Katie O'Dwyer is a lecturer and researcher at the Atlantic Technological University in Galway, Ireland. Her research focuses on better understanding host-parasite interactions and disease ecology. To answer questions on animal disease and parasite infection Katie works with a variety of systems including marine crustaceans, fish and birds.

Katie has worked with a wide range of stakeholders on research projects and science communication, including a broad geographical spread. She pursued a PhD examining trematode parasites of intertidal snails at the University of Otago in New Zealand including time spent working with researchers in Australia and the Czech Republic. Katie then moved to Canada to undertake a postdoc position examining animal stress and parasite infection at Ryerson University. 

Growing up in Tipperary, a landlocked county, and originally working in the fitness sector, I switched routes completely and decided I wanted to study Marine Biology. I completed my BSc in Freshwater and Marine Biology at GMIT Galway in 2018. My final year project investigated the effects of parasites on the haemolymph of the common prawn. During the summer, I worked at the Marine Institute on the Unlocking the Archives project, cataloguing, imaging, and ageing fish scales. This confirmed for me that I wanted to continue in the field of research. I was back in GMIT by January of 2019, this time for a PhD. When the opportunity of a Cullen PhD Fellowship came up with GMIT and the Marine Institute, on microparasites in velvet crab from Galway Bay, it seemed like the perfect follow-up to my BSc project. I will be looking for the presence of, and identifying, microparasites in velvet crab by using histology, studying their DNA, and, using next generation sequencing, to analyse the host’s bacterial community associated with the parasites, because, just like in humans, a healthy gut is important! Through this project, I aim to provide more information on the health of velvet crabs in Galway Bay, an important commercial species and human food resource, and hopefully contribute to the fishery’s sustainable management.

The complexity of interactions between livings beings has always fascinated me. At the age of eight I developed a very reliable mark-recapture method involving my glitter pink nail polish and the snails from my garden. Besides this relevant scientific experiment, I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Organisms and Populations from the University of Western Brittany. I completed an International Master of Science in Marine Biological Resources (IMBRSea) specialising in applied marine ecology and conservation. During this rewarding period, I conducted a research project at the Marine and Freshwater Research Centre examining the effects of trematode parasites on the ecology of their marine snail hosts. After graduating, I joined the School of Journalism of Lille which allowed me to become a science journalist and write for different scientific media such as the very popular Science & Vie magazine.

Since October 2021, I pursue a Ph.D. (RISE scholarship) at the MFRC to understand the dynamics of avian influenza viruses (AIVs) in waterbirds and other wildlife populations in Ireland. I am particularly interested in molecular biology techniques to identify AIVs in sediment or faecal samples. I would also like to explore the role of small mammals as mixing vessel hosts for AIVs.