Emma Teeling

Dubbed as Ireland's Batwoman, Dr. Emma Teeling's speeches revolve around how different organisms can help improve science and medicine.

Teeling, who is the Director of the Centre for Irish Bat Research, has always been fascinated with science and the nocturnal mammals. Being able to pursue her passion, she began studying at University College Dublin where she received her degree in Zoology. She later acquired a M.Sc. in Animal Behavior at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland but unsatisfied with the limits of her research, she pursued a Ph.D. in Molecular Phylogenetics at Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland and at University of California Riverside, USA, which ultimately led her to her research on bats today.

While she was still in school, Dr. Teeling's research revealed groundbreaking discoveries about bats that forced previous findings to be renounced. In 2007, she received a prestigious President of Young Researcher Award from the Science Foundation Ireland. The winnings allowed her to fund her study for the molecular evolution of sensory perception.

While Dr. Emma Teeling's speeches involve the advancement of medicine in hopes to cure hereditary diseases, she also hopes to find the key genome in bats to extend human life.