Professor McVeigh is the Dean and Head of School of Clinical Therapies and Head of the Discipline of Physiotherapy, University College Cork (UCC).  Before joining UCC in 2017, Professor McVeigh was a member of faculty at Ulster University. Professor McVeigh obtained a BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy from Ulster University in 1992. He was employed by NHS as a staff grade then senior physiotherapist before specialising in the rehabilitation of long-term musculoskeletal conditions. In 1999 Professor McVeigh was appointed to one of the first joint clinical-academic posts in physiotherapy in the North of Ireland. Professor McVeigh was subsequently appointed as a Lecturer in Physiotherapy at Ulster University in 2003. Professor McVeigh is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Visiting Professor at Ulster University. 

Professor McVeigh's optimistic outlook is demonstrated by the fact that he was the physiotherapist with the Co. Down Senior Hurling team for 10 years!

Professor McVeigh is a research leader in his field with more than 170 research outputs. He has well-established international collaborations that have resulted in multiple high-impact peer reviewed publications and substantial research funding. Professor McVeigh's standing among his peers is recognised by multiple positions of leadership and esteem. Professor McVeigh was awarded his PhD, ‘Physiotherapy Management of Fibromyalgia Syndrome’ in 2007, and, while he maintains his research interest in chronic pain, his area of research has expanded to include non-pharmacological interventions, in particular behaviour change and physical activity and self-management, in long-term conditions. More recently, Professor McVeigh has been exploring the impact of virtual reality as an adjunct to rehabilitation. Professor McVeigh is a founding member of the XR4REHAB Collaboration & Innovation Network. The XR4REHAB Collaboration is a forum to facilitate research collaboration and improve rehabilitation and healthcare by exploiting XR technology. Professor McVeigh is keen to support emerging researchers in physiotherapy. He is currently supervising 10 PhD students and one MSc (Research) student. Professor McVeigh has supervised five PhD students to completion. He has been an invited PhD External Examiner for 11 PhD students including international students (the University of Seville and the University of Granada, Spain, the University of Stellenbosch University, South Africa, Keele University, Northumbria University and Canterbury Christ Church University in the UK). Professor McVeigh has been a member of grant awarding bodies (e.g. Arthritis Research UK) and grant reviewer (e.g. Swiss National Science Foundation; The Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government Translational Clinical Studies; French National Research Agency).

Professor McVeigh has extensive teaching and learning experience. He  developed the MSc Physiotherapy programme at UCC and has previously been Course Director of undergraduate BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy and MSc Sport and Exercise Medicine programmes. Professor McVeigh has been module coordinator for multiple modules in the area of musculoskeletal physiotherapy, rheumatology and research methods. Professor McVeigh contributes to modules across the MSc Physiotherapy programme particularly Research Methods, Research Dissertation and Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy. Professor McVeigh has always developed links between his research and his pedagogic activity. Professor McVeigh's main area of research, chronic pain and rehabilitation in long-term conditions, has directly informed his own teaching and has had a direct impact on curriculum development. Professor McVeigh is a firm believer that assessment drives learning and that the Standards of Practice for physiotherapists must be linked to assessment and learning outcomes.