Tim McCarthy

Professor Tim McCarthy is a computer scientist at Maynooth University and a Principal Researcher in Earth Observation and Geospatial Technologies. His work focuses on applying artificial intelligence, remote sensing, and geospatial data to support sustainable land management across agricultural, forest, peatland, and urban landscapes.

Tim has led or co-led more than 36 national and international research projects, securing over €30 million in funding from sources including SFI/Research Ireland, Horizon Europe, and the European Space Agency. He has supervised 10 PhD and MRes students and managed more than 24 postdoctoral researchers and research staff.

He co-leads Terrain-AI, a €5M interdisciplinary partnership co-funded by Microsoft Ireland, linking computer science, earth science, climatology, and social sciences. Tim was also principal investigator on CoPilot-AI/DecaMap, a €1.3M project using AI, drones, and Earth Observation to support real-time wildfire response.

Tim helped establish the National Copernicus Academy and Relay at Maynooth University, representing Ireland on European Copernicus committees since 2015. In 2024, he was appointed to the Marine Institute Board and is a Fellow of both the Royal Institute of Navigation and the Royal Aeronautical Society. He has received nine national and international awards and co-founded three start-ups focused on Earth Observation, drone, and emergency-management technologies.

At the Climate+ Co-Centre, Tim collaborates with Professor Rowan Fealy on Project 4.1.2 – EO-AI for LULUCF, applying advanced geospatial and AI tools to monitor and manage land use, land-use change, and forestry.