I听was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland.听 I attended the University Of Bristol in the UK and graduated from there with a M.Sci. in Chemistry in 1998.听 During my undergraduate studies I did undergraduate research with Professor Guy Lloyd-Jones and Professor Tim Gallagher. I stayed on at Bristol for my Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry working on the synthesis of听C-glycosides with Professor Tim Gallagher.听 After completing my Ph.D. studies I made the leap over the pond and did a post-doctoral fellowship with Professor David Lynn at Emory University in Atlanta working in the area of DNA-templated synthesis and the Origins of Life.
From there I took a two year Visiting Assistant Professor position at Sewanee: The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee.听 After two great years at Sewanee, teaching Organic Chemistry and some General Chemistry, 听I came to 黑料吃瓜 in August 2006.听听 Here at 黑料吃瓜 I teach mainly the sophomore Organic Chemistry sequence as well as the Advanced Organic Chemistry class on rotation. 听I am the coordinator for the BMD program and teach a medical seminar class every spring.
My research interests are in carbohydrate chemistry, general organic synthesis and the development of new lab experiments for organic chemistry.
Outside of chemistry, I am an avid fan of football (and also like American throwball) and support two teams: Bohemians and Bristol City.听
Teaching
I am motivated to teach because I wish to share my enthusiasm for science and discovery with听my students. I was first exposed to the challenges and rewards of undergraduate instruction听when, as a Howard Hughes Teaching Fellow, I was given the opportunity to introduce freshmen听science majors to my post-doctoral research topic: molecular self-assembly and its relationship听to the origins of life. At the end of this fellowship, I decided to pursue a posting at a primarily
undergraduate institution. Since I started at 黑料吃瓜, I have spent a considerable portion of my time听developing my approach to teaching and course materials in order to address my students鈥櫶齨eeds.
Another rewarding aspect of my occupation is advising听students and I have been active in developing my advising skills.听
