Dr Tara Dirilgen

    Biology, Human Health Institute

    Lecturer/Assistant Professor
    Environmental Biology and Sustainability

    F2
    Callan Building
    (01) 474 7261

    Biography

    Tara is an ecologist with interests spanning many areas which centre around biodiversity.

    Upcoming projects:
    Watch this space for research on soil-plant-pollinator interactions under multiple, interacting, global change pressures.
    Ongoing projects:
    From Roots to Pollinators: How above- and below-ground organisms interact through
    Plants (IRC, lead PD)
    Relationships between functional diversity and food production and quality under ecological intensification (EPA, Biodiversa, project contributor)
    Past projects:
    Climate change and its effects on Pollination Services (FNRS/FWO, project contributor)
    Sustainable Pollination Services in a Changing world (SFI, project PD)
    Soil Microarthropod Community Assembly And Their Value As Indicators Of Soil Biodiversity (EC, EcoFINDERS, lead PG)

    Twitter: @taradirilgen

    Google scholar


    Join the Terrestrial Ecology Lab
    Postdoctoral Researchers
    Reach out to me if you are interested in pursuing support for collaborative projects.
    Some options include:
    Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme
    Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowship
    Prospective Graduate Students
    Contact me to discuss potential opportunities for pursuing an MSc or PhD

    Research Interests

    Community ecology, Terrestrial biodiversity (above and belowground), Soil-Plant-Pollinator interactions, Global change, Sustainability

    Professional Associations

    Description Function From / To
    All Ireland Climate and Biodiversity Research Network Member -
    UCD Earth Institute Affiliate Member -
    Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland Member -
    British Ecological Association Member -
    Environmental Sciences Association of Ireland Member -
    Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative Member -
    International Society of Root Research Member -
    Irish Ecological Association Member -
    Society for Open, Reliable, and Transparent Ecology and Evolutionary biology Member -
    Soil Science Society of Ireland Member -
    Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation Member -
    Irish Pollinator Research Network Member -

    Honors and Awards

    Date Title Awarding Body
    09/12/2020 Thomas Mitchell Medal of Excellence GOI Irish Research Council

    Committees

    Committee Function From / To
    Soil Science Society of Ireland Member -
    Irish Ecological Association Ordinary member -
    Sustainable Ecosystems Working Group, Department of Biology Member -

    Employment

    Employer Position From / To
    Maynooth University Lecturer/Assistant Professor in Environmental Biology and Sustainability 11/09/2023 -
    University College Dublin Lecturer/Assistant Professor in Applied Entomology 01/10/2022 - 01/08/2023
    University College Dublin Postdoctoral researcher | GOI Irish Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship 01/01/2021 - 01/10/2022
    University College Dublin SFI Postdoctoral Researcher | SUSPOLL (Sustainable Pollination Services in a Changing World) project 01/07/2020 - 01/01/2021
    University College Dublin Research Asssistant | SFI SUSPOLL (Sustainable Pollination Services in a Changing World) project 01/02/2019 - 01/07/2020
    University College Dublin Academic Manager | MSc Environmental Sustainability 01/08/2018 - 01/12/2018

    Education

    Start date Institution Qualification Subject
    University College Dublin PhD Ecology
    University College Dublin BSc Zoology

    Languages

    Language Reading Writing Speaking
    Turkish Fluent Fluent Fluent
    English Fluent Fluent Fluent

    Editorial / Academic Reviews

    Amount Role From / To
    Insect Conservation & Diversity Reviewer -
    Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment Reviewer -

    Outreach Activities

    Organisation Type Description
    International Day for Biological Diversity 2021 Civic Society As part of UCD Earth Institute video series "What is biodiversity?" Target audience: primary school children, general public [Link]
    Soapbox Science Civic Society One of 12 women in STEM taking part in Soapbox Science Dublin, Ireland event on Dublin's South King street, standing on a soapbox, using 2 props, I spoke to the general public about my ongoing research “Do soil animals interact with bees through plants?” [Link]
    Rising Star Fellowship feature piece, UCD Institute for Discovery Civic Society [Link]
    Mooney Goes Wild radio piece as part of the Global Soil Biodiversity Conference coverage Civic Society
    “Ask a scientist” tent at Farming for Soil Health public event, Teagasc, Wexford Civic Society

    Teaching Interests

    Ecology, Entomology, Zoology, Animal behaviour, Insect-Plant interactions, Philosophy