Laura graduated with a BA in Human Genetics from Trinity College Dublin, after which she worked for four years as technician on the Teagasc sequencing platform and is now working with SeqBiome and towards a PhD in Microbiology in University College Cork. Her primary research focus is on developing next-generation sequencing tools and methods, with a view to improving the application of the technology to microbiome studies and to enhance understanding of the role of the microbiome in food and human health.