Law

My principal interests lie in intellectual property: patents, ethics, morality and biotechnological inventions involving human and animal hybrids and chimeras. I have published a book on this area. This has led to an interest in animal rights and law, along with vegetarianism/veganism. I have just completed writing a book on the Vegetarian Society of Ireland 1978-2024 and am negotiating publication. I also have a keen interest in copyright law and have published widely on this theme. I am currently studying the Law Society's trademark course to develop expertise in the third pillar of intellectual property, so I am a lifelong scholar. As I have taught Land Law and Property Law at three different universities in Britain and Ireland, I also publish on this area and have some expertise in native title and aspects of Nigerian Land Law. My background interests are in Philosophy, Ethics, History, Sociology, Property and Political Science.

I am interested in supervising hard-working and meticulous PhD students in the following areas: biotechnology and patents and related ethical questions; copyright and technology (and art); animal law, welfare and rights; themes in property and land law. Please email me to discuss your project.

I hold degrees from several different universities and jurisdictions, in reverse chronological order, as follows: PhD, University of Edinburgh, 2018. The title of the thesis was "Morality Patently Matters: The Case for a Universal Suffrage for Morally Controversial Biotechnological Patents"; PG Cert. HE, University of the West of England, Bristol; Research LLM, University of Warwick and the title was "The Linux Operating System: A Socio-Legal Study"; BCL, University College Cork; BA in English and Philosophy, UCC. I am bilingual - I speak fluent Spanish and hold a Certificate from the Escuela Oficial de Idiomas, Zaragoza, Spain.

My teaching career began in Spain where I taught T.E.F.L. for five years. I then studied for my BCL, I taught on the Property Law course at the University of Warwick for three years and later took up a lectureship at the University of the West of England, Bristol. There I continued teaching Property Law, eventually becoming module leader of that course. I also taught on the Cyber Law course and introduced a course on the LL.M. in Commercial Law, entitled 'Software Licensing and Legislation'. I was appointed as a lecturer at NUI, Galway (as it then was) in 2006 and served as Interim Head of School from 2008 to 2009. The University funded my Ph.D which I completed in 2018. I have been the Chairperson of the Research Ethics Committee of the University since 2022.

I have supervised four Ph.D. students to completion in patents, biotechnology and human dignity; land law in Nigeria and the UK; and animal law. I currently supervise two Ph.D students: one in biologics, patents and innovation; and the other in open source software licences. I was Director of the BA in Public and Social Policy from 2013-2016 and am the Law School representative on the MA in Public Policy in the School of Sociology and Political Science. I am also the Law School Director of Careers.