The Trinity Centre for Digital Humanities would like to extend a very warm welcome to 5 new PhD students who have been successfully funded through the Trinity Doctoral Research Awards (TDRA).
Under the TDRA Student-PI Award
Peiyu He
This PhD project focuses on the food heritage of Shunde, Guangdong, China’s Greater Bay Area, a UNESCO-recognised cradle of Cantonese cuisine, famous for its delicate dim sum, rich festival dishes, and artisanal culinary traditions, which offer rich sensory and visual experiences for Generation Z. My research question is: how can food culture be reintroduced to Generation Z to match their habits, creativity, and visual preferences? Using a practice-based approach, I will create interactive prototypes in the form of original illustrated characters, narratives, and cultural experiences. These prototypes function as cultural intellectual properties (IPs), meaning designed creative symbols with distinct visual identities, personalities, and narrative roles. Peiyu holds a Masters of Art and Design from Kookmin University, South Korea and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Hubei Institute of Fine Arts, China.
Her PhD in Digital Humanities, within the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultural Studies, is supervised by Nicole Basaraba.
Under the TDRA Group Award
Rilige Su
Rilige Su is a PhD researcher in Digital Humanities at Trinity College Dublin. Their research explores sonic narration, cultural heritage digital twins, and immersive storytelling, focusing on how sound and spatial acoustics shape heritage narratives. Rilige holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Inner Mongolia Normal University and is expected to hold an MPhil in Digital Humanities and Culture from Trinity College Dublin as of 2027 (upon graduation).
His PhD in Digital Humanities, within the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultural Studies is supervised by Dr. Nicole Basaraba (primary) and co-supervised by Jennifer O’Meara.
Cían Ó Donnchadha
Cían Ó Donnchadha is an artist and researcher whose work is animated by the afterlife of images and the persistence of symbolic forms across time. His practice spans installation, video, and writing. Current research interests include artist moving image, architecture, cultural heritage, historical memory, and digital mediation. He holds an MPhil with Distinction in Digital Arts and Intermedia Practices and a BA (Hons.) in Film.
His PhD in Film Studies, in the School of Creative Arts, is supervised by Jennifer O’Meara (primary) and co-supervised by Nicole Basaraba.
Huajing Pan
Her PhD in Computer Science, in the School of Computer Science and Statistics, is supervised by Gareth Young (primary) and co-supervised by Nicole Basaraba.
Alice Bourgain-Wilbal
Her PhD in Engineering, in the School of Engineering, is supervised by Nils Peters (primary) and co-supervised by Jennifer O’Meara.