Biography
I graduated with a PhD in Molecular Ecology from South East Technological University (SETU) in 2015. My doctoral research focused on red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) populations, utilising non-invasive genetic techniques to enhance understanding of their ecology and conservation. Prior to this, I earned a BSc Hons in Applied Ecology from University College Cork in 2008.
Currently, my research within the Molecular Ecology Research Group (MERG), part of the Eco-Innovation Research Centre (EIRC), leverages DNA technologies to address key questions in wildlife management, conservation, environmental health, and ecological surveillance.
I supervise multiple PhD students and mentor postdoctoral researchers engaged in multidisciplinary research, including:
- Developing and applying DNA methods for mosquito and midge surveillance.
- Designing conservation and management strategies for native and invasive mammals.
- Investigating genetic-based resistance to rodenticides in Irish rodent populations.
- Exploring non-antibiotic approaches to improve udder health in Irish dairy cows.
This work bridges fundamental and applied ecological science, contributing to innovative solutions for conservation and environmental challenges.
Postgraduate Supervision
Lead Supervisor for the following PhD students:
- Anthony Murphy: Investigating the prevalence of genetic-based resistance to rodenticides in the Irish rodent population. Funded by CRRU Ireland and the SETU PhD CoFund.
- Elsie Isiye: Developing DNA methods for the surveillance of midges in Ireland. Funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food, and Marine (DAFM).
- Nicole Keohane: Investigating non-antibiotic approaches to improve udder health in Irish dairy cows. Funded by the IRC Employment-Based MSc Scholarship with AHV.
Graduated PhD Students
- 2023: Dr Thomas Curran – Development of eDNA methods for the surveillance of mosquitoes in Ireland. Funded by the EPA and SETU PhD CoFund.
- 2024: Dr Rebecca Synnott – Bridging the gap between conservation genetics and squirrel management. Funded by the IRC PhD Scholarship.
Postdoctoral Mentorship
Lead Mentor for the following postdoctoral researchers:
- Dr Rebecca Synnott: Isle of Bute: A genetic case study with implications for red squirrel conservation in Britain and Ireland (2024–Present).
- Dr Thomas Curran: Genetic surveillance of Irish mosquitoes (2023–2024). Funded by DAFM.
- Food Traceability and Bioanalysis
- Forestry and the Environment
- Animal Breeding and Genetics
- DNA Biotechnology and Bioinformatics
- Livestock Management in Organic and Biological Agriculture
- Undergraduate Research Projects
Journal Articles
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=riL3kt4AAAAJ&hl=en
Synnott R, Shuttleworth C, Everest D, Stevenson-Holt C, O'Reilly C, McDevitt A, O'Meara D (in review) Invasive genetic rescue: Dispersal following repeated culling reinforces the genetic diversity of an invasive mammal. bioRxiv https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.06.09.495496
Browett SS, Synnott R, O’Meara DB, Antwis RE, Browett SS, Brown KJ, Wangensteen OS, Dawson DA, Searle JB, Yearsley JM, McDevitt AD (Accepted in Journal of Animal Ecology) Resource competition drives an invasion-replacement event among shrew species on an island. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.04.27.489660
Twining JP, McFarlane C, O'Meara D, O'Reilly C, Reyne M, Montgomery I, Helyar S, Tosh D, Augustine BC (2022) A comparison of density estimation methods for monitoring marked and unmarked animal populations. Ecosphere 13 (10): e4165 https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4165
Zintl A, De Waal T, O'Meara D, O’Shaughnessy J, O'Hanlon A, O'Neil D, Barry G, Curran T (2022) Irish network for biting midges and mosquitoes. Veterinary Ireland Journal, 12, 3.
