A native of Co Clare, Dr Mary Upton has been a member of the Labour Party's Terenure branch, Dublin, since 1983. She managed her brother's election campaigns in 1989, 1992 and 1997 and contributed to party policy on science, food and agriculture.
As this campaign went on she emerged as an articulate candidate who may establish herself as more than simply her late brother's sister.
A single woman, Dr Upton (53) has been a lecturer and research scientist at UCD since 1969, and is currently leading a research team studying E.coli bacteria.