Biography
Dr. Kennedy obtained her PhD in Microbial Ecology from University College Dublin in 2004. She worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) in Canada (2005-2010), in the area of soil microbiology. From 2011-2012 she was an Irish Research Council Enterprise Partnership Scheme Postdoctoral Fellow at IT Carlow, studying decomposition processes in municipal solid waste. Since 2013 she has been a Lecturer in Microbiology in the Department of Science.
• Modules taught:
Microbiology 2 (3rd year) lectures and practicals
Microbial Ecology and Bioremediation (3rd year) lectures and practicals
Food Microbiology (2nd year) lectures and practicals
Microbiology 1 (2nd year) practicals
Research Projects (3rd and 4th year)
Environmental Monitoring (2nd year) lectures and practicals
Environmental Science (2nd year) practicals
RESEARCH INTERESTS
- Role of microbes in the environment, including soil, waste composting, and anaerobic digestion
- Microbial ecology, particularly fungal and bacterial involvement in nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems
- Response of microbial communities to environmental disturbance
- Application of molecular ecology tools to study microbial populations in the environment
- Statistical approaches to multivariate community profile data
RESEARCH STUDENTS & PROJECTS
Yahaya Jebril Amanor (2020-present) Impact of soil and grassland management on plant-microbial interactions that mediate soil organic matter mineralisation and nitrogen supply. Joint with Dr. Fiona Brennan (Teagasc) and Dr. David Wall (Teagasc).
Janerson Coelho (2015-2018) Investigation of plant growth and associated soil microbial stimulation by digestate fertilisers. Funded by CSF Brazil. Joint with Dr. Tony Woodcock and Dr. Imelda Casey.
Evelyn Joyce (2014-2022) In-situ bioremediation and molecular microbiological monitoring of ammonia contamination in shallow groundwater. Funded by WIT PhD Scholarship Programme. Joint with Dr. Lee Coffey and Dr. David Ryan (IT Carlow).
Dr. Kennedy has experience working in the environmental field as a consultant. She is a member of several professional bodies, including the British Mycological Society, Society for Applied Microbiology, International Society for Microbial Ecology, and the Society for General Microbiology.
PUBLICATIONS
Journal Articles (Peer Reviewed):
Kennedy, N., Lally. R., Walsh, S., Dowling, D.N., and Ryan, D. (2021). Effect of green waste and lime amendments on biostabilisation, physical-chemical and microbial properties of the composted fine fraction of residual municipal solid waste. Waste Management and Research. DOI: 10.1177/0734242X21996823
Coelho, J., Prieto, M., Hennessy, A., Casey, I., Woodcock, T., and Kennedy, N. (2021). Determination of microbial numbers in anaerobically digested biofertilisers. Environmental Technology 42: 753-763. DOI: 10.1080/09593330.2019.1645214
Coelho, J., Hennessy, A., Casey, I., Woodcock, T., and Kennedy, N. (2020). Biofertilisation with anaerobic digestates: effects on the productive traits of ryegrass and soil nutrients. Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition 20:1665-1678. DOI: 10.1007/s42729-020-00237-7
Coelho, J., Hennessy, A., Braganca, C., Casey, I., Woodcock, T., and Kennedy, N. (2020). Biofertilisation with anaerobic digestates: a field study of effects on soil microbial abundance and diversity. Applied Soil Ecology 147:103403. DOI: 10.1016/j.apsoil.2019.103403
Coelho, J., Hennessy, A., Casey, I., Woodcock, T., and Kennedy, N. (2019). Responses of ryegrass, white clover, soil plant primary macronutrients and microbial abundance to application of anaerobic digestates, cattle slurry and inorganic N-fertiliser. Applied Soil Ecology 144: 112-122. DOI: 10.1016/j.apsoil.2019.07.011
Coelho, J., Prieto, M., Dowling, S., Hennessy, A., Casey, I., Woodcock, T., and Kennedy, N. (2018). Physical-chemical traits, phytotoxicity and pathogen detection in liquid anaerobic digestates. Waste Management 78, 8-15. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956053X18303131?via%3Dihub
Banerjee, S., Kennedy, N, Richardson, A.E., Egger, K.N., and Siciliano, S. (2016) Archaeal ammonia oxidizers respond to soil factors at smaller spatial scales than overall archaea in a high Arctic polar oasis. Canadian Journal of Microbiology 62(6): 485-491. http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/10.1139/cjm-2015-0669#.VrIcOPl4bIU
Kennedy, N., Robertson, S., Green, D.S., Scholefield, S., Arocena, J., Tackaberry, L,. Massicotte, H., and Egger, K. (2015). Site properties have a stronger influence than fire severity on ectomycorrhizal fungi and associated N-cycling bacteria in regenerating post-beetle lodgepole pine forests. Folia Microbiologica 60: 399-410.
