Orla is a senior research officer with Teagasc. She is a Principal Investigator with VistaMilk and a Funded Investigator with APC Microbiome Ireland. She was listed as a Highly cited researcher in 2018 and was awarded Science foundation Ireland early career researcher of 2019. Orla’s research focuses on profiling the microbiome from a variety of environments including, human gut and lung, rumen, cheese and soil. Of particular interest is the role of physical fitness and diet in shaping the gut microbiome both in elite athletes and the general population.