Megan Power PhD Researcher
I received my BSc in Zoology in 2014 from University College Dublin (UCD) in 2014, where I investigated the phylogeography and population structure of Myotis myotis bats in Brittany, France through the use of molecular techniques. I then received my MSc in Biodiversity and Conservation in 2015 from Trinity College Dublin (TCD) during which, I specialised in spatial analysis of artificial light, providing a foundation for ecological light pollution effects assessment in Ireland. I began working in UCD in 2016 where I helped Prof. Emma Teeling with the establishment of Bat1k, a genome consortium with the goal to sequence the genomes of all extant bat species. I then began my PhD studies in 2017 in UCD and University of Bristol.
My PhD is funded by the Irish Research Council (IRC) and Royal Irish Academy/Royal Society (RIA/RS) where I combine field biology, molecular techniques and ecological modelling to determine the telomere dynamics behind different life-history strategies in a unique long-lived bat, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum. Future career goals include the development of cellular assays for non-model organisms to further underpin the molecular mechanisms behind variation in life-history trade-offs and the interaction of oxidative stress and telomeres in bats.