Lamb, E., Kennedy, N, and Siciliano, S. (2011). Effects of plant species richness and evenness on soil community diversity and function. Plant and Soil 338: 483-495.
Kennedy, N., and Egger, K. (2010). Impact of wildfire intensity and logging on fungal and nitrogen-cycling bacterial communities in British Columbia forest soils. Forest Ecology and Management 260, 787-794.
Robertson, S., Kennedy, N., Massicotte, H., Rutherford, P. (2010). Enhanced biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons in the mycorrhizosphere of sub-boreal forest soils. Environmental Microbiology Reports 2, 587-593.
Rooney, D., Kennedy, N., Gleeson, D., and Clipson, N. (2010). Responses of ammonia-oxidising bacterial communities to nitrogen, lime and plant species in upland grassland soil. Applied and Environmental Soil Science 2010, 7 pages. Article ID 319721. doi:10.1155/2010/319721.
Rooney, D., Kennedy, N., Deering, L., Gleeson, D., and Clipson, N. (2006). Effect of sheep urine deposition on the bacterial community structure in an acidic upland grassland soil. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 72, 7231-7237.
Kennedy, N., Brodie, E., Connolly, J., and Clipson, N. (2006). Seasonal influences on fungal community structure in unimproved and improved upland grassland soils. Canadian Journal of Microbiology 52, 689-694.
Gleeson, D., Kennedy, N., Clipson, N , Melville, K., Gadd, G., and McDermott, F. (2005). Characterization of bacterial community structure on a weathered pegmatitic granite. Microbial Ecology 51, 526-534.
Kennedy, N., Edwards, S., and Clipson, N. (2005). Soil bacterial and fungal community structure across a range of unimproved and semi-improved upland grasslands. Microbial Ecology 50, 463-473.
Kennedy, N., Gleeson, D. Connolly, J., and Clipson, N. (2005). Seasonal and management influences on bacterial community structure in an upland grassland soil. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 53, 329-337.
Kennedy, N., Connolly, J., and Clipson, N. (2005). Impact of lime, nitrogen and plant species on fungal community structure in grassland microcosms. Environmental Microbiology 7, 780-788.
Kennedy, N., Brodie, E., Connolly, J., and Clipson, N. (2004). Impact of lime, nitrogen and plant species on bacterial community structure in grassland microcosms. Environmental Microbiology 6, 1070-1080.
Kennedy, N., and Clipson, N. (2003). Fingerprinting the fungal community. Mycologist 17, 158-163.
Book Chapters (Peer-Reviewed):
Rooney, D., Kennedy, N., Gleeson, D., and Clipson, N. (2013). Bacterial communities’ response to nitrogen, lime, and plants. In Sustainable Soil Management. Apple Academic Press, Inc. 159-175.
Reports (Peer-reviewed):
Egger, K., Arocena, J., Green, S., Kennedy, N., Massicotte, H., Tackaberry, L., and Scholefield, S. (2009). Assessment of post-beetle impacts on natural regeneration of lodgepole pine. Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Pacific Forestry Centre, Victoria, BC. Mountain Pine Beetle Working Paper 2009-07.
