Interest in nature takes Athlone man on career journey to Oregon

Chapel Street native promoted to full professor role at top US university

Fishing on the River Shannon, camping, and exploring the islands of Lough Ree as a child sparked a lifelong interest in nature and wildlife for Athlone native Rory McDonnell.

It is an interest that's seen him build a successful career in science that saw him travel around the world, consult on a TV show, write more than 70 papers and books, and most recently secure an appointment as full professor at Oregon State University, the highest academic rank you can achieve at a university in the US.

The son of Nick and the late Ann McDonnell (née Clogher), and brother to Eoin, Rory grew up on Chapel Street, Athlone, and attended St Paul's NS, Dean Kelly NS and St Aloysius College. As a teenager, he joined Athlone Boat Club.

"I rowed in an eight-person and a four-person crew for many years, and we won regattas in Athlone, Galway and Dublin," he said.

Rory recalls how both he and Eoin were fascinated by natural history when they were growing up and would collect all sorts of things, such as fossils, old birds' nests, little fish, and insects.

"We would have an insect zoo in our backyard with containers and jars filled with all sorts of bugs," he said. "My late Mum and my Dad were always super supportive of our interests and encouraged us to pursue them.

"Mum would often wake up in the mornings with a trail of ants coming from our back yard to a jar of jam in the kitchen. One time my brother and I even placed a jar of bees in the fridge!" he added.

Rory also recalls delivering copies of the Westmeath Independent to businesses all over Athlone as his very first job.

He studied Environmental Science at University of Galway in the 1990s and graduated top of his class with a First Class Honours degree.

"After graduation, I studied tropical ecology in a rainforest in Uganda. Waking up every morning surrounded by rainforest with incredible biodiversity - from chimpanzees to army ants - was a life-changing experience for me," he said.

From there, he travelled to the Australian Outback where he worked on insects that pollinate critically endangered plants. In 1999 he returned to Ireland and began a PhD in Applied Ecology, once again in Galway.

"My PhD research was focused on the interactions between insects, and how we could potentially use predatory species to control pest species in agriculture. As part of my PhD, I spent four months at the University of California in Riverside where I researched how insects communicate with each other,” he explained.

As the process of securing his Doctorate neared its conclusion, Rory presented his research at a conference in Brisbane, Australia, where he was awarded first prize for being the best student speaker.

After completing his PhD, Rory lived in Italy for a month where he wrote a number of scientific articles with another scientist. He then returned to Uganda to teach students about ecology and insects, and, while there, he learned that he had been awarded a Marie Curie Fellowship from the European Union.

"These fellowships are only awarded to outstanding junior scientists so it was a huge honour to be selected for this award," he said. "I used the fellowship to work at the Department of Entomology at the University of California in Riverside. This department is one of the best entomology departments in the world. There are 30 professors there, working on all aspects of insect biology, and it was an incredibly enriching experience interacting with them."

During his time in 'The Golden State' he also worked as consulting scientist for an episode of Bones, the Emmy-nominated TV series.

After two years in California, Rory returned to Ireland where his work focused on the Kerry Slug - a species that is protected under EU legislation - in southwest Ireland.

In 2011, he went back to California to work on pest snails and slugs and was offered a faculty position at Oregon State University, in the North West of the United States, in 2016. Not only is Oregon State University regarded as one of the best universities in the US, it is also in the top tier of research institutions there.

Rory's accolades are numerous, and include being elected a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society in December 2023 in recognition of his significant contributions to the field of entomology, and being made a full member of Sigma Xi, which is the Scientific Research Honor Society.

"Membership in Sigma Xi is prestigious, by invitation only, and distinguishes members as exceptional contributors to the research community," he explained.

While he has enjoyed much success in his career to date, this culminated in his recent appointment as full professor at Oregon State University.

"Full professor is the highest academic rank you can achieve at a university in the US. My recent appointment at this rank is the culmination of many years of work, but more importantly it is a direct result of all of the support that I have received over 30 years from my family and friends. Particularly my parents who sacrificed a lot for my brother and I to pursue our dreams.

"Quite simply, it would not have been possible without their support," he said.

Explaining a little about his work, Rory said: "My research programme at Oregon State University has two main themes. It focuses on: 1) understanding the biology of slugs and snails, and 2) developing novel, environmentally friendly approaches for managing pest species.

"I run a research lab and supervise/have supervised students and scientists from Ireland, Spain, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, the UK, and the US. Some of our current research involves investigating plant extracts as pesticides, developing novel attractants for mass trapping of pest species, and using microscopic nematode worms as biopesticides."

One of the research team's most significant discoveries to date was that fermenting bread dough is a highly effective attractant for pest slugs and snails.

"I have tested the dough in Hawaii, Oregon, Montana, Michigan, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Florida, and have clear evidence that it attracts large numbers of very damaging pest species including a snail called the Giant African Snail, which is one of the most damaging snail species in the world," said Rory, who has recently been invited to India to help scientists there use the dough to manage a pest snail.

He is also working with scientists in Canada to develop a synthetic bread dough odour, which would be easier to store, ship and use.

His research work has previously seen him travel to Ecuador to advise pineapple growers on how best to manage a new snail pest in their crops, and to China where he taught other scientists about pest slugs and snails, and how best to control them.

As well as bringing him to every corner of the globe, Rory says one of the great things about his job is that every day is different.

"It could involve anything from meeting with my team, mentoring students and junior faculty, advising farmers and gardeners, meetings with other scientists, travelling to speak at conferences or public outreach events, writing scientific papers and books, sitting on committees, doing surveys or research in different parts of the world, or running experiments in my laboratory," he said.

He is also often asked by high school children what they should study at college and he says his advice is always that they should study something they are passionate about.

"We spend a significant portion of our life working and our job should be something we enjoy and find enriching.

"If you enjoy your work, are passionate about it, you will be successful. I also tell them that learning is a lifelong process. Even though I know a lot about slugs and snails I learn something new about them every week!" he concluded.