Affiliation: University College Dublin
Keywords: Genetics, domestication, pathogens, ancient DNA.
Full profile: Kevin Daly is an Associate Professor at UCD’s School of Agriculture and Food Science. Kevin’s research utilizes palaeogenomics – using DNA recovered from ancient material to study living things in the past. He has a particular focus on domestication of small ruminants, sheep and goats, and of the pathogens which affect them. With these ancient genomes, we can peek back into prehistory to see how animals have evolved, what were past patterns of biodiversity and how they have changed, and the forces shaping modern animal diversity. His work has been published in Science, PNAS, Nature Communications, and eLife.
From 2026, Kevin will lead the ERC Starting grant project “HERDPATH”, which will explore the co-evolution of livestock and pathogens since domestication, with a particular focus on immune gene diversity.
Kevin is a member of the first cohort of the Young Academy of Ireland, where he has led a Narrative CV workshop (2025), information sessions targeted at displaced scholars, and represented YAI within the CoARA National Chapter. He currently sits on the YAI Executive Committee (September 2025-2027) where he has a role of Project Lead. He is a strong advocate for alternative publishing and peer review models and supports the “Peer Review In” movement.