Editing and Reviewing Contributions:
https://publons.com/author/444322/nabla-kennedy#profile
Conference Presentations
Coelho, J., Woodcock, T., Casey, I., Hennessy, A., and Kennedy, N. (2018). Soil microbial abundance following anaerobic digestate application. Poster presented at Microbiology Society Focused Meeting: Microbiomes Underpinning Agriculture, Cork, Ireland.
Coelho, J., Prieto, M., Casey, I., Hennessy, A., Woodcock, T., and Kennedy, N. (2018) Microbial quantification of liquid anaerobic digestates. Oral presentation at Anaerobic Digestion Network Early Career Researcher Event, York, England.
Joyce, E., Coffey, L., Ryan, D., and Kennedy, N. (2017) Prevalence and diversity of ammonia oxidising archaea and bacteria in a bioremediation site. Poster presented at Microbiology Society Annual Conference, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Coelho, J., Hennessy, A., Casey, I., Woodcock, T., and Kennedy, N. (2017) Potentially toxic elements in a set of anaerobic digestates produced in Ireland and United Kingdom. Poster presented at RAMIRAN (Sustainable utilisation of manures and residue resources in agriculture), Wexford, Ireland.
Coelho, J., Casey, I., Woodcock, T., and Kennedy, N. (2017) Leaf area index of perennial ryegrass pastures subjected to different anaerobic digestate fertilisations. Poster presented at RAMIRAN (Sustainable utilisation of manures and residue resources in agriculture), Wexford, Ireland.
Coelho, J., Prieto, M., Hennessy, A., Casey, I., Woodcock, T., and Kennedy, N. (2017) Chemical, physical and microbiological characteristics of different types of digestates. Oral presentation at Anaerobic Digestion Network Early Career Researcher Event, Lancaster, England.
Coelho, J., Prieto, M., Hennessy, A., Casey, I., Woodcock, T., and Kennedy, N. (2017) Culturable bacterial and fungal numbers in soil following application of anaerobic digestate, cattle slurry, and chemical fertilizer. Poster presented at Microbiology Society Annual Conference, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Coelho, J., Prieto, M., Dowling, S., Connolly, D., Woodcock, T., and Kennedy, N. (2016) Microbiological and physico-chemical characterisation of anaerobic digestate biofertilisers. Poster presented at On-Farm Small-Scale Anaerobic Digestion Workshop, Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Hillsborough, Northern Ireland.
Joyce, E., Coffey, L., Ryan, D., and Kennedy, N. (2016) Prevalence and diversity of ammonia-oxidising archaea and bacteria in ammonia contaminated groundwater. Poster presented at 16th International Symposium for Microbial Ecology (ISME16), Montreal, Canada.
Coelho, J., Prieto, M.L., Dowling, S., Connolly, D., Woodcock, T., and Kennedy, N. Microbiological and physico-chemical characterisation of anaerobic digestate biofertilisers. Poster presented at 16th International Symposium for Microbial Ecology (ISME16), Montreal, Canada. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.27317.88802
Joyce, E., Dalton, A., Coffey, L., Ryan, D., Kennedy, N., and Connolly, C. (2016). Determination of NO2/NO3 in contaminated groundwater using ion chromatography. Poster presented at 8th Conference on Analytical Science Ireland (CASi 2016), Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.1934.3764
Joyce, E., Coffey, L., Ryan, D., and Kennedy, N. (2015) In-situ bioremediation and molecular microbiological monitoring of ammonia. Poster presented at WIT Research Day, Waterford Institute of Technology, Ireland.
Kennedy, N., Dowling, D., and Ryan, D. (2012) Prevalence and diversity of ammonia-oxidising archaea and bacteria during composting of municipal waste. Poster presented at International Society for Microbial Ecology 14 (ISME14), Copenhagen, Denmark.
Kennedy, N., Dowling, D., and Ryan, D. (2012) Strategies for accelerating and assessing decomposition of biodegradable municipal waste. Poster presented at Society for General Microbiology Spring Meeting, Dublin, Ireland.
