Professional Documents
Culture Documents
KAYLEIGH O’KEEFFE
Department of Biology • The University of Pennsylvania • Philadelphia PA 19104
kokeeffe@sas.upenn.edu • 516-205-8000 • krokeeffe.wordpress.com • @KOKeeffe12
EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA at CHAPEL HILL 2019
Ph. D. in Biology
Dissertation: Within-host microbial interactions and plant parasites: from pairwise
interactions to the microbiome (Advisor: Charles Mitchell)
APPOINTMENTS
Postdoctoral Research Associate (Dr. Dustin Brisson) 2019-Present
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
PUBLICATIONS
O’Keeffe, K.R., Oppler, Z.J., Brisson, D. (2020) Evolutionary Ecology of Lyme Borrelia. in
press at Infection, Genetics and Evolution. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meegid.2020.104570).
O’Keeffe, K.R. and Jones, C.D. (2019) Challenges and Solutions for Analyzing Dual RNA-
seq Data for Non-Model Host/Pathogen Systems. Methods in Ecology and Evolution,
10:401-414 (http://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.13135).
*Highlighted in the Methods in Ecology and Evolution blog:
https://methodsblog.com/2019/02/20/dual-rna-seq-limited-genomic-resources/
Hansen, W.D., Scholl, J.P., Sorensen, A.E., Fisher, K., Klassen, J., Calle, L., Kandlikar, G.,
Kortessis, N., Kucera, D., Marias, D., Narango, D.L., O’Keeffe, K.R., Planas, A., Recart, W.,
Ridolfi, E., and Shay. M. (2018). How do we ensure the future of our discipline is vibrant?
Student reflections on careers and culture of ecology. Ecosphere, 9(2):e02099
(http://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2099).
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O’Keeffe, K.R., Carbone, I., Jones, C.D., Mitchell, C.E. (2017). Plastic Potential: how the
phenotypes and adaptations of pathogens are influenced by microbial interactions within
plants. Current Opinion in Plant Biology 38:78-83
(https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbi.2017.04.014). (invited).
Bowman, T.A., O’Keeffe, K.R., D’Aquila, T., Yan, Q.W., Griffin, J.D., Killion, E.A., Mashek,
D.G., Buhman, K.K., and Greenberg, A.S. (2016). Acyl CoA synthetase 5 (ACSL5) Ablation
in Mice Increases Energy Expenditure and Insulin Sensitivity and Delays Fat Absorption.
Molecular Metabolism, 5(3) (http://doi.org/10.1016/j.molmet.2016.01.001)
PUBLICATIONS IN REVIEW/REVISION
Oppler, Z.J., O’Keeffe, K.R., McCoy K.D., Brisson D. “Evolutionary genetics of Borrelia.” In
Borrelia: Molecular Biology, Host Interaction and Pathogenesis. Eds. D. Scott Samuels and
Justin D. Radolf. Caister Academic Press.
O’Keeffe, K.R., Halliday, F.W., Jones, C.D., Carbone, I., Mitchell, C.E. (2020). Parasites as
niche modifiers for the microbiome: A field test with multiple parasites. bioRxiv
2020.03.31.018713, (https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.03.31.018713). (in revision at Molecular
Ecology)
O’Keeffe, K.R., Wheeler, B., Mitchell, C.E. A systemic endophyte affects population
dynamics of infectious disease.
INVITED PRESENTATIONS
2020: Scripps Institution of Oceanography
2020: The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
2020: Duke University (Department of Biology)
2019: Bryn Mawr College (Department of Biology)
2018: UNC-Chapel Hill Biology Symposium (one of two invited graduate student speakers)
O’Keeffe, K., F.W. Halliday, C.D. Jones, I. Carbone, and C.E. Mitchell, 2019. The fungal
microbiome of a grass host under natural infections by diverse parasites. Ecology &
Evolution of Infectious Disease Conference (17th annual), Princeton University (Poster
presentation)
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O’Keeffe, K., B.T. Wheeler, and C.E. Mitchell, 2018. A symbiont may decrease the spread
of a parasite through a host population but not within hosts. Ecological Society of America,
New Orleans LA (Oral presentation).
O’Keeffe, K., B.T. Wheeler, and C.E. Mitchell, 2018. A defensive symbiont decreases the
spread of a fungal plant pathogen through a host population but not within hosts. Ecology &
Evolution of Infectious Diseases Conference (16th Annual), University of Glasgow (Poster).
O’Keeffe, K. and C.E. Mitchell, 2017. Effects of endophyte symbiosis and pathogen
intraspecific variation on the growth of a fungal plant pathogen. Ecological Society of
America, Portland OR (Poster presentation).
O’Keeffe, K., C.E. Mitchell, C.D. Jones, 2017. Challenges for analyzing dual RNA-seq data
for non-model host/pathogen systems. Ecology & Evolution of Infectious Diseases
Conference (14th Annual), UC Santa Barbara (Poster presentation).
O’Keeffe, K., C.E. Mitchell, C.D. Jones 2016. Analyzing Mixed Transcriptomic Samples of
Hosts and Pathogens: A Comparison of Reference-based Mapping Methods. Ecology and
Evolution of Infectious Disease Conference (14th Annual), Cornell University (Poster)
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Guest Lecturer for Global Change Ecology, UNC Chapel-Hill 2020
Lecture: “Infectious Disease and Global Change” (delivered online)
Instructor for Modern Biological Concepts, Meredith College Fall 2018
Introductory non-majors course; 17 students
Guest Lecturer for Global Change Ecology, UNC Chapel-Hill 2016 & 2017
Lecture: “Infectious Disease and Global Change”
Guest Lecturer for Disease Ecology and Evolution, UNC-Chapel Hill 2016
Lectures: “Pathogens in Multi-Species Host Communities”
“Multi-Parasite Systems”
Guest Lecturer for Ecology and Evolution, UNC-Chapel Hill 2015
Lecture: “Population Growth”
Teaching Assistant for Ecology and Evolution, UNC-Chapel Hill 2015
Teaching Assistant for Evolutionary Biology, Amherst College 2011
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MENTORING EXPERIENCE
Emma Torija, Independent Study Student, University of Pennsylvania 2020-Present
William Manley, Independent Study Student, University of Pennsylvania 2019-2020
Bonnie Mendelson, Master’s student, University of Pennsylvania 2019-Present
Brandon Wheeler, Independent Study Student, UNC-Chapel Hill 2017-2019
2020-Onward: Lead botany technician, National Ecological Observatory Network
Anita Simha, Honors Thesis Student, UNC-Chapel Hill 2016-2017
2019-Onward: NSF Graduate Research Fellow, Duke University
Graduated with highest honors
Recipient of R.E. Coker Award for excellence in research in organismal biology and
ecology
SCIENCE COMMUNICATION
Participant, Introduction to science storytelling, The Story Collider 2020
Organizing Committee Chair, ComSciCon-Triangle 2017 & 2018
Science communication workshop for graduate students, Research Triangle, NC
Organizing Committee, ComSciCon-Triangle 2016
Selected Participant, ComSciCon-National 2016
National science communication workshop for graduate students, Cambridge, MA
Science Writing Intern, Genetics Society of America 2015
Selected Participant, ComSciCon-Triangle 2015