Background
O'Reilly was born in Cootamundra, New South Wales.
O'Reilly was born in Cootamundra, New South Wales.
She has over 350 peer-reviewed publications with over 21,000 citations (June 2014), and supervised more than 40 PhD students to graduation. She later attended the University of Sydney and graduated with a Bachelor of Science (first-class honours) in geology and general earth science.
In 2007, the Royal Society of New South Wales awarded her the Clarke Medal for outstanding contributions to Australian geology. She went to high school in Goulburn, and was a Professor Harry Messel International Science School Scholar at the inaugural event for students held at the University of Sydney in 1962. In 1971, O'Reilly earned her doctorate, also from the University of Sydney, for her thesis on basaltic rocks of the Southern Highlands (New South Wales).
O'Reilly is currently a Distinguished Professor in geology at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. O'Reilly has been the director of the ARC National Key Centre for Geochemical Evolution and Metallogeny of Continents (GEMOC) since 1995 and leader of the Lithosphere Mapping and Mantle Dynamics Group in GEMOC. She is also the director of ARC Centre of Excellence for Core to Crust Fluid Systems. She is concurrently professor of earth sciences at Nanjing University and a guest professor at China University of Geosciences (in Wuhan).
In 2013, she was Copernicus Visiting Professor at the University of Ferrara. Lyon University awarded her a Docteur Honoris Causa. Professor O'Reilly's fields of research include: Integration of geophysical, geochemical, petrological, petrophysical and tectonic data to construct realistic lithospheric structure and evolution models (4-D lithosphere mapping) and understand whole-mantle dynamics through time.
Geochemistry and evolution of the mantle and deep crust. The geochemistry and origin of basaltic magmas and their geodynamic significance. Trace-element dispersions, residence sites and mineral partitioning in the mantle.
Realistic geological interpretations of geophysical datasets. Relationships between mantle geochemistry and structure, volcanic activity, tectonic environment and lithosphere-scale controls for the distribution of economic deposits to enhance success in resource exploration. 1997: Invested as Concurrent Professor, Nanjing University O'Reilly lives in Sydney, Australia.
2002: Member of DEST Expert Advisory Committee for National Research Priorities
2002: Member of the Australian Academy of Sciences National Committee for Earth Sciences from 2002.