We are evolutionary ecologists fascinated by the dynamics of complex microbial communities, based at Trinity College Dublin.
Microbes are an evolutionary ecologists’ dream: they evolve on rapid timescales allowing us to monitor evolutionary changes real-time in the lab. They also interact with one another, engaging in bacterial warfare, sharing public goods, detoxifying the environment, and even cheating on their neighbours.
The O’Brien lab group uses various Pseudomonas species alongside natural microbial communities, to better understand how these social interactions evolve over time, particularly in complex communities like soil or the gut microbiome.
O'Brien Lab at Trinity College Dublin 