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 Dr. Niall O' Leary
Lecturer

Research interests

  • Environmental Microbiology and biotechnology
  • Global regulation of bacterial metabolic pathways involved in xenobiotic biodegradation/bioremediation
  • Waste Water treatment
  • Microbial biodegradable polymers

E-mail: N.Oleary@ucc.ie
Room 428; Lab 335/337
Tel +353 21 490 ext 1390 or 1972
Fax +353-21-4903101

Professional activities and awards
  • 2006-Pres Principal investigator Environmental research Institute, U.C.C.
  • 2005-Pres Lecturer in Microbiology Dept. UCC
  • 2004-2005 PDR Phosphate removal from industrial waste water by activated sludge under low pH. Microbiology Dept, U.C.C (Environmental Protection Agency)
  • 2001-2004 PDR Biodegradable polymer production from a petrochemical industry waste pollutant compound, Environmental research Institute, UCC (HEA PRTLI2)
  • 1996-2001 PhD in Microbiology, "Physiology, genetics and biochemistry of styrene degradation by an environmental isolate, P. putida CA-3". University College Cork
  • 1992 -1996 BSc, Microbiology, University College Cork

Current projects in the Environmental Research Institute

  • Novel biotechnological approaches to nutrient removal from dairy industry waste waters
  • Production of Biodegradable polymers from dairy industry waste water organic loads
  • Investigation of global regulatory signals in catabolite repression of aromatic degradative pathways in Pseudomonas
  • Characterisation of complex two-component regulatory pathways controlling catabolic pathway for styrene degradation in Pseudomonas putida CA-3

Professional affiliations/duties

  • 2003 - Pres Alumnist/Member of the EU-US Environmental Biotechnology taskforce (EU FP6)
  • 2005 - Pres Instructor for the Harvard Graduate School of Education Wide World, on-line professional development programme.

Publications

Tobin, K., N. D. O' Leary, A.D.W. Dobson and K.E. O' Connor. 2007. The effect of heterologous expression of phaG ((R)-3-hydroxyacyl-ACP-CoA transferase) on polyhydroxyalkanoate accumulation from the aromatic hydrocarbon phenylacetic acid in Pseudomonas species. FEMS Microbiol Letts 268, 9 - 15

Mooney, A., N. D. O' Leary, and A. D. W. Dobson. 2006. Cloning and functional characterisation of the styE gene involved in styrene transport in Pseudomonas putida CA-3. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72:1302-9.

O' Leary, N. D., K. E. O' Connor, P. Ward, M. Goff and A. D. W. Dobson. 2005. Genetic characterisation of polyhydroxyalkanoate accumulation from styrene in P. putida CA-3. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71:4380-4387.

O' Connor K. E., N. D. O' Leary, J. R. Marchesi, A.D.W. Dobson and W.A. Duetz. 2005. Isolation and characterizationof a diverse group of phenylacetic acid degrading microorganisms from pristine soil. Chemosphere. 61, 965-973.

Alemayehu, D., L. M. Gordon, N. D. O' Leary and A.D.W. Dobson. 2004. Cloning and functional analysis by gene disruption of a novel gene involved in indigo production and fluoranthene metabolism in Pseudomonas alcalagines PA10. FEMS Microbiolo. Lett. 239:285-293

O'Leary N. D., K. E. O' Connor, and A.D.W. Dobson. 2002. Biochemistry, genetics and physiology of microbial styrene degradation. FEMS Microbiol Rev. 26:403-17.

O' Leary, N. D., W. A. Duetz, A. D. W. Dobson and K. E. O' Connor. 2002. Induction and repression of the sty operon in Pseudomonas putida CA-3 during growth on phenylacetic acid under organic and inorganic nutrient limiting continuous culture conditions. FEMS Microbiol. lett. 208: 263-268.

O' Leary, N. D., K.E. O' Connor, W. Duetz and A.D.W. Dobson. 2001. Transcriptional regulation of styrene degradation in Pseudomonas putida CA-3. Microbiology. 147:973-979.

Submitted:

O' Leary N. D., A. Mooney, M. O' Mahony and A.D.W. Dobson. 2007. Functional characterisation of essential domains within the styrene histidine kinase sensor molecule, StyS; a role for intracellular sensing in maximal transcription of the sty operon. (Applied and Environmental Microbiology).