Curran T, Browett S, O’Neill D , O’Hanlon A, Harrington A, O’Reilly C, McDevitt A, O’Meara D (2022). One bat's waste is another man's treasure: A DNA metabarcoding approach for the assessment of biodiversity and ecosystem services using bat faeces. Biodiversity and Conservation. 31, 2699–2722. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-022-02451-4
Sheerin E, Barnwall L, Abad E, Larivain A, Oesterwind D, Petroni M, Perales-Raya C, Robin JP, Sobrino I, Valeiras J, O'Meara D, Pierce GJ, Allcock AL, Power AM (2022) Multi-method approach shows stock structure in Loligo forbesii squid, ICES Journal of Marine Science https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsac03
O’Meara D, O’Reilly C, Abdullahi AA, Baker MA, Yamaguchi N (2021) Phylogeography of desert hedgehogs (Paraechinus aethiopicus) in Qatar: Implications for its intra-specific phylogeny and taxonomy, Journal of Arid Environments, 193, 104584. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2021.104584
Harrison et al. (2021). Fungal microbiomes are determined by host phylogeny and exhibit widespread associations with the bacterial microbiome. Proc. R. Soc. B.2882021055220210552 http://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2021.0552
Browett SS, Curran TG, O’Meara DB, Harrington AP, Guimarães Sales N, Antwis RE, O’Neill D, McDevitt AD (2021) Primer biases in the molecular assessment of diet in multiple insectivorous mammals. Mamm Biol 101, 293–304. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42991-021-00115-4
O’Reilly C, Turner P, O’Mahony DT, Twining JP, Tosh DG, Smal C, McAney K, Powell C, Power J, O’Meara DB (2021) Not out of the woods yet: genetic insights related to the recovery of the pine marten (Martes martes) in Ireland. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 132, 774 – 788. https://doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/blaa214
Allen A, Guerrero J, Byrne A, Lavery J, Presho E, Courcier E, O’Keeffe J, Fogarty J, Delahay R, Wilson G, Newman C, Buesching C, O’Meara D, Skuce R, Biek R, McDonald R (2020) Genetic evidence further elucidates the history and extent of badger introductions from Great Britain into Ireland. Royal Society Open Science. 7: 200288. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.200288
Browett S, O’Meara DB, McDevitt A (2020) Genetic tools in the management of invasive mammals: recent trends and future perspectives. Mammal Review, 50, 200-210. https://doi.org/10.1111/mam.12189
Harrington AP, O’Meara DB, Aughney T, McAney K, Schofield H, Collins A, Deenen H, O’Reilly C (2019) Novel real-time PCR species identification assays for British and Irish bats and their application to a non-invasive survey of bat roosts in Ireland. Mammalian Biology. 99, 109 – 118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2019.10.005
Armitage M, Swan E, O’Meara DB (2019) Genetic variation of the DGAT1 gene in dual-purpose dairy cows and its influence on economically important breeding traits. Sure-J: Science Undergraduate Research Journal. 1, 1 -14. Available at: https://arrow.tudublin.ie/sure_j/vol1/iss1/2
Guerrero J, Byrne AW, Lavery J, Presho E, Kelly G, Courcier EA, O'Keeffe J, Fogarty U, O'Meara DB, Ensing D, McCormick C, Biek R, Skuce R, Allen A (2018) The population and landscape genetics of the European badger (Meles meles) in Ireland. Ecology and Evolution, 00, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.4498
Dooley‐Cullinane TM, O’Reilly C, Aslam B, Weiner DP, O’Neill D, Owens E, O’Meara D, Coffey Lee (2018) The use of clade‐specific PCR assays to identify novel nitrilase genes from environmental isolates. Microbiology Open, 1 – 7. https://doi.org/10.1002/mbo3.700
O'Meara DB, McDevitt AD, O'Neill D, Harrington AP, Turner P, Carr W, Desmond M, Lawton C, Marnell F, Rubalcava S, Sheehy E, Sleeman DP, Tosh DG, Waters C, O'Reilly C (2018) Retracing the history and planning the future of the red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) in Ireland using non-invasive genetics. Mammal Research, 63, 173 -184. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-018-0353-5
Sheehy E, O’Meara DB, O’Reilly C, Smart A, Lawton C (2014) A non-invasive approach to determining pine marten abundance and predation. European Journal of Wildlife Research, 60, 223-236.
