I am a Principal Lecturer in Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of Hertfordshire and in 2017 was awarded a Higher Education Academy National Teaching Fellowship. I am also a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. After completing my BSc (Chemistry) at University College Dublin, I continued there to attain my PhD under the supervision of Prof Frank Hegarty, investigating nitrile ylide dimerisation and the carbene reactivity of nitrile ylides. I then undertook post-doctoral work at the University of Milan and University of Cambridge. I obtained my MA in Education focusing on student engagement in chemistry. I am extremely passionate about learning and teaching and appreciate the challenges students encounter in relation to learning chemistry. I have developed my teaching approach evaluating the impact of innovations and new ideas that are underpinned by pedagogic research. I strive to help students bridge the gaps in their understanding of chemistry concepts by working with them within their own frameworks of cognition to promote a learning gain. An immense personal honour was receiving the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Higher Education Teaching Award in 2016.