm production diversity and food market visits in shaping smallholder household diets in Ethiopia'
Tsegay Balcha's academic journey commenced with a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Gondar, Ethiopia. Seeking to deepen his impact on grassroots economic development, he transitioned to a role as a Small and Micro-enterprise expert in an NGO based in Tigray, Ethiopia. In this role, he directly interacted with rural smallholder farmers, igniting a deep-seated passion for development economics. Shortly thereafter, inspired by his experience as a development expert he joined Debre Birhan University, Ethiopia, as an assistant lecturer. Here, he studied and successfully completed a master’s degree in development economics from the University of Gondar and served at Debre Birhan University as a lecturer. In pursuit of broader horizons and new academic challenges, he moved to Mekelle University, Ethiopia, and continued his academic career in the Department of Economics as a lecturer and headed the department for one year, until he got the scholarship opportunity for a Ph.D. position in the Department of Food Business and Development at University College Cork, Ireland.
Unfortunately, on his return to Tigray, Ethiopia to conduct my survey, he found himself stranded in a deadly civil war which broke out in Tigray in November 2020. This caused a substantial interruption in his Ph.D. education for the period October 2020 to April 2023. His journey is a testament to the transformative power of education, resilience, and unwavering determination. As he continue to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of academia, he remains steadfast in my commitment to leveraging knowledge as a catalyst for positive change.
Joint Winners: Best Student Paper Award 2022
Author: Chythenyen Devika Kulasekaran for his paper "'Zeroing In’ on ‘Zero Emissions’ – Analysing the impact of electric vehicles on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs)"
Chythenyen Devika Kulasekaran is a research associate in the energy team of the Centre for Financial Accountability. He is an International Relations graduate from Dublin City University, with over 12 years of experience in the waste management sector.
Author: Kevin Dowling for his paper "Out of the closet and into the fire: Will the Sustainable Development Goals push SOGIESC minorities behind?"
Kevin is an enthusiastic and compassionate development practitioner and researcher with particular interest and experience in social inclusion; gender and sexual minorities; rural transformation; and humanitarian response. Having come from a background in end-of-life healthcare as a radiation therapist, he requalified through Trinity College Dublin’s Master’s in Development Practice, wherein he was awarded Best Overall Performance 2022 and Best Dissertation 2022. In January 2023, Kevin joined the United Nations’ International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) as a gender and social inclusion intern, and he is looking forward to continuous growth and impact thereafter.
Winner: Best Student Paper Award 2020
Author: Nguyen Nguyen, PhD candidate, School of Applied Language & Intercultural Studies – Centre for Translation and Textual Studies, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
Winner: Best Student Paper Award 2019
Author: Lungelo Cele, Centre for Co-operative Studies, Department of Food Business and Development, Cork University Business School, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Paper: "Driving women empowerment through agricultural mechanisation: Think womechanisation".
Winner: Best Student Paper Award 2016
Authors: Alix Tiernan, Pat O’Connor
Paper: "Status and Good Behaviour - How Women in Patriarchal Zimbabwe Influence Power Holders".
Winner: Best Student Paper Award 2015
Author: Sol Moure, studied International Relations and Linguistics as first degrees and was second-year student of the Master in Development Practice in Trinity College Dublin/University College Dublin, in Ireland at time of award.
Paper: "Pasture development in Kenya's drylands".