Rebecca Owens

Dr. Rebecca Owens is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at Maynooth University, affiliated with the Human Health Institute. She holds a BSc (Biotechnology) from Maynooth University (2008) and a PhD (2013), supported by an IRCSET Scholarship. Her postdoctoral research focused on fungal pathogen proteomics, particularly iron-limiting conditions and mass spectrometry methodologies. In 2017, she established the Chemical Microbiology laboratory, specializing in proteomic analyses of microbial species and antimicrobial resistance mechanisms. Her work bridges academia and industry, expanding into food technology and microbiology. Dr. Owens currently supervises 4 PhD students funded by DAFM and Teagasc.

Her research interests include: proteomic responses to antifungals, fungal pathogen virulence, and mass spectrometry-based methods for analyzing microbial metabolites. She has contributed to over 40 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, including seminal work on fungal proteomics and gliotoxin biology.

Dr. Owens serves on professional committees, including Treasurer of the Irish Fungal Society and Member of the Microbiology Society’s Irish Division. Her lab’s recent work explores zinc chelation by gliotoxin, HMO-primed bifidobacteria, and bovine colostrum proteomics.