Xaali O’Reilly
Berkeley, PhD
I am currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona & CREAF (Catalunya), where I am using sedimentary ancient DNA to investigate ecosystem changes on islands over time with Dr Sandra Nogué (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) and Dr Inger G. Alsos (The Arctic University Museum of Norway). For my PhD, I studied plant genotype effects on associated microbial and invertebrate communities, using epiphytic bromeliads (Bromeliaceae) and false-bird-of-paradise plants (Heliconiaceae) as models in the hyperdiverse rainforest of Ecuador.
Common techniques used throughout my various research projects have included tropical field work, tree-climbing, metabarcoding, microsatellite development, processing sequencing data, and statistical analysis.
Xaali O'Reilly Berkeley, PhD 