Team

Dr Orla Kelleher is currently an Assistant Professor at Maynooth University. Dr Orla Kelleher joined the School of Law and Criminology in August 2022. Orla specialises in climate change, environmental, and human rights law. Her current research focuses on environmental rights, climate law and litigation, climate justice, and just transitions. Orla was awarded her Ph.D. without corrections from UCD Sutherland School of Law in March 2022. Her Ph.D. examined the impact of climate change on legal reasoning in rights-based systemic climate change litigation in European countries. Her work has been published in outlets such as the Journal of Environmental Law, the Journal of Human Rights and the Environment, the Review of European Comparative and International Environmental Law (RECIEL), the Irish Jurist, the Irish Judicial Studies Journal, and the Irish Planning and Environmental Law Journal. 

Richard is the Managing Director of the international organisation and leadership development practice, This Is… and is a Visiting Teaching Fellow at Trinity College, Dublin. He started life as a physicist before becoming an organisational psychologist, and has lived and worked in Europe, North America and Asia. His career has spanned all major sectors: public, private, state/semi state and voluntary and he has held a number of international senior management roles.  He has also held a number of voluntary positions, including Director of Aoibhneas Women’s and Children Refuge in Ireland from 2012-2022. His experience has included over 30 years facilitating strategic change and developing leaders at all levels in different contexts. He has designed and delivered leading edge programmes, provided coaching and thought partnering for leaders and change agents in a variety of settings. He has co-written the regular People Matters column with Terri in the bi-monthly publication Airport World since 2014.  Richard holds postgraduate qualifications (MSc and a PhD) in Psychology and Human Factors (Ergonomics), is an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society and a Fellow of the Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors.

Riitta-Maija Hämäläinen is Head of sustainable development in the Wellbeing services county of Päijät-Häme, Lahti, Finland. She is a former Technical Officer for Health Promotion at World Health Organization for the Western Pacific Regional Office in Manila, Philippines. The tasks included implementation of health promotion and reduction of risk factors for noncommunicable diseases, health promotion in various settings, like schools and cities, and community engagement and advocacy for health promotion. She is experienced in international cooperation and collaboration, both at national and international organisations and institutions. She has Master Degree in physical activity and health (University of Jyväskylä, Finland), Master Degree in public health (University of Eastern Finland) and Doctoral Degree in public health (University of Helsinki, Finland).

Rik De Vreese is Senior Researcer and leading the Urban Forestry Team at the European Forest Institute (Bonn office). Rik has been coordinating the Sino-European CLEARING HOUSE Horizon 2020-project on urban-forests as nature-based solutions in Europe and China. Currently he is involved in the Horizon Europe Urban Nature Plans Plus (UNPplus) project, aimed at supporting the implementation of Urban Nature Plans, as part of the Nature Restoratioon Law. Rik’s research interests are in urban forestry, urban greening, public perceptions and ecosystem services. He is a member of the Board of the European Forum on Urban Forestry.

Ruth is a public health researcher with an interest in disease prevention, and methodological expertise in complexity and systems science. Her work primarily involves investigating how we can improve our urban environment for better population health including brain health. She is a member of the Public Health Research funding panel for the National Institute for Health Research, and the WHO expert panels on urban green space interventions, Non Communicable Disease prevention, Health and the Sustainable Development Goals and other aspects of urban environment and health, and an executive board member for the WHO Belfast Healthy Cities and Connswater Community Greenway.

Sigbjørn Litleskare is currently an Associate Professor at the Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences in the Faculty of Social and Health Sciences Section for Sports and Physical Education. Sigbjørn is a member of the Technology for Health and Physical Activity research group. He has skills and expertise in sports science, exercise testing, performance testing in sports among many others.