I completed my BSc in NUI Galway in 2009 and my PhD in 2013 in the Clinical Microbiology Department at RCSI, under the supervision of Prof Hilary Humphreys and Prof Deirdre Fitzgerlad-Hughes. I am a Senior Lecturer in the Discipline of Bacteriology and a Principal Investigator in the Antimicrobial Resistance and Microbial Ecology (ARME) Research Group. My research is afifilated with the Centre for One Health and the Institute for Health Discovery and Innovation. My research focuses on antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria and virulent zoonotic pathogens. I am interested in characterising their resistance and virulence mechanisms and tracking their spread from a One Health perspective (between humans, animals and the built and natural environment). My research aims to develop new tools and knowledge that can inform interventions and policy to protect public health. I lead the EPA-funded DERIVE project (Detection and risk Management of Verotxigenic E. coli in the water Environment) and the University of Galway funded CACHE project "Carbapenemase Producing Enterobacterales Acquisition from the Hospital Environment".

Antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria

Virulent zoonotic pathogens

One Health

Genomics

Molecular diagnostics

Public health

I teach School of Medicine students on the topics of microbiology, antimicrobial resistance, healthcare associated infection, molecular diagnostics and human genetics. I am interested in using interactive methods that engage the student such as technology enhanced learning - podcasts, video and mobile web learning tools. I believe that multidisciplinary teaching and inter-professional learning is especially important for School of Medicine students, who will work as part of a large interdisciplinary team of healthcare professionals in their future careers.