I am a Research Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Physiology & Cell Biology at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), U.S.A, where I held a postdoctoral position from 2013-2017 after I received my PhD in Physiology from Dundalk Institute of Technology in 2013.
I actively engage in smooth muscle physiology research, teach research-led content in our physiology graduate and medical programmes, supervise undergraduate research students and serve on relevant committees. I became an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in 2017 and earned a postgraduate certificate (PG Cert) in 'Teaching & Learning In Higher Education' from University College Cork in 2018.
Since 2014 I have taught a range of modules in the UNR Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology & Physiology Graduate Programme and more recently in the School of Medicine Education Programme (MED) and the Physicians Assistant Studies (PAS) Programme. I conduct assessment for these modules using various modalities such as continuous assessment assignments, non-marked submissions and problem-solving based exams. I am also a tutor and mentor to international undergraduate exchange students. This role involves delivering tutorials, evaluating student understanding by classroom assessment techniques, providing academic counsel and advice for students and organizing the Annual International Student Research Symposium.
My research focuses on calcium signalling in smooth muscle, particularly in the urinary and gastrointestinal systems in order to find cellular targets for incontinence and motility disorders. During my postdoctoral fellowship I was awarded the Barcroft Early Career Medal, Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland (2017) and produced an internationally recognized record of peer-reviewed publications in journals such as, J General Physiology, Nature Reviews Urology, Sci Sig, J Physiology, PNAS and Advances in Physiology Education, etc.
