ResearchMy research output concentrates around the activities and process of soil microbes including microbial mobilization of soil sulphur and phosphorus mobilization of nutrients via microbial weathering, microbial bioremediation and restoration, microbial soil carbon sequestration and plant-microbe interaction. This research is often closely connected with grassland ecosystems as this is the dominating form of agriculture in Ireland. Furthermore, I am interested in growth and survival of Listeria monocytogenes in the phyllosphere of leafy vegetables and how they interact with the indigenous microbiome.Please see also: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Achim_Schmalenberger

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7455-3666

Research grants

IRC - New Foundations 2013

DAFM - SQUARE (2013-2018)

Diamond Light Source (2013)

Microbiological Society (SGM) Summer projects (2012, 2013, 2016, 2017)

FP7 People Marie Curie CIG (2011-2014)

SFI Modeling of Soil Biomass (official collaborator) (2014-2019)

DAFM -Translisteria (2014-2017)

NWE Interreg - ReNu2Farm (2018-2022)

EI H2020 Coordinator grant (2018)

ListeriaChallenge (2018-2023)

PotatoMETAbiome ERA-NET Sus-Crop (2019-2023)

PotatoBIO (2023-2026)

ReNu2Cycle (2023-2027)

DETCON (2024-2028)

NutriSTORM (2024-2027)

SafeGreen (2024-2028)

AllEcoSys (2025-2028)

ReNu2Cycle is a North-West Interreg funded project with 13 partners and a total budget of 6 Mio Euro and contains 3 work packages of which UL is leading work package 2.Project Summary: EU is importing annually andgt; 6 Mio t of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) fertiliser. NPK pricing is coupled to energy, mining, synthesis and; transport costs. Russia and; Ukraine were main N suppliers to EU, while P supply is heavily dependent on Moroccan resource intensive import. This makes NWEs agriculture highly dependent on world economic and; geopolitical developments. At the same time, essential nutrients in NWE are still lost in form of non-recycled organic resources from waste sector and; nutrient surplus regions (e.g. Flanders, North Rhine Westphalia, NL) due to a predominating linear economic model. Nutrient deficit regions (e.g. Lux., IE, Saarl.) are still not supplied with recycling-derived fertilisers (RDF) from surplus regions, where innovative nutrient recovery enterprises have been established. Overall objective is to reduce NWE's dependency on fossil-based fertiliser imports with proven impacts on availability, ecol. foot-print and; price stability via transregional valorisation of recycled NPK from municipal, industrial waste and; agric. sector in Flanders, NL, IE, Saarl, Low-Sax, Lux. ReNu2Cycle is building on the achievements of ReNu2Farm which provided basic and; regional quantified fertiliser demand research. New co-development and implementation to be performed to adapt regional best-practices for NWE: living lab concepts encouraging long-term co-innovation and; implementation support. Maximising RDF use by creating innovative fertiliser blends and; business solutions for producers portfolios incl. sustainability assessment. Traders will be empowered to consult/ market RDFs. RDF use at (+organic-) agriculture farms will be assessed. All results will be capitalised in one transregional nutrient supply-demand strategy and; regional action plans. Resource owners, fertiliser producers, traders and; farmers benefit to comply with the latest EU policies, which finally allow a harmonised RDF market trade in NWE (7/22), contributing further to NWE food supply security.Website: https://renu2cycle.nweurope.eu/

ReNu2Farm comprises 10 partners from higher education organisations, research institutes and industry that will work to address the global threat posed to industrial agriculture by the vast depletion of the essential macronutrients nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (N, P, K), without which plants cannot survive. The future of agriculture and food supplies necessitates nutrient recycling or composting on a global scale. The ReNu2Farm project will map regions in North-West Europe with both nutrient shortage and surplus with the aim of exchanging recycled nutrients across the regions and foster producer-consumer collaborations. Farmers needs will be surveyed during the project and the results used to tailor and develop recycling-derived fertilisers between nutrient surplus and demand regions. The undertaking will help in establishing transnational markets, informing national and EU policy and market barrier reduction. The overall expected outcome by the end of the project will be the replacement of conventional mineral NPK fertilisers by recycling-derived fertilisers.Together with partners at Teagasc in Johnstown Castle and IT Carlow, UL is investigating the effect of recycling derived fertilizers on the growth of pastures and the grassland microbiota and UL is in particular investigating the effect on phosphorus and nitrogen cycling microbes.Renu2Farm is financially supported by the ERDF from Interreg North-West Europe at 2.2Mio Euro.

http://www.nweurope.eu/projects/project-search/renu2farm-nutrient-recycling-from-pilot-production-to...

DETCON (2024-2028) DAFM funded project on Listeria monocytogenes in food production.

NutriSTORM (2024-2027) Green ERA-HUB project on nutrient cycling under optimised soil stoichiometry NutriSTORM — Green ERA-Hub and nutristorm.eu - Soil stoichiometry.

SafeGreen (2024-2028) DAFM funded project on food safety of fruits and vegetables SafeGreen - DAFM Project | University of Limerick.

AllEcoSys (2025-2028) is an Agroecology project that investigates the implementation of agroecological practices in Europe AllEcoSys — Agroecology Partnership.

Former postdocs

Dr. Johann Scollard

Dr. Israel Ikoyi

Dr. Akinson Tumbure

Dr. Makoto Kanasugi

Current postdocs

Dr. JIanqing Tian

Dr. Diana Andrarde

Former postgraduate students

Dr. Jacinta Gahan

Dr. Aaron Fox

MSc Oisin McManamon

Dr. Jessica Graca

Dr. Lea Deinert

MsSc Jane Darcy

Dr. Paul Culliney

Dr. Georgia Voulgari

Current postgraduate students

MSc Tasfia Mostafa

MSc Seli Khwarb

MSc Andrea Baqueiro

Ms Karla Burke