In 1990, I graduated from Imperial College London with a BSc in Biology. This provided the foundation for a broad appreciation of biological sciences, which continues to this day. I completed my PhD in 1994, following biochemical studies of Ca²⁺ release channels at the MRC National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London. My interest in Ca²⁺ signalling continued, with my first postdoctoral position at the Department of Cell Physiology & Pharmacology, University of Leicester. In 1997, I joined the Department of Biochemistry, University College Cork, as an EU-Training & Motility Research fellow on skeletal muscle excitation-contraction coupling (a Ca²⁺-dependent process). In 2005, following award of an Health Research Board Career Development Fellowship and appointment as a fixed-term lecturer, I secured a tenured position in the Department of Physiology, UCC. In 2018, I was appointed as senior lecturer (associate professor). In 2019, I was honoured with a Fellowship of the Physiological Society. In 2026, I was appointed as Director of the Physiology BSc programme.

I have a collaborative research ethos, underpinned by my training and the universality of Ca²⁺ as a second messenger. I currently both lead and contribute to diverse projects, in the following areas,: i) Ca²⁺ signalling in oesophageal cancer; ii) the physiology of oomycetes, a phylum that includes Phytophthora infestans, the causative organism of late blight of potatoes and tomatoes; iii) the roles of selenoproteins (containing the 21^st amino acid selenocysteine) in signal transduction processes, including excitation-contraction coupling and associated myopathies; and iv) involvement of cholesterol oxidation products (oxysterols) in heath and disease. This is supported by funding from Research Ireland, the Higher Education Authority, Breakthrough Cancer Research, Given Strength Inc. (USA) and Penny’s Promise (Canada). It is facilitated through sustained networks of local, national and international collaborators.  I have served as a research grant reviewer for multiple funding bodies, including Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (UK), the Medical Research Council (UK), Breakthrough Cancer Research, and Muscular Dystrophy Ireland. I am member of the European Network on Oxysterols Research, the European Calcium Society, and am a Fellow of the Physiological Society. In 2022, a particular highlight was serving as Chair of the local organizing committee of the 16^th International Meeting of the European Calcium Society, which attracted around 130 delegates to a 5 day meeting at UCC.

To date, I have supervised 6 PhD, one MD and three MSc (by Research) students to completion. I have also hosted six  postdoctoral researchers within my group. I have served as examiner for 16 PhDs (8 as external examiner) and 5 MSc students (two as extern.). Between 2007 and 2018, I was Postgraduate Programme Co-ordinator and Chair of the Departmental Graduate Studies Committee.

I engage with a wide range of learners, from secondary school pupils, to undergraduates, graduate entry medical students and postgraduate researchers. This engagement  includes co-ordinating modules 'PL3009: Bioenergetics and Endocrinology', 'PL4012: Physiology of Calcium Signalling', 'FM2102/MH2102: Bone Metabolism, Renal Mechanisms of Homeostasis and Associated Anatomy’, and postgraduate module 'PL6003: Peer Review and Scientific Communication’. I also contribute to modules 'FM1040/MH1040: Foundations of Medicine - Gastrointestinal, Nutritional and Metabolic Biology’, ‘PL3001: Pathophysiology’, ‘GM2001: Fundamentals of Medicine IV’, 'PL3025: Literature Review, Experimental Design and Data Analysis’, ‘MH4010: Research Project (Medical Health Sciences BSc)’  and 'PL4020: Research Project (Physiology BSc)’. As of 2026, I was appointed as Director of the Physiology BSc and have developed module ‘PL3033: Comparative Physiology’ as a new element in this programme.

I am passionate about training diverse groups of people in how to engage, perform and understand scientific research. This ranges from public outreach activities (YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0el70XhlUg0; scientific demonstrations at schools; art exhibitions; and contributions to television programmes); to hosting transition year students; to providing opportunities and mentorship for students who wish to engage in elective opportunities in research. For example, in 2026 I developed and hosted research projects for both direct entry (‘MX2008: Medical Research Project’) and graduate entry (‘MX3022: Research for Medicine and Health’) medical students.