About me
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Welcome to my site, I hope you will find it to be a helpful resource.  I currently work as a lecturer in Dundalk IT’s Life and Health department.  I love what I do.  It’s my dream job, but as you will see below, it has taken a meandering career path to get to this position!  After a lengthy and productive stay at NUI Galway (1995-2007), followed my time working in Industry, I managed to obtain my current position where I have been working since 2009.  I hope this site will assist you in learning about careers and options, keeping up-to-date with science news and each other via social networking, in addition to acting as a virtual learning environment for students currently enrolled in my classes.  Science has always been my passion. I have been very fortunate to have worked with incredible people during each stage of my career to get me to where I am now.  Every day is an opportunity to improve and learn….so make today count!
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Outside of work, I believe it is critical to have a balance.  I am very passionate about photography and taking images of landscapes around Ireland is something I could do all day.  For further information on my background, please click on any of the headings below to expand the content:
Expertise
  • 2021-present - Senior Certified Member of the Association for Learning Technology (SCMALT).
  • 2018-21 - Certified Member of the Association for Learning Technology (CMALT).​
  • Masters in Arts in Learning & Teaching (MALT).  
  • 13 years Lecturing experience with module design and course development.
  • Industry experience with ICON Clinical Research (Dublin).
  • Research Fellowship Nominee with National Forum (2020)
  • 5 years cell culture experience.
  • PhD in Developmental Genetics / Biochemistry.
  • 5 Year post-doc with targeted gene knock-out and knock-in strategy development and implementation in the field of DNA damage/Cancer research.
  • Experience in International labs: (Scotland (Beatson, Glasgow, Gillespie lab), France (IGBMC, Strasbourg, Strähle lab) and USA (UCSF, Stainier lab).
  • Publications in peer reviewed journals and oral presentations at international conferences.
  • Reviewer for Learning & Teaching focused Journals.
  • Have served on the Institute Ethics Committee, Academic Council, Learning and Teaching sub-committee, School board, Group-Work Guideline working group, All-Ireland Society for Higher Education & TEAM research project amongst others.
  • Seconded to the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (14 months).
  • Editorial Board Member of The All Ireland Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (AISHE-J).   
Career history
  • Sept 2009 – Present: Lecturer – Biochemistry & Molecular Biology,  Dept. of Life & Health Sciences, Dundalk Institute of Technology;  Lecture Courses: Molecular biology, Biochemistry, Immunology, Upstream processing, Biotherapeutics, Y3 Project, Y4 Project. 
  • Oct 2020-Nov 2021; Full Time secondment to the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.
  • Apr 2008 – Mar 2009 – Manager, EU & Asia-Pacific Proposals, Business Development Manager, ICON Clinical Research
  • Jan 2003 – Sept 2007 – Post-Doctoral Research Scientist, NUI Galway;  Supervisor: Professor Noel F. Lowndes.  The basis of my post-doctoral research was to understand the role of a particular factor in a cell’s response to DNA damage. Failure to sense and repair damage to the DNA backbone in our cells is a main cause of cancer.  See http://www.chromosome.ie
education
  • 2022 - Mico-credential; Strategic Management (A1; University of Limerick)
  • 2018 - Associate Certificate in Graphic Design (Distinction)
  • 2013 – Masters in Learning & Teaching (First Class Honours, Awarded Oct 2013)
  • 2012-2013 – Diploma in Learning & Teaching, Dundalk Institute of Technology (progressed to Masters)
  • 2011-2012 – Certificate in Learning & Teaching, Dundalk Institute of Technology (progressed to Diploma)
  • 1999 – 2003 Ph.D Biochemistry/Developmental Biology, National University of Ireland, Galway;  Supervisors: Dr. Lucy Byrnes & Dr. Maura Grealy.  My PhD research revolved around the search for novel genes that were expressed for the first time at a particular stage of embryo development known as the midblastula transition in the zebrafish model system. My research led to the identification of many target genes including a novel gene, named nanor.
  • July 2001 – December 2001:  Visiting Scholar at UCSF, San Francisco, USA at University of California, San Francisco;  As part of my Ph.D research, I received a scholarship to travel to San Francisco. I was fortunate to obtain a position in the lab of Didier Stainier where I worked on understanding embryo development in the zebrafish model system.
Publications
Blog
Click here to see my reflective blog; 'A Learning Life'