Past Lab Members

Postdoctoral Researchers

  • Peter Mulhair (November 2024 - April 2025) - Peter's research uses computational analyses to understand the role of gene and genome evolution underpinning adaptation, with a particular focus on Lepidoptera (moths & butterflies). At the McLysaght lab, he worked on analysing the mode and tempo of new gene genesis across insects to understand the contribution of gene duplication, horizontal gene transfer, and de novo gene genesis in insect evolution. He carried out his PhD at the University of Leeds with Prof Mary O'Connell, followed by a postdoc with Prof Peter Holland at Oxford.
  • Anthony Redmond (date - December 2023)
  • Cian Glenfield (October 2018 - date)
  • Clara Pereira (November 2014 - date)
  • Alan Rice (April 2017 - June 2019)
  • Yoichiro Nakatani (March 2013 - April 2019)
  • Nikos Vakirlis (January 2017 - December 2018)
  • Fergal Martin (October 2009 - 2011)
  • Takashi Makino (October 2006 - July 2009)
  • David Gonzalez Knowles (May 2008 - November 2008)

PhD Students

  • Li Yuanshuo (Thesis January 2025) - Li's PhD focussed on tissue-specific expression evolution following whole genome duplication, specifically focusing on the teleost and salmonid WGD events. He joined the McLysaght lab as part of the INTEGRATE Genomic PhD Program through the Marie Curie (MSCA) COFUND scholarship. During his PhD, he also completed a research placement in Ewan Birney's group at EMBL-EBI, where he evaluated basecalling algorithms in medaka genome methylation. Prior to this, he was awarded the Erasmus Mundus scholarship for his MSc degree at Ghent University and the Algarve Centre of Marine Sciences, where he studied the phylogeny of a group of deep-sea algae.
  • Elle Loughran (Thesis Janurary 2025) - Elle's PhD focussed on large-scale copy number alterations and dosage sensitivity in cancer genome evolution. She first joined the McLysaght lab in 2018 with summer projects on dosage compensation and the evolution of segmental duplications. She also did research placements on Neanderthal adaptive introgression at Brown University and on gene dosage-responsiveness in the SysBio lab at Institut Curie in Paris, and worked at the LIRMM in the Université de Montpellier. During her BA in Genetics at Trinity, she was awarded the Foundation Scholarship, Laidlaw Scholarship, Naughton Scholarship, James Watson Award and Fisher Prize, and graduated with a gold medal.
  • Dearbhaile Casey (Thesis date)
  • Zoe Vance (Thesis date)
  • Cian Glenfield (Thesis September 2018)
  • Alan Rice (Thesis March 2017)
  • Daniele Guerzoni (Thesis July 2016)
  • Daniel Murphy (Thesis October 2012)
  • Åsa Pérez-Bercoff (Thesis October 2012)
  • Kirsten Bratke (Thesis October 2009)
  • David Gonzalez Knowles (Thesis April 2008)

MSc Students

  • Alice de Sampaio Kalkuhl (Thesis January 2024)
  • Áine O'Toole (Thesis August 2016)
  • Aideen Ní Choillean (Thesis December 2014)

Summer Students

  • Axel Seneret (Summer 2025)
  • Matthieu Souviraà-Labastie (Summer 2025)
  • Ewan O'Donovan (Summer 2024)
  • Anastazia Kotlewska (Summer 2024)
  • (Summer 2023)
  • Róisín Long (Summer 2022)
  • (Summer 2021)
  • (Summer 2020)
  • Elle Loughran (Summer 2018 and 2019)
  • Dearbhaile Casey (Summer 2016)
  • Simon Smith (Summer 2015)
  • Hayley Porter (Summer 2014)
  • Domhnall Mc Hugh (Summer 2013)
  • Sharon Redmond (Summer 2013)
  • Eppie Jones (Summer 2010)
  • Shalini Columb (Summer 2008)
  • Maria Daly (Summer 2007)

Undergraduate Project Students

  • Aisling Phelan (2024-25)
  • Niamh Magee (2024-25)
  • Claire Liu (2024-25)
  • Rebecca Redmond (2023-24)
  • Jordan Nevin (2023-24)
  • Conor Byrne (2023-24)
  • Ava Brennan (2023-24)
  • (2022-23)
  • (2021-22)
  • (2020-21)
  • (2019-20)
  • Dearbhaile Casey (2018-19)
  • Aoife Leahy McGovern (2018-19)
  • Ifelotembi Fashina (2017-18)
  • Marita Staunton (2017-18)
  • Ciara Walsh (2017-18)
  • Zoe Vance (2016-17)
  • Pauric Donnelly (2015-16)
  • Meghann Boyd-Fitzgerald (20015-16)
  • Gillian McDermott (2015-16)
  • Niall Convey (2014-15)
  • Sheelan Yousefizadeh (2014-15)
  • Ciara Deevy (2014-15)
  • Cian Glenfield (2013-14)
  • Adam Gordon (2013-14)
  • Jonah McGreevy (2012-13)
  • Robin Burns (2012-13)
  • Brianna Fitzmaurice (2011-12)
  • Alan Rice (2011-12)
  • Chloe James (2010-11)
  • Jennifer Fox (2009-10)
  • Eoin Hanney (2009-10)
  • Akiko Sekikawa (2009-10)
  • Niamh Fanning (2008-09)
  • Lorelle Brownlee (2007-08)
  • Sean Daly (2007-08)
  • Henry Battye (2006-07)
  • Feng Xue (2006-07)
  • Peter De La Harpe Golden (2005-06)
  • Leanne Moore (2005-06)
  • Kirsten Bratke (2004-05)
  • Tomás Ryan (2004-05)
  • Seán Loftus (2003-04)