Kennedy, N., Green, S., Arocena, J., Tackaberry, L., Massicotte, H., and Egger, K.N. (2010) Influence of fire intensity and site type on soil chemistry, ectomycorrhizal fungi, and associated N-cycling bacteria in post-beetle infested forest. Poster presented at International Mycological Congress 9: The Biology of Fungi, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Kennedy, N. and Clipson. N. (2004). Fungi in upland grasslands: resistant to change? Howard Eggins prize winner for oral presentation at British Mycological Society Annual Meeting “Fungi in the Environment”, Nottingham, UK.
Kennedy, N., Brodie, E., Connolly, J., and Clipson, N. (2003). Plant species and pH effects on microbial communities. Poster presented at Environmental Protection Agency “Pathways to a Sustainable Future” Conference, Dublin, Ireland.
Kennedy, N., Brodie, E., Connolly, J., and Clipson, N. (2003). Effect of grassland plant species on microbial soil communities: a microcosm study. Poster presented at British Ecological Society Annual Symposium, Lancaster, UK.
Kennedy, N., Brodie, E., and Clipson, N. (2002). Effect of grassland plant species on fungal soil communities: a microcosm study. Poster presented at International Mycological Congress 7, Oslo, Norway.
PUBLICATIONS
Journal Articles (Peer Reviewed):
Kennedy, N., Lally. R., Walsh, S., Dowling, D.N., and Ryan, D. (2021). Effect of green waste and lime amendments on biostabilisation, physical-chemical and microbial properties of the composted fine fraction of residual municipal solid waste. Waste Management and Research. DOI: 10.1177/0734242X21996823
Coelho, J., Prieto, M., Hennessy, A., Casey, I., Woodcock, T., and Kennedy, N. (2021). Determination of microbial numbers in anaerobically digested biofertilisers. Environmental Technology 42: 753-763. DOI: 10.1080/09593330.2019.1645214
Coelho, J., Hennessy, A., Casey, I., Woodcock, T., and Kennedy, N. (2020). Biofertilisation with anaerobic digestates: effects on the productive traits of ryegrass and soil nutrients. Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition 20:1665-1678. DOI: 10.1007/s42729-020-00237-7
Coelho, J., Hennessy, A., Braganca, C., Casey, I., Woodcock, T., and Kennedy, N. (2020). Biofertilisation with anaerobic digestates: a field study of effects on soil microbial abundance and diversity. Applied Soil Ecology 147:103403. DOI: 10.1016/j.apsoil.2019.103403
Coelho, J., Hennessy, A., Casey, I., Woodcock, T., and Kennedy, N. (2019). Responses of ryegrass, white clover, soil plant primary macronutrients and microbial abundance to application of anaerobic digestates, cattle slurry and inorganic N-fertiliser. Applied Soil Ecology 144: 112-122. DOI: 10.1016/j.apsoil.2019.07.011
Coelho, J., Prieto, M., Dowling, S., Hennessy, A., Casey, I., Woodcock, T., and Kennedy, N. (2018). Physical-chemical traits, phytotoxicity and pathogen detection in liquid anaerobic digestates. Waste Management 78, 8-15. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956053X18303131?via%3Dihub
Banerjee, S., Kennedy, N, Richardson, A.E., Egger, K.N., and Siciliano, S. (2016) Archaeal ammonia oxidizers respond to soil factors at smaller spatial scales than overall archaea in a high Arctic polar oasis. Canadian Journal of Microbiology 62(6): 485-491. http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/10.1139/cjm-2015-0669#.VrIcOPl4bIU
Kennedy, N., Robertson, S., Green, D.S., Scholefield, S., Arocena, J., Tackaberry, L,. Massicotte, H., and Egger, K. (2015). Site properties have a stronger influence than fire severity on ectomycorrhizal fungi and associated N-cycling bacteria in regenerating post-beetle lodgepole pine forests. Folia Microbiologica 60: 399-410.
Lamb, E., Kennedy, N, and Siciliano, S. (2011). Effects of plant species richness and evenness on soil community diversity and function. Plant and Soil 338: 483-495.
Kennedy, N., and Egger, K. (2010). Impact of wildfire intensity and logging on fungal and nitrogen-cycling bacterial communities in British Columbia forest soils. Forest Ecology and Management 260, 787-794.