O’Meara DB, Sheehy E, Turner PD, O’Mahony D, Harrington AP, Denman H, Lawton C, MacPherson J and O’Reilly C (2014). Non-invasive multispecies monitoring: Real-time PCR detection of squirrel and small mammal prey DNA in pine marten (Martes martes) scats. Acta Theriologica (Mammal Research), 59, 111-117.
O’Meara DB, Turner PD, Harrington A, Williamson K, McGuirk J, Sleeman DP (2014) Records of badgers (Meles meles) in the Comeragh Mountains, Co. Waterford. Irish Naturalists’ Journal, 33, 141.
White S, O’Neill D, O’Meara DB, Shores C, Harrington AP, O’Reilly C, Weyman G and Sleeman DP (2013) A non-invasive genetic survey of otters (Lutra lutra) in an urban environment: a pilot study with citizen scientists. IUCN Otter Specialist Group Bulletin. 30/02.
O’Neill D, Turner PD, O’Meara DB, Chadwick E, Coffey L and O’Reilly C (2013). Development of novel real-time TaqMan PCR assays for the species and sex identification of otter (Lutra lutra) and their application to non-invasive genetic monitoring. Molecular Ecology Resources, 13: 877–883.
O’Meara DB, Turner PD, Coffey L, O’Reilly C (2012) TaqMan assays for species identification of the red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) and the grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis). Conservation Genetics Resources, 4, 603-604.
O’Meara DB, Edwards CJ, Sleeman DP, Cross TF, Statham MJ, Mcdowell JR, Dillane E, Coughlan JP, O’Leary D, O’Reilly C, Bradley, DG, Carlsson J (2012) Genetic structure of Eurasian badgers Meles meles (Carnivora: Mustelidae) and the colonization history of Ireland. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 106, 893-909. Featured on RTE Radio One, the Irish Times and Ireland’s Wildlife.
Book Chapters
O’Meara DB and O’Reilly C (2016) Advances in mammal studies using genetic analysis. The Mammal Atlas of Ireland. Editors: Liam Lysaght and Ferdia Marnell.
PhD Thesis
O’Meara DB (2014) The DNA Toolbox: Development and optimisation of molecular techniques to identify red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris). PhD Thesis, Waterford Institute of Technology.
General Science Writing and Communication
O'Meara D (2018) Practical Application of Genetic Technology in Mammal Research. Theme: Genetic Techniques and Technologies. In Practice Magazine.
O’Meara D (2015) Travel Writer, Oregon: “The steers are lively, and make the young cowboys earn their rodeo stars” The Irish Times.
Harrington A and O'Meara D (2015) Waterford Squirrels: The Secrets Revealed. The Woodland Trust, Spring Edition.
The MISE Magazine: Fostering Community Involvement in Mammal Conservation (2015)
McDevitt A and O’Meara D (2014) Are Irish badgers a distinct subspecies? Ireland’s Wildlife.
O’Meara D and Harrington A (2014) The history of the red squirrel in Ireland. Ireland’s Wildlife.
O’Meara D (2013) New study provides insight into the history of the Killarney shad. Inshore Ireland. October/November issue, p.8.
Morris C, O’Reilly C, Turner P, Halliwell L, O’Meara DB and Sheerin E. (2013) A novel non-invasive method for detecting the harvest mouse (Micromys minutus). Mammal News – Autumn
O’Meara DB (2013) Wildlife Detective. Walton Magazine, Issue 4. This article also appeared in Junior Scientist, Issue 1.
O’Meara DB, Turner PD, O’Neill D, Coffey L, Harrington A, O’Reilly C (2012) The genetic toolbox for squirrel surveys. Mammal News – Autumn.
Peer reviewer for the following academic journals: Ecology and Evolution, Journal of Mammalogy, Mammal Research, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, European Journal of Wildlife Research, Mammalian Biology, BMC Evolutionary Biology, Fungal Biology, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society and multiple book chapters.