Biography
Sarah is a postdoctoral research fellow based in the People and Nature research group, led by Prof Jane Stout and Dr Jessica Knapp, in Botany, TCD. Research interests lie in insect pollinator conservation, with particular focus on understanding risks facing pollinators (such as bumblebees), and their responses to anthropogenic changes to their environments, via the use of molecular and ecological techniques.
Sarah is currently working on a Horizon Europe project called RestPoll (Restoring pollinator habitats across European agricultural landscapes). This is a four-year project that aims to create and provide tools that will empower society to restore connectivity of wild pollinator habitats and reverse declines seen in pollinators. For more information on RestPoll, see: https://restpoll.eu/.
Sarah received her PhD from Maynooth University, funded by the Irish Research Council and under the supervision of Dr James Carolan and Prof Jane Stout, where she evaluated wild-caught Irish buff-tailed bumblebees (Bombus terrestris audax) on genomic, proteomic and behavioural levels with respect to other wild and commercial populations of the same subspecies.