Robertson, S., Kennedy, N., Massicotte, H., Rutherford, P. (2010). Enhanced biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons in the mycorrhizosphere of sub-boreal forest soils. Environmental Microbiology Reports 2, 587-593.
Rooney, D., Kennedy, N., Gleeson, D., and Clipson, N. (2010). Responses of ammonia-oxidising bacterial communities to nitrogen, lime and plant species in upland grassland soil. Applied and Environmental Soil Science 2010, 7 pages. Article ID 319721. doi:10.1155/2010/319721.
Rooney, D., Kennedy, N., Deering, L., Gleeson, D., and Clipson, N. (2006). Effect of sheep urine deposition on the bacterial community structure in an acidic upland grassland soil. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 72, 7231-7237.
Kennedy, N., Brodie, E., Connolly, J., and Clipson, N. (2006). Seasonal influences on fungal community structure in unimproved and improved upland grassland soils. Canadian Journal of Microbiology 52, 689-694.
Gleeson, D., Kennedy, N., Clipson, N , Melville, K., Gadd, G., and McDermott, F. (2005). Characterization of bacterial community structure on a weathered pegmatitic granite. Microbial Ecology 51, 526-534.
Kennedy, N., Edwards, S., and Clipson, N. (2005). Soil bacterial and fungal community structure across a range of unimproved and semi-improved upland grasslands. Microbial Ecology 50, 463-473.
Kennedy, N., Gleeson, D. Connolly, J., and Clipson, N. (2005). Seasonal and management influences on bacterial community structure in an upland grassland soil. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 53, 329-337.
Kennedy, N., Connolly, J., and Clipson, N. (2005). Impact of lime, nitrogen and plant species on fungal community structure in grassland microcosms. Environmental Microbiology 7, 780-788.
Kennedy, N., Brodie, E., Connolly, J., and Clipson, N. (2004). Impact of lime, nitrogen and plant species on bacterial community structure in grassland microcosms. Environmental Microbiology 6, 1070-1080.
Kennedy, N., and Clipson, N. (2003). Fingerprinting the fungal community. Mycologist 17, 158-163.
Book Chapters (Peer-Reviewed):
Rooney, D., Kennedy, N., Gleeson, D., and Clipson, N. (2013). Bacterial communities’ response to nitrogen, lime, and plants. In Sustainable Soil Management. Apple Academic Press, Inc. 159-175.
Reports (Peer-reviewed):
Egger, K., Arocena, J., Green, S., Kennedy, N., Massicotte, H., Tackaberry, L., and Scholefield, S. (2009). Assessment of post-beetle impacts on natural regeneration of lodgepole pine. Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Pacific Forestry Centre, Victoria, BC. Mountain Pine Beetle Working Paper 2009-07.
Editing and Reviewing Contributions:
https://publons.com/author/444322/nabla-kennedy#profile
Conference Presentations
Coelho, J., Woodcock, T., Casey, I., Hennessy, A., and Kennedy, N. (2018). Soil microbial abundance following anaerobic digestate application. Poster presented at Microbiology Society Focused Meeting: Microbiomes Underpinning Agriculture, Cork, Ireland.
Coelho, J., Prieto, M., Casey, I., Hennessy, A., Woodcock, T., and Kennedy, N. (2018) Microbial quantification of liquid anaerobic digestates. Oral presentation at Anaerobic Digestion Network Early Career Researcher Event, York, England.
Joyce, E., Coffey, L., Ryan, D., and Kennedy, N. (2017) Prevalence and diversity of ammonia oxidising archaea and bacteria in a bioremediation site. Poster presented at Microbiology Society Annual Conference, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Coelho, J., Hennessy, A., Casey, I., Woodcock, T., and Kennedy, N. (2017) Potentially toxic elements in a set of anaerobic digestates produced in Ireland and United Kingdom. Poster presented at RAMIRAN (Sustainable utilisation of manures and residue resources in agriculture), Wexford, Ireland.
Coelho, J., Casey, I., Woodcock, T., and Kennedy, N. (2017) Leaf area index of perennial ryegrass pastures subjected to different anaerobic digestate fertilisations. Poster presented at RAMIRAN (Sustainable utilisation of manures and residue resources in agriculture), Wexford, Ireland.
Coelho, J., Prieto, M., Hennessy, A., Casey, I., Woodcock, T., and Kennedy, N. (2017) Chemical, physical and microbiological characteristics of different types of digestates. Oral presentation at Anaerobic Digestion Network Early Career Researcher Event, Lancaster, England.
Coelho, J., Prieto, M., Hennessy, A., Casey, I., Woodcock, T., and Kennedy, N. (2017) Culturable bacterial and fungal numbers in soil following application of anaerobic digestate, cattle slurry, and chemical fertilizer. Poster presented at Microbiology Society Annual Conference, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Coelho, J., Prieto, M., Dowling, S., Connolly, D., Woodcock, T., and Kennedy, N. (2016) Microbiological and physico-chemical characterisation of anaerobic digestate biofertilisers. Poster presented at On-Farm Small-Scale Anaerobic Digestion Workshop, Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Hillsborough, Northern Ireland.
Joyce, E., Coffey, L., Ryan, D., and Kennedy, N. (2016) Prevalence and diversity of ammonia-oxidising archaea and bacteria in ammonia contaminated groundwater. Poster presented at 16th International Symposium for Microbial Ecology (ISME16), Montreal, Canada.
Coelho, J., Prieto, M.L., Dowling, S., Connolly, D., Woodcock, T., and Kennedy, N. Microbiological and physico-chemical characterisation of anaerobic digestate biofertilisers. Poster presented at 16th International Symposium for Microbial Ecology (ISME16), Montreal, Canada. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.27317.88802
Joyce, E., Dalton, A., Coffey, L., Ryan, D., Kennedy, N., and Connolly, C. (2016). Determination of NO2/NO3 in contaminated groundwater using ion chromatography. Poster presented at 8th Conference on Analytical Science Ireland (CASi 2016), Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.1934.3764
Joyce, E., Coffey, L., Ryan, D., and Kennedy, N. (2015) In-situ bioremediation and molecular microbiological monitoring of ammonia. Poster presented at WIT Research Day, Waterford Institute of Technology, Ireland.
Kennedy, N., Dowling, D., and Ryan, D. (2012) Prevalence and diversity of ammonia-oxidising archaea and bacteria during composting of municipal waste. Poster presented at International Society for Microbial Ecology 14 (ISME14), Copenhagen, Denmark.
Kennedy, N., Dowling, D., and Ryan, D. (2012) Strategies for accelerating and assessing decomposition of biodegradable municipal waste. Poster presented at Society for General Microbiology Spring Meeting, Dublin, Ireland.
Kennedy, N., Green, S., Arocena, J., Tackaberry, L., Massicotte, H., and Egger, K.N. (2010) Influence of fire intensity and site type on soil chemistry, ectomycorrhizal fungi, and associated N-cycling bacteria in post-beetle infested forest. Poster presented at International Mycological Congress 9: The Biology of Fungi, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Kennedy, N. and Clipson. N. (2004). Fungi in upland grasslands: resistant to change? Howard Eggins prize winner for oral presentation at British Mycological Society Annual Meeting “Fungi in the Environment”, Nottingham, UK.
Kennedy, N., Brodie, E., Connolly, J., and Clipson, N. (2003). Plant species and pH effects on microbial communities. Poster presented at Environmental Protection Agency “Pathways to a Sustainable Future” Conference, Dublin, Ireland.
Kennedy, N., Brodie, E., Connolly, J., and Clipson, N. (2003). Effect of grassland plant species on microbial soil communities: a microcosm study. Poster presented at British Ecological Society Annual Symposium, Lancaster, UK.
Kennedy, N., Brodie, E., and Clipson, N. (2002). Effect of grassland plant species on fungal soil communities: a microcosm study. Poster presented at International Mycological Congress 7, Oslo, Norway.