Olivia O’Leary

Olivia O'Leary, PhD, is Director of the BSc Neuroscience Programme, and a Principal Investigator in the Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience and the APC Microbiome Ireland Research Institute at University College Cork, Ireland. Her research group is focused on determining the effects and consequences of psychological stress on the brain and identifying the biological mechanisms [e.g. neurogenesis (production of new neurons), microbiota-gut-brain axis] and factors [e.g. diet, exercise, biological sex, hormonal transition periods in female life] that determine vulnerability or resilience to stress-induced depression, anxiety, and cognitive dysfunction.