ADAPT secured three major successes in the competitive MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship scheme, which supports researchers’ careers and promotes excellence in research. These fellowships will drive innovation in their fields while fostering collaboration between researchers and institutions, with a total funding of over €700,000 across the three projects.
The Exploring the Ethics of AI for Global Development (EAI4GD) project, led by incoming MSCA Research Fellow Elizabeth Resor under the supervision of PJ Wall at TU Dublin and will examine the ethical challenges of AI-driven solutions in global development. The project will involve a case study on the AI Cookstoves Project, an on-going collaboration between ADAPT in Ireland and the Makerere University in Uganda. The AI Cookstoves Project tackles the challenge of woodburning cookstove use with a combination of engineering, community feedback, and AI-generated design insights. THis raises ethical questions about development and AI, such as whether the goal of energy efficiency for the stoves is outweighed by the energy costs of running a generative AI model and how AI-driven design influences the balance of knowledge and authority among stakeholders with diverse expertise. Through expert interviews and field studies in Ireland and Uganda, the project will provide policymakers with insights into real-world AI ethics while contributing to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to economic growth and reduced inequality.
The project, Unraveling the Bidirectional Link Between Speech Adaptation and Perception (PRODAPTIVE), led by incoming MSCA Research Fellow Giorgio Piazza under the supervision of Giovanni Di Liberto at Trinity College Dublin, will investigate the link between speech adaptation and perception. The project will explore whether individuals who adjust their speech more effectively in different acoustic environments also perceive others’ speech more accurately. The study will integrate behavioural and neurophysiological techniques, including electroencephalography (EEG), to examine speech communication in real-time interactions. By analysing how acoustic adjustments impact perception abilities, the project will provide new insights into the dynamics of speech communication and advance the understanding of the aetiology of speech perception and production issues.
WellbeMap, the ‘Exploring the Neighbourhood Planning Factors that Influence Residential Wellbeing’ project, led by incoming MSCA Research Fellow Aya Samir Badawy, under the supervision of Kevin Credit at Maynooth University will study how neighbourhood planning affects residential wellbeing (RW). The project will use Dublin 8 as a case study, collecting social and urban planning data to identify subjective neighbourhood boundaries, RW determinants, and community needs. The research will analyse the relationship between urban planning factors and mental wellbeing, ultimately developing a framework that urban planners can use to enhance RW. The collaboration between ADAPT and the Maynooth University Social Science Institute (MUSSI) will facilitate knowledge exchange in spatial analysis, Machine Learning, and urban design, supporting progress toward SDG3, which promotes good health and wellbeing.
Through these fellowships, ADAPT will play a key role in advancing interdisciplinary research, fostering global collaboration, and addressing complex societal challenges.
