My profile is a combination of expertise in interprofessional and intersectoral collaboration, implementation science and practice, speech and language therapy, structured literacy, and inclusive education. I am a CORU registered Speech and Language Therapist. I hold a PhD in Education (DCU) and a postgraduate qualification in Implementation Science (TCD). Prior to joining academia full time, within Tusla Education Support Service, I led implementation of a range of prevention and intervention programmes across 10 primary and post-primary schools, supporting educational and socioemotional outcomes for children and young people who are most at risk of exclusion from formal education. I worked as a full-time Pobal funded Researcher at the DCU Educational Disadvantage Centre in 2005-2007. I have been a member of the Educational Disadvantage Centre since and more recently of the newly established Centre for Inclusive Pedagogy and Centre for Literacy Research, Policy and Practice.

In 2024, for my work leading the development of national guidance on Participation of Disabled Children and Young People in Decision-Making, commissioned by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, I received DCU President’s Award for Engagement (team award, with Kathryn O'Mahony and Dr Alexis Carey).  

As a researcher, I have a strong track record of influencing national policy and practice frameworks, through leading research funded by the Department of Education; Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth; Tusla Education Support Service; Childhood Development Initiative (all as PI); and co-leading research commissioned by national charities (e.g., AsIAm, as co-PI). My research has also been funded by Research Ireland (previously Science Foundation, as co-PI) and through DCU seed funding. I am an experienced evaluator, consultant and facilitator with many years of experience supporting a range of capacity-building projects for organisations in public and not-for-profit sectors (please see my Engagement profile).

I currently co-chair a European Implementation in Education subgroup of the European Implementation Collaborative.

In the School of Inclusive and Special Education, I teach across a range of postgraduate programmes, including Master of Education in Specific Learning Difficulties (MSpL)/ Dyslexia, Graduate Diploma in Inclusive and Special Education, Professional Diploma in Inclusive and Special Education, and at doctoral level.