I received my PhD from Maynooth University in 2001. After spending one further year at MU conducting postdoctoral research, I was appointed to the School of Psychology at the University of Galway in August, 2002. My research focuses on the analysis of language and cognition from a behaviour analytic and more specifically Relational Frame Theory (RFT) perspective. Within the School of Psychology I'm a member of the Contextual Behavioural Science (CBS) group which comes under the Brain and Behaviour theme. I'm also a member of several external associations dedicated to the promotion of behavioural science. I was made a fellow of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS) in June 2014. I'm currently also in the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI), the European Association for Behaviour Analysis (EABA) and the Experimental Analysis of Behaviour Group (EABG). I was on the executive council of the Psychological Society of Ireland from 2004 to 2008 and was Honorary Secretary from 2005 to 2007.

The Experimental Analysis of Language and Cognition: The development of language and complex cognitive skills; Analogical reasoning and metaphorical language; Stimulus equivalence and Relational Frame Theory (RFT). Applications of Relational Frame Theory: RFT and psychotherapy, with a special interest in Acceptance Commitment Therapy; RFT and education. Philosophical Issues in Psychology: The epistemology of behavioural psychology and its relationship to current research; The historical development of philosophical world views in psychology; Philosophical and conceptual issues in psychology and linguistic philosophy.

My focus in terms of teaching is theoretical behaviour analysis. I currently teach on all four years of the undergraduate programme as well as contributing to the Masters